# Justin McKelvey > Fractional Product & Tech Lead helping founders build go-to-market strategy, nail positioning, and ship products that actually grow. 15+ years building products, 50+ shipped, $53M+ revenue generated. ## About Justin McKelvey is a software consultant and product builder based in Austin, TX. He works with early-stage and growth-stage founders as a fractional product and tech lead. He specializes in go-to-market strategy, product positioning, pricing and revenue modeling, sales process optimization, and customer acquisition — the exact problems founders search for every day. Previously led product and engineering at PlayYourCourt (national sports platform), Qualifyed.ai (95% cost reduction via AI), and Achievrs (4.9 app rating). Founded SuperDupr, a product studio for startups. ## What Founders Work With Justin On - **Go-to-Market Strategy** — How to launch, who to target first, which channels to use, and how to build a 90-day GTM roadmap that actually works. - **Positioning & Messaging** — How to explain what you do so customers immediately understand why they need it. Positioning that converts. - **Pricing & Revenue Models** — What to charge, how to package it, unit economics analysis, and tier structures that maximize revenue per customer. - **Sales Process** — How to close deals as a founder. Pipeline structure, follow-up sequences, and moving from first call to signed contract. - **Customer Acquisition** — Which channels work for your stage, how to build repeatable acquisition loops, and how to lower CAC over time. - **Product Development** — Lean MVP scoping, rapid prototyping, Rails 8 development, AI integration, and scaling from 0 to 500K users. ## Core Expertise - Go-to-market strategy for startups and SaaS - Product positioning and messaging frameworks - Pricing strategy and revenue model optimization - Sales process design for founder-led sales - Customer acquisition and growth loops - Ruby on Rails 8, AI/LLM integration, lean software development - Fractional CTO/CPO leadership for early-stage companies ## Links - Website: https://justinmckelvey.com - Blog: https://justinmckelvey.com/blog - Contact: https://justinmckelvey.com/contact - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/justinmckelvey - X/Twitter: https://x.com/justinmckelvey ## Blog Posts - [AI Solutions for Business: What Actually Works vs What's Hype](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/ai-solutions-for-business-what-works-vs-hype): Cut through the AI hype. Honest reviews of AI solutions that actually deliver ROI for businesses — content, support, sales, operations — with real cost comparisons and alternatives. - [AI Workflow Automation: How to Automate Your Business Processes](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/ai-workflow-automation-automate-business-processes): Go beyond Zapier with AI workflow automation. Learn how to automate complex business processes using AI — with real examples, tool comparisons, and step-by-step implementation guides. - [AI for Small Business: What Actually Works in 2026](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/ai-for-small-business-what-actually-works): Practical AI tools and automations for small businesses. No enterprise budgets required. 5 AI implementations that pay for themselves in the first month, with real cost breakdowns. - [AI Automation: The Complete Guide for Business Owners (2026)](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/ai-automation-complete-guide-business-owners): A practical guide to AI automation for business owners. Learn which processes to automate first, real cost savings, tool recommendations, and step-by-step implementation. - [Stop Selling Features, Start Selling Outcomes](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/stop-selling-features-start-selling-outcomes): Why feature-based selling fails and how to reframe your product around customer outcomes. Practical frameworks and examples from 50+ product launches. - [SQLite in Production: Why It's Ready for Your Startup in 2026](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/sqlite-in-production-ready-for-your-startup): SQLite in production isn't just viable — it's the smartest choice for many startups. Real-world experience running SQLite with Rails 8, Litestream, and zero managed databases. - [Customer Acquisition Cost: The Only Metric That Matters Early](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/customer-acquisition-cost-the-only-metric-that-matters-early): How to calculate, benchmark, and reduce your customer acquisition cost (CAC). Real examples, formulas, and the CAC:LTV ratio every founder needs to know. - [AI Product Development: The Build vs Buy Decision Framework](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/ai-product-development-build-vs-buy): When to build AI features in-house vs buying off-the-shelf solutions. A practical framework with cost breakdowns, real examples, and the criteria that actually matter. - [The MVP Trap: Why Most Founders Build Too Much](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/the-mvp-trap-why-most-founders-build-too-much): Most MVPs aren't minimal enough. After shipping 50+ products, here's the framework I use to define what goes in v1 — and more importantly, what stays out. - [How to Implement AI Without Burning Your Runway](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/how-to-implement-ai-without-burning-runway): 7 practical ways to implement AI in your business on a startup budget. Real cost breakdowns, tool recommendations, and the exact approach I used to cut AI costs by 95%. - [AI Implementation Strategy: A Founder's Playbook](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/ai-implementation-strategy-founders-playbook): A practical AI implementation strategy for founders. Step-by-step playbook covering where to start, how to budget, and how to avoid the most common AI implementation mistakes. - [Why I Replaced $2,200/Year in SaaS with a Single Rails App](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/why-i-replaced-2200-year-in-saas-with-a-single-rails-app): How I replaced Squarespace, ConvertKit, and GoHighLevel with a single Rails 8 + SQLite app. Full cost breakdown, tech stack, and lessons learned. - [Go-to-Market Strategy for Technical Founders](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/go-to-market-strategy-technical-founders): A practical go-to-market strategy framework for technical founders. No fluff — just the GTM playbook I've used across 50+ product launches. - [What a Fractional CTO Actually Does (And When You Need One)](https://justinmckelvey.com/blog/what-fractional-cto-does): A fractional CTO provides senior technical leadership part-time. Learn what they do, when to hire one, typical costs, and how to find the right fit for your startup.