Fractional CTO Portfolio
How I guide technical decisions and implement AI for SMEs. Real challenges, technical trade-offs, and measurable results from my work as a fractional CTO.
From Project Work to Strategic Partnerships
I started building individual solutions, but learned that SMEs need ongoing technical leadership, not just one-time implementations. Each project taught me something new about being a fractional CTO—how to make technical decisions that align with business reality.
The progression was clear: from delivering isolated solutions to becoming the technical partner who helps businesses navigate AI implementation, team growth, and strategic technology decisions. Here's how that journey unfolded.
Early Project Work: Learning the Technical Foundations
These first projects taught me that every business has unique technical constraints that aren't obvious from the outside. I learned to dig into the real operational challenges before touching any code.
Ray of Joy Therapy
https://rayofjoytherapy.com/Full-stack website with Airtable automation for speech therapy practice operations.
The Challenge
The Challenge: A growing speech therapy practice needed a professional website and automated client management, but healthcare compliance requirements weren't clear upfront. Traditional web dev approaches would create compliance debt.
My Approach
My Approach: Started with HIPAA compliance research before writing any code. Built the site architecture around compliance-first patterns—data isolation, audit trails, secure communication channels. Used Airtable for practice management because it met compliance needs while keeping costs predictable.
The Result
The Result: Delivered a compliant solution that the practice could grow with. Key insight for fractional CTO work: In regulated industries, compliance shapes every technical decision. I learned to lead with regulatory research, not feature development.
The Sustainability Service
https://thesustainabilityservice.orgResearch platform prototype with RAG, vector database, and computational analysis for ESG research.
The Challenge
The Challenge: ESG researchers needed to process massive amounts of unstructured data, but existing AI tools couldn't handle the uncertainty and citation requirements that research demands. Standard RAG implementations lose context.
My Approach
My Approach: Built a context-preserving RAG system that maintains source attribution through the entire pipeline. Designed uncertainty handling into the core architecture—the system knows when it doesn't know. Used vector databases for semantic search but added metadata tracking for research provenance.
The Result
The Result: Created a working prototype that researchers could actually trust with their work. Fractional CTO learning: Research applications need fundamentally different AI architectures than customer service bots. Technical decisions must reflect domain-specific quality requirements.
Strategic Partnership: Ongoing Technical Leadership
This ongoing engagement shows how fractional CTO work differs from project delivery. It's about making technical decisions that compound over time, not just solving immediate problems.
One Dollar Only
https://onedollaronly.com.sgMulti-phase AI implementation: Shopify migration, WhatsApp integration, agentic customer service, and team AI literacy training.
The Challenge
The Challenge: Family-run e-commerce business wanted to implement AI for customer service and operations, but had concerns about losing the personal touch that built their customer relationships. They needed technical leadership for long-term growth, not just tool implementation.
My Approach
My Approach: Designed a phased implementation strategy—Shopify migration first to stabilize operations, then WhatsApp MCP integration for customer service, followed by agentic AI systems. Most importantly, ran AI literacy workshops for the team so they could make informed decisions about AI adoption. Made myself available for strategic technical decisions as they scale.
The Result
The Result: Successfully migrated to Shopify with improved operations. WhatsApp integration maintained personal service while adding AI assistance. Team now makes confident decisions about AI tools. Fractional CTO insight: Implementation success depends on team buy-in. AI literacy training is as important as the technical implementation.
What I Learned About Being a Fractional CTO
Technical decisions are business decisions: Every technology choice impacts cash flow, team capacity, and growth potential. I learned to evaluate technical options through business impact, not just technical elegance.
Context preservation is everything: SMEs don't have dedicated DevOps teams or extensive documentation. Technical solutions must be maintainable by small teams with limited context. I design for operational simplicity.
Implementation beats perfection: Perfect solutions that take months to deploy don't help growing businesses. I focus on technical approaches that deliver value quickly and iterate based on real usage patterns.