Field notes from the crew
How to build, budget and scale a startup engineering team — the math, the playbooks, and the trade-offs nobody puts in the pitch deck.
What is a fractional engineering team? A plain guide
What a fractional engineering team is, what it costs, when it beats hiring or an agency, and the failure modes nobody mentions. Written by a company that runs one.
Sep 12, 2024
How much does an MVP cost to build in 2026?
Real ranges by path: $0 to $150k+. A line-item model of what moves MVP cost, three worked scenarios, and the questions that shrink the number without shrinking the product.
Jul 8, 2026
How to hire engineers by the week
A practical walkthrough of week-based engineering: what a booked week costs, how to scope it so it ships something real, and the mistakes that waste the first one.
May 13, 2026
Fractional CTO vs. fractional engineering team
One is judgment a few hours a week. The other is capacity that ships. Which one your startup needs, what each costs, and when the answer is both or neither.
Mar 5, 2026
How to run a fractional engineering team week to week
The operating manual: briefs that work, the two-hour weekly rhythm, what to check on Fridays, and the five habits that separate great engagements from wasted ones.
Jan 21, 2026
Burn rate math: what your team structure does to runway
Fixed engineering payroll is the biggest lever on a seed-stage burn rate. Worked scenarios showing how team structure changes runway by six months or more.
Nov 4, 2025
How to scale an engineering team up and down
Scaling up is a hiring problem. Scaling down is usually a layoff. A playbook for building a team that flexes both directions without breaking either way.
Sep 9, 2025
Fractional team vs. staff augmentation vs. agency
A side-by-side comparison of the four ways startups buy engineering: fractional teams, staff augmentation, agencies, and freelancers. Costs, contracts, failure modes.
Jun 17, 2025
MVP team structure: the smallest crew that can ship
You don't need seven people to ship an MVP. The three-seat crew that works, what each seat does, when to add a fourth, and the roles that can wait.
Apr 22, 2025
When to hire your first full-time engineer
The first engineering hire is a $250k, quarter-long commitment. Here are the signals you're ready, the signals you're not, and what to do in the meantime.
Feb 10, 2025
How non-technical founders actually get software built
You don't need to learn to code or find a unicorn cofounder. The four real paths to a shipped product, what each costs, and how to not get taken along the way.
Nov 19, 2024
The true cost of hiring a startup engineer
Salary is barely half of it. A line-by-line model of what a full-time engineer costs a startup in year one: taxes, benefits, recruiting, ramp time, and the miss risk.
Aug 5, 2024