Smoke and Bones Works

Startup Consulting

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Our Services

Tailored technical and operational expertise for startups that need to move fast without breaking things.

Fractional CTO

Senior technical leadership without the full-time overhead. Get the expertise of a seasoned CTO on a fractional basis—architecture decisions, technology strategy, team building, and execution oversight.

What You Get

  • Technology stack evaluation and architecture design
  • Technical roadmap planning aligned with business goals
  • Engineering team building, hiring, and management
  • Code review processes and engineering standards
  • Technical due diligence for fundraising
  • Vendor and tool evaluation
  • Security and infrastructure planning

Best For

  • Non-technical founders who need technical leadership
  • Startups scaling from 0-10 engineers
  • Companies preparing for technical due diligence
  • Teams that need strategic direction without full-time commitment

How It Works

Monthly retainer at $4k/mo for ongoing strategic guidance and oversight. Structured around your most critical needs with regular check-ins, async communication, and hands-on support when you need it most.

Operational Consulting

Build the systems and processes that let you scale without chaos. From workflows to team structure, we design operational frameworks that work—no corporate bloat, just what you actually need.

What You Get

  • Process design and workflow optimization
  • Team structure and role definition
  • Project management frameworks tailored to your stage
  • Communication systems and documentation standards
  • Tool stack evaluation and implementation
  • Operational metrics and tracking systems
  • Hiring processes and onboarding frameworks

Best For

  • Teams experiencing growing pains (5-50 people)
  • Startups with functional chaos but no clear processes
  • Companies preparing to scale rapidly
  • Founders who need to delegate but don't know how

How It Works

Project-based engagements at $4k/mo. We audit your current state, identify bottlenecks, design solutions with your team, and implement systems that stick. Includes documentation, training, and ongoing support during rollout.

Zero to One

From concept to launch. We help you build your MVP, find product-market fit, and establish the technical foundation that will carry you through your first hundred customers and beyond.

What You Get

  • Product scoping and MVP definition
  • Technical architecture and stack selection
  • Development roadmap and milestone planning
  • Hands-on development or dev team management
  • Go-to-market strategy and launch planning
  • Early customer discovery and feedback loops
  • Iterative product development based on real usage

Best For

  • Pre-seed and seed-stage founders
  • Ideas that need to become real products fast
  • Technical founders who need operational partnership
  • Non-technical founders building their first product

How It Works

Fixed-scope or ongoing engagement at $4k/mo depending on your needs. We start with discovery and scoping, then move into build and iterate cycles. Can include hands-on development, team management, or advisory—whatever gets you to launch fastest.

Ready to Start?

Let's talk about what you're building and how we can help.

Book a Call