You Need a CTO. You Don't Need to Hire One.
Strategic technology leadership for growing Columbus businesses. The expertise of a full-time CTO at a fraction of the cost.
This is where you're stuck.
You're growing. Your technology isn't keeping up. And nobody on your team has done this before.
Every technology decision is a coin flip.
You're choosing software, signing vendor contracts, and building infrastructure without anyone in the room who's done it before.
Vendors are selling you what they want, not what you need.
You're trusting salespeople to tell you what's best for your business. They don't know your business.
You're spending six figures on technology with zero strategy.
New tools, new platforms, new integrations. No roadmap connecting them. No one measuring whether any of it is working.
You can't see what's working and what's waste.
Your technology budget grows every year but you have no way to measure what it's actually doing for your business.
You don't have a technology problem. You have a leadership gap. A fractional CTO fills it.
What a Fractional CTO
Actually Does.
A fractional CTO is a senior technology executive who works with your business part-time. You get the strategic thinking, vendor management, and technical direction of a $250K+ hire—without the full-time salary, benefits, or equity.
Executive-level leadership. Fraction of the cost.
Technology Strategy & Roadmapping
Vendor Evaluation & Contract Negotiation
Team Leadership & Hiring Guidance
Systems Architecture & Integration
Security & Compliance Oversight
Budget Planning & ROI Analysis
Three ways to start.
Every engagement is tailored to your business. These are the most common starting points.
Advisory
Best for: Strategic guidance
Per month · 8–12 hrs/month
- Monthly strategy sessions
- Vendor evaluation
- Technology roadmap
- Email/Slack access for quick decisions
- Quarterly business review
Part-Time CTO
Best for: Hands-on leadership
Per month · 20–30 hrs/month
- Everything in Advisory
- Hands-on project management
- Team mentoring
- Weekly standups
- Architecture decisions
- Vendor negotiations
Executive CTO
Best for: Full CTO replacement
Per month · 40+ hrs/month
- Full CTO responsibilities
- Board/investor-ready reporting
- Hiring and team building
- Daily availability
- Strategic planning
All engagements begin with a free 30-minute strategy call. No commitment required.
350+
Locations scaled
nationwide
8
Years as
founding CTO
Zero
Starting
point
I was the CTO.
Not a consultant pretending to be one.
I spent 8 years as founding CTO at a company that grew from zero to 350+ franchise locations nationwide. I didn't advise on technology decisions—I made them. Every system, every vendor, every hire, every budget.
Now I help growing businesses get the same caliber of technology leadership without the $250K+ salary. The difference between me and other fractional CTOs is simple: I've actually done the job. Full-time. At scale. For years.
About Ryan GrissingerThe Challenge
A startup with no technology. No systems, no infrastructure, no team. Just a business idea and a need to build everything from scratch.
The Execution
Built every system from the ground up. Selected every vendor, hired and led the technology team, designed the architecture to scale nationally. Made the decisions that kept the technology ahead of the growth.
The Outcome
350+ locations. National brand. Technology infrastructure that scaled seamlessly from one location to hundreds. Every system built to grow with the business.
Common questions.
A fractional CTO is a senior technology executive who works with your business on a part-time or contract basis. You get C-level technology leadership without the $250K+ salary, benefits, and equity of a full-time hire.
Engagements range from $3,000/month for advisory to $15,000–$20,000/month for full executive-level involvement. Most growing businesses start with the Part-Time CTO tier at $8,000–$12,000/month.
When you're spending more than $50K/year on technology and don't have someone with CTO-level experience guiding those decisions. When technology decisions are being made by people who aren't qualified to make them. When you're scaling and your systems can't keep up.
An IT consultant fixes specific problems. A fractional CTO provides ongoing strategic leadership. The difference is between calling a plumber when a pipe bursts and having an architect design the building. I sit in your leadership meetings, I know your business goals, and I make technology serve them.
Most clients work with me for 6–18 months. Some keep me on permanently because the value exceeds the cost of a full-time hire. The engagement evolves as your business does.
Absolutely. I work alongside your existing team, providing the strategic direction they need while respecting their operational expertise. Many clients find their IT team becomes significantly more effective with clear strategic guidance.
No. While I'm based in Columbus and serve Central Ohio extensively, I work with businesses across Ohio and nationally. Most fractional CTO work is hybrid—strategic meetings in person when possible, daily collaboration remote.
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Areas We Serve
and all of Central Ohio
Your Business Deserves a CTO.
Now It Can Afford One.
30 minutes. No pitch, no pressure. Let's talk about your technology challenges and whether a fractional CTO is the right move.
Book Your Free Strategy Call