You just took over.
The team is shipping too slow.
Rework cycles make it worse.
I embed with new engineering and product leaders to ship the initiative that builds your credibility and install the systems that make your team permanently faster.
You've been in the role long enough to see the real picture. Velocity isn't where it needs to be. Features take longer than they should. The backlog is growing faster than the team can work through it.
It's not a talent problem. The team is solid. There's just no shared system underneath the work. No spec anyone trusts. Architecture decisions from three years ago are slowing down every new feature. Standards are inconsistent. Onboarding a new engineer takes months because nothing is documented.
You know what needs to happen. There's an initiative on the roadmap that would change the trajectory. A design system, an architecture cleanup, a delivery process overhaul. Something foundational. Your team is just underwater keeping the lights on.
That's where I come in.
Frameworks and Firepower
I'm a principal-level engineer who embeds with your team. I take the initiative that's been stuck on the roadmap, own it end-to-end, and ship it. While I'm building, I install the systems your team needs to sustain velocity without me: spec-driven development, architecture standards, delivery rhythms.
One person. Agentic development workflows that move at the speed of a small team. CTO-level thinking plus hands-on execution in one seat.
The initiative ships this quarter. The frameworks stay behind. Your team is permanently faster.
How it works →Founder running engineering yourself with no technical co-founder? I bridge the gap until you can make the hire you need.
Learn about founder coaching →How it's different
vs. Hiring a contractor
You don't have time to manage another person. I own the initiative end-to-end. A spec-driven process means you have full visibility without being in the weeds.
vs. Adding headcount
You can't wait 4–6 months for a hire to ramp. I'm shipping in week one. I'm also building the systems that make your next hire productive faster when they do arrive.
vs. The Agency
I spent 12 years inside agencies. I know why the last engagement didn't work. One person, end-to-end ownership, no telephone game. No junior devs billed at senior rates.
12+ years building software. Principal-level engineering. Agency veteran turned embedded partner.
"We are a nontechnical founder running a tech-based business infrastructure. It was obvious we did not have a grasp of the technical framework of our business, which was somewhat unstructured and vulnerable. Since we have been working with Dustin Rea for less than 2 months now, we feel poised, in control, and quite stable with our technical infrastructure. The Dev team now understands what needs to be done and when."
— Founder of Ovaflopick Marketplace
"Dustin & team make sure to ask the right questions to get to the root of the client's problem before beginning work, which allows them to work quickly and effectively on the biggest pain points."
— Isaac Askew - Ygg
I've spent 12 years building software, leading teams, and watching smart people get burned by bad process. I built and sold my first company at 23. I climbed to principal engineer at VC-backed companies. I ran a development agency and saw every failure mode from the inside.
Now I embed with engineering and product leaders who just inherited a mess and help them turn it into a real practice. I don't advise. I build.
Read the full story →
The roadmap isn't going to fix itself.
Whether you just stepped into a leadership role and need firepower, or you're a founder running engineering alone and need a bridge to your first technical hire, let's talk.
Book a Discovery Call