Fractional CIO / CTO
You need senior technology judgment on the decisions that can't go wrong, but a full-time CIO is a six-figure hire you can't yet justify. I give you that judgment fractionally: the roadmap, the vendor calls, and a steady hand on the projects that have to land.
Technology Leadership on Staff
Most growing businesses hit a point where the technology decisions outrun the people making them. You need someone who knows both your business and what it takes to scale one. I've spent over thirty years doing exactly that, with founders and growing companies, helping them use technology to scale fast and stay ahead of the competition.
Many of the companies I work with have no IT leadership at all; others have a capable team that has outrun its tools. With AI behind me, I can be that department or orchestrate the one you have: the strategy, the vendor calls, the build, and the day-to-day, delivered by one experienced architect at a fraction of a six-figure hire. And because I built and ran my own companies on the systems I wrote myself, the problems you're facing are usually ones I've already solved firsthand.
Strategic Guidance
Technology changes fast, and every dollar you put into it should earn its place. I start every engagement with an assessment and a prioritized roadmap that weighs ROI and time-to-value, putting the projects that move productivity, sales, and your ability to scale at the top of the list.
Vendor & Product Decisions
Every new system is a bet, and the wrong one is expensive to unwind. I've built ERP, warehouse, CRM, and marketing systems from scratch and bought them off the shelf, so I know what they really have to do. That makes my build-versus-buy advice honest: driven by value and fit, never by whatever I happen to sell. When buying is the smarter move, I'll tell you, and run the selection.
Board Communication
A technology initiative only succeeds when the people funding it understand it. I translate the work for board members, investors, and leadership, so everyone backing a project knows what it does, what it costs, and why it matters.
A Steady Hand on Delivery
Strategy is only half of it. I stay on the projects that can't fail, through selection, build, and rollout, as the senior judgment that keeps them on scope, on budget, and actually adopted by the people who have to use them.
“Mike was an excellent person to work for. He used the perfect combination of flexibility and accountability to keep his team both happy and motivated. He didn't micromanage, yet communicated clear expectations and direction. The informal atmosphere at Ares kept the IT team free from mundane meetings and let us complete a large, complex software project that benefited the entire company. A true pleasure to work for.”
“Mike and his team were extremely knowledgeable, thorough, and easy to work with. They were able to help us configure the system to handle complex business processes while making the system easy for end users.”
Technology decisions outrunning your team?
Book a 25-minute call. Bring the one that's keeping you up; we'll map a way through it.