You built a product that works. You just can't step away from it.
One senior engineer who learns your product, ships what matters, and builds it so the next thing ships faster.
You are spending thousands a month on development and you cannot point to what you got for it last quarter.
Features ship late or wrong. You explain the same thing multiple sprints in a row and it still comes back different. You have a QA process, maybe, but you are still the one clicking through the product after every release because nobody tests it the way a real user would.
You are the project manager, the QA team, and the translator between what you want and what actually gets built. You did not start this company to manage developers. Right now, that is most of your week.
There is a version 2. A feature that would change the business. It keeps getting pushed because the people building your product need you involved in everything.
You gave someone the keys to your house, no alarm code, no inventory of what is inside, and wondered why things went missing. That is what hiring without a spec looks like.
I replace the entire layer between you and your product working.
Before I write a line of code, I write a spec in plain language that describes what the product should do and why. You review the spec, not the code. We agree on what is being built before anything gets built. That is why things ship correctly the first time.
After I build it, I test it the way your customers use it. Not whether the code runs. Whether the product actually works. Then I write automated tests so that bug never comes back. Your current QA checks if the build passes. I check if the product works. Those are not the same thing.
If you have developers, I evaluate them. If they are good, they get better direction and better specs. If something is not working, we fix it. You stop being the bottleneck and go back to running the business.
This is not a project. It is a partnership.
I learn the product, the business, the customers. The longer the engagement runs, the faster things move. The first project is never the point. The point is that the second project takes half the time.
An agency builds you a house. I build you the factory that builds houses.
CastIron
SaaS MVP. Built it, handed it off. Acquired within three years.
P4P Software
Took the product from zero to $250K a year in revenue.
Probooks
Consolidated multiple contractors into an agentic development workflow. 90% reduction in deployment time.
Ovaflopick Marketplace
Rescued from an agency after five years without a v1 launch. Within two months, the founder felt in control of their technical infrastructure for the first time.
"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."
Founder, Ovaflopick Marketplace
Fortune 500 Pharma (anonymized)
Built a reusable component strategy that saved millions in duplicated work and became a global methodology.
The story I hear the most
A founder was spending $8K a month on an offshore team and still managing every detail. Within a few months of working together, he had one partner who understood the product, the codebase, and the roadmap. He stopped managing developers. He went back to running his business.
He went on vacation without his laptop for the first time in years.
He told me he would like to work with me for the rest of the time he owns the product.
How It Works
We talk.
20 minutes. No pitch. Just a conversation about your product and your dev situation. We figure out if there is a fit.
Book a CallI look under the hood.
A diagnostic sprint. I review the codebase, the roadmap, and the current dev workflow. You get a written assessment: where time and money are being wasted, what to fix first, and whether the right people are in the right seats.
$2,500. No commitment beyond that.
We build.
I embed in your product as an ongoing partner. I ship what matters first and build the systems that make everything after it faster.
$6,000 to $12,000 a month.
Most founders I work with were already spending $5,000 to $10,000 a month on development before we started. The retainer is in that range. The difference is that instead of managing a rotating cast of freelancers, you get one person who actually learns your product.
This is not a new line item. It replaces a broken one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I already have freelancers or an agency?
I evaluate what you have. If your developers are solid, I give them better direction and better specs. If something is not working, we fix it or replace it. You do not have to blow everything up on day one.
What technologies do you work with?
Whatever your product is built on. 13 years across dozens of stacks. The technology is never the hard part. Understanding the product and the business is the hard part.
How is this different from hiring a freelancer?
A freelancer builds what you tell them to build. I figure out what should be built, write the spec, and build it right. You stop being the translator.
I am not technical. Will I understand what is happening?
Yes. Before I write code, I write a spec in plain language. It describes what the product should do and why. You review the spec, not the code. You always know what is being built.
How is this different from a fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO advises. I ship. The thinking and the building happen in one seat.
Can I just start with the diagnostic?
Yes. That is exactly what it is for. If we work together after that, great. If not, you still have a clear picture of where your product stands and what to fix first.
Do I have to commit long-term?
No. Most clients stay because it works.
What if I eventually need a full-time engineer?
Then we find you the right one. I help define the role, vet candidates, and onboard them into a product that is documented and spec-driven so they are productive from day one.
I built and sold my first company at 23. I failed a startup. I worked inside agencies and saw every way they fail founders. I spent years as a principal engineer inside companies like Kandji and ActiveCampaign.
Now I work directly with founders as an embedded engineering partner. One product. One relationship. For as long as you need.
I do not advise from the sidelines. I build.
Read the full story
Your product is not going to fix itself.
20 minutes. No pitch. Just a conversation about your product and what the path forward looks like.
Book a CallPrefer email? dustin@dustinrea.com