How To Know When You Truly Need A Fulltime CTO

Picture this: Somewhere between beer pong and hacky sack on the quad, you and your college roommate came up with a great Minimum Viable SELLABLE Product. 

Now you’re been building your company out of the garage - like many of the greats - and it feels like it’s time to get serious about your team. You’ve got a bunch of contractors and you know that - theoretically - you and your buddy could steer the ship on your own.

But do you want to?

And is that the best use of your time, energy, and talents?

Would you benefit from an outside perspective?

Is it time to hire a CTO? And is it time to hire a full-time CTO? 

I’m so glad you asked! Let’s talk through it.

What does a CTO actually do?

A Chief Technical Officer (CTO) is the person responsible for the technological direction of a company. For tech startups, having someone with a deep understanding of technical architecture  is a must-have for long-term growth and scalability. 

A CTO doesn’t just oversee product and development; they’re the visionary behind the technology. A CTO makes sure the product you’re building is scalable, adaptable, and secure.

But what exactly does a CTO do? They manage tech teams, yes, but they’re also the decision-makers. They strategize on tech stacks, database architecture, server configurations, and how best to optimize performance based on predicted user growth.

Support for the risk averse!

What’s that? You don’t want to risk losing months of work and tens of thousands of dollars? Weird.

A good CTO will oversee your startup’s technological decisions. They’ll make sure you’re using the best tech stack, database configuration, and scaling methods.Without a CTO, startups often have to rely on contractors or development teams to make these decisions.

Is this a cheaper solution? Yes. Is it more likely to result in wasted time and money in the long run? Also yes.

In the worst case scenario, relying exclusively on your development team for tech direction can lead to misaligned priorities. A development team might push for a solution that suits their expertise but isn’t the best fit for the company’s long-term needs​. 

They might encourage you to build your site on a low code platform (more on when the right time to use a low code platform here) because that’s what they know, when in reality,you’d be better served by a custom coded, full tilt web application. 

Your CTO will also provide a layer of accountability. When you work with contractors, there’s always the risk that they’ll make decisions that benefit them, not the company. A CTO keeps contractors in check, ensuring the business’s interests come first. 

They’ll guide the technical direction, making decisions based on what's best for the company’s product and future growth … rather than what’s easiest for the development team​.

It’s also worth noting that, at a certain point, investors will start asking hard, technology-based questions and even doing due diligence processes. If your company is going to the Series A round, you will need a CTO - even if they’re fractional.

You probably won’t be surprised with my recommendation that, yes, your startup probably needs a CTO - even if they’re fractional. (Read the whole article here).

They’ll save you time, money, and energy and help you avoid common pitfalls.

And they're not just tech oversee-ers! They’re strategic leaders who make sure your product is built to scale, stays competitive, and operates efficiently. 

Whether full-time or part-time, having a CTO is one of the smartest investments you can make in your business and, honestly, your quality of life.

Interested in learning more about who we’d recommend as a CTO, or learn about our interim / fractional CTO services? Grab a spot on my calendar and let’s chat! You’re about to free up so much time and energy!