Own the technology roadmap
A 12 to 36 month plan tied to your business plan and budget, not a vendor’s sales cycle. You’ll know what we’re doing, why, what it costs and what it returns.
Virtual CTO Melbourne, Minus The Full-Time Salary
Someone senior in the room who owns your technology, your AI and your IT providers — and talks in profit, not acronyms.
Talk To Me About A vCTOThe gap nobody owns
What Is A Virtual CTO (vCTO)?
A virtual CTO — a virtual Chief Technology Officer, or vCTO — is a senior technology leader you get part-time, on a flat monthly fee, instead of hiring one full-time.
Most growing businesses hit the same wall. You’re too big for “the IT guy” and a pile of subscriptions, but nowhere near ready to pay a six-figure salary, super and a recruiter’s fee for a full-time CTO. So nobody owns technology. The IT provider fixes what breaks, the software vendors sell you their next module, and you make the big calls on gut feel between everything else.
That’s the gap I fill. I sit at the leadership table, own the technology roadmap, hold every provider to account and build the AI tools and automations that take manual work out of your business. You get the judgement of a CTO without carrying one on the payroll.
I’ve spent 27+ years in IT and built two managed services businesses — one grew past $5 million with 24 staff and 160 clients before I sold it with no earnout. I’ve seen the inside of a lot of small and medium business technology, and I know exactly where the money and the hours leak out.
Book Your Free 30 MinutesThe job description
What I Do As Your Virtual CTO
Build AI tools that remove manual work
Custom AI apps and automations built around how your team actually works — reporting, quoting, scheduling, document handling. Your staff test them, I fix and improve them.
Manage your IT provider and vendors
I read the contracts, chase the SLAs and sit across the table at renewal. I spent fifteen years on the provider side, so I know what to ask for and what’s padding.
Choose and deliver the big projects
CRM, job management, ERP, a move to the cloud. I pick on process rather than feature lists, manage the rollout and make sure your data comes with you.
Govern cyber security and risk
Backups that are actually tested, access that’s actually removed when people leave, and straight answers for your insurer. Ties in with the cyber security pillar.
Report to you in plain English
A monthly session and a one-page summary: what was delivered, what it saved, what’s next and what needs your decision. No dashboards nobody reads.
Do the maths
Full-Time CTO Or Virtual CTO?
A full-time CTO is the right hire eventually. For most SMEs, it isn’t yet — here’s why.
Hiring A Full-Time CTO Crossed out
- Six-figure salary, super and a recruiter’s fee.
- Three to six months to hire, then months to get up to speed.
- Experience of one or two companies’ tech stacks.
- Solves problems by hiring a bigger team.
- Leaves and takes the knowledge with them.
- Speaks fluent tech, rarely fluent P&L.
Rob As Your vCTO The No BS way
- One flat monthly fee. A fraction of a full-time package, no lock-in contract.
- Starts in weeks. Discovery onsite, then delivering, not settling in.
- 27+ years, 160+ client businesses. I’ve seen what works at your size and what only works in a brochure.
- Automate before you hire. Lean by default. Software first, headcount last.
- Documented and yours. Every system, password vault and process written down. Every line of code we build belongs to you.
- A business coach first. Every technology decision gets measured against profit, time and risk.
Signs you need one
You Need A Virtual CTO If…
- Nobody can tell you what you spend on technology. Subscriptions, licences and contracts spread across three credit cards and two bookkeepers.
- Your team retypes the same information all day. Quote to job to invoice, spreadsheet to system, email to CRM — and the mistakes that come with it.
- You keep hearing about AI and don’t know where to start. Or you’ve tried a few tools and nothing stuck.
- Your IT provider marks its own homework. Nobody independent checks what you’re paying for against what you’re getting.
- A big software decision is coming. New CRM, new job system, new ERP — and the vendor demo is the only advice you’ve had.
- You’re planning to grow, raise or sell. Buyers and investors look hard at systems, data and who owns the IP.
- You are the IT department. Every password reset and software question ends up on your desk.
How it runs
How A vCTO Engagement Works
- 1
A free 30-minute chat
You tell me where the business is and what’s frustrating you. I’ll tell you straight whether you need a vCTO, a one-off review or neither.
- 2
Onsite discovery
I sit with your key people, follow real work end to end and list every system, subscription, contract and risk. This is where the hidden hours and dollars show up.
- 3
The roadmap and quick wins
A prioritised plan with costs and returns. Cancellations, consolidations and features you already own get switched on first — that usually funds what follows.
- 4
Build, buy or fix
I build the AI apps and automations, select and manage vendors, and run the projects. Your staff test and report back; I prioritise, deliver and fix.
- 5
Monthly governance
A monthly onsite session, provider reviews, budget planning and a plain-English report. I’m on the phone in between when something lands.
- 6
No contract, one flat fee
Scoped after discovery so you know the number up front. You stay because it’s paying for itself, not because a contract says so.
Receipts, not promises
What Sits Behind The Advice
- Years in IT27+Running, building and selling technology businesses — not reading about them.
- Managed IT clients served160At the managed services business I grew past $5M and sold with no earnout.
- Cut from one client’s IT bill86%From $3,500 a month to $500 by removing duplication and renegotiating — nothing lost.
- Lock-in contracts0One flat monthly fee. Stay while it’s worth it.
Clear lines
A vCTO Is Not Your IT Help Desk
Your IT provider keeps the lights on: password resets, broken laptops, patching. That job still matters and it doesn’t go away.
A virtual CTO sits above that. I decide what the business should be running, set the standards your provider works to and check they’re met. If your current provider is good, I make them better by giving them a clear brief. If they’re not, I’ll help you specify the work properly, find a provider worth having and manage the handover so nobody loses a day.
Already a coaching client? The vCTO role includes the coaching, so you don’t pay twice. If you just want an independent look at your systems rather than ongoing ownership, start with the IT systems pillar or a one-off Undercover Boss review.
Contact RobTechnology should make you money and give you time back. If it isn’t doing either, someone needs to own that.
Robert Adelman — The No Bullshit Business Coach
Straight answers
Virtual CTO Questions, Answered
What is a virtual CTO?
A virtual CTO (vCTO) is a part-time Chief Technology Officer. You get a senior technology leader who owns your roadmap, vendors, security and automation, on a flat monthly fee instead of a full-time salary.
It suits businesses that have outgrown ad-hoc IT but aren’t ready to hire a full-time CTO — typically 10 to 200 staff.
How is a vCTO different from my IT provider?
Your IT provider fixes things and keeps systems running. A vCTO decides what the business should be running, sets the standards your provider works to and checks they’re met.
One is the help desk, the other is the person in the leadership meeting. Most businesses need both, and they work best when the vCTO is independent of the support contract.
What does a virtual CTO cost?
One flat monthly fee, scoped after the discovery so you know the number before you commit. It’s a fraction of a full-time CTO package, with no lock-in contract and no surprise invoices.
In practice the first round of cancellations and consolidations often covers a large part of the fee. I’ve taken one client’s IT spend from $3,500 a month to $500 without losing anything they used. See how my pricing works.
Do you build the software yourself?
Yes, where it makes sense. I build custom AI apps, automations and internal tools — reporting, quoting, scheduling, document handling — around how your team actually works. Your staff test them and report back, and I prioritise, fix and improve.
Where off-the-shelf software does the job better, I’ll tell you, pick it and manage the rollout instead.
Who owns what you build?
You do. Every line of code, every app and every piece of documentation built for your business is yours and only yours. I govern it on your behalf while we work together, and if we stop, it all stays with you — documented, so the next person can pick it up.
How much time do you spend in the business?
Discovery is hands-on and onsite. After that it’s a monthly onsite session plus project work and phone access in between, scaled to what the roadmap needs. Busy months get more, quiet months get less, and the fee doesn’t move.
I’m already a coaching client. Do I pay for both?
No. The vCTO role includes the business coaching, so the coaching fee drops away and the conversation simply widens to cover technology. You don’t pay twice for the same seat at the table.
Do you work outside Melbourne?
Yes. I’m based in Melbourne and work onsite there. For Sydney, Brisbane and the rest of Australia, I combine visits for discovery and key sessions with video in between — and no travel charges.
Let’s chat business
Free 30 Min Chat
Tell me what you’re carrying at the moment. The conversation is confidential and there’s no pitch at the end of it.
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