Three ways to work with me
Every price is on this page. Pick the door that matches where you are — or book the free call and I'll tell you which one it is.
No "tiers." No "programs." No 90-day discovery decks. Three engagements, each with a number and a timeline.
Justin McKelvey
Fractional CTO & AI Consultant · Austin, TX
Quick Answer
There are three ways to work with Justin McKelvey: a 2-week AI Readiness Assessment ($2,500 flat, credited against follow-on work within 90 days), a done-for-you Claude for Small Business install (from $4,500, ~2 weeks), and Vibe Code Rescue for broken AI-built MVPs ($25K–$50K typical, starts with a free repo audit). Not sure which? A free 30-minute strategy call sorts it out.
Author: Justin McKelvey, fractional CTO · 50+ products shipped · Updated July 2026
AI Readiness Assessment
$2,500 flat · 2 weeksStop guessing where AI fits in your business.
I spend two weeks inside your business, then hand you a plan you can actually run. Not a deck. A document with owners, sequence, and numbers.
- ▶15–25 page roadmap — workflow audit, opportunity map, 30-60-90 day plan
- ▶1-hour walkthrough call on day 14 — questions answered, plan pressure-tested
- ▶Credited in full against any install or build within 90 days — the $2,500 becomes a deposit
Claude for Small Business — Done-For-You Install
From $4,500 · ~2 weeksAnthropic gives you the engine. I build the brain that runs your business.
I build your Business Brain — voice, offers, ICP, sales motion — and wire custom skills into Claude so it works like a team member who's read everything you've ever written. You arrive at the training call with it already live.
- ▶Business Brain + skills built into Claude for Small Business, done for you in ~2 weeks
- ▶Training call + 30 days of Slack support — if something I built isn't working, I fix it
- ▶Optional $1,500/mo retainer — ongoing tuning and new skills as your business changes
Vibe Code Rescue
$25K–$50K typical · 4–8 weeksYour AI-built MVP worked great — until it didn't.
You shipped with Lovable, Cursor, Replit, or Bolt. Now it's breaking in production, and every fix creates two new problems. I've rescued enough of these to know exactly where the bodies are buried.
- ▶Free 20-minute repo audit — I tell you how bad it is before you spend a dollar
- ▶Triage, not rewrite — stabilize what works, fix what's dangerous, ship again
How they stack
The Assessment isn't a toll booth — it's a deposit. The full $2,500 is credited against any install or build you hire me for within 90 days. Most people go Assessment → Install. Rescue clients usually skip straight to the repo audit, because their problem is on fire.
Fractional CTO work ($5K–$15K/mo) exists, but I only take it on with clients I've already done a first engagement with. If that's you, you already know how to reach me. More on fractional here.
Or just use the tools I'm building
Some AI workflows don't need a consultant — they need a product. I'm shipping productized AI tools that any business owner can use directly. Self-serve, low monthly cost.
Score yourself in 5 minutes.
The AI Readiness Checklist — 20 questions, instant score, no call required. Same diagnostic I run on Day 1 of every Assessment.
Take the checklistFree.
Common Questions
- How long does an engagement with Justin McKelvey take?
- The AI Readiness Assessment is fixed at two weeks. The Claude for Small Business done-for-you install runs about two weeks. Vibe Code Rescue engagements typically run 4-8 weeks depending on how broken the codebase is. The free strategy call is 30 minutes.
- What does it cost to work with Justin McKelvey?
- The 30-minute strategy call is free. The AI Readiness Assessment is $2,500 flat, credited in full against any install or build within 90 days. The Claude for Small Business done-for-you install starts at $4,500, with an optional $1,500/month retainer after. Vibe Code Rescue typically runs $25K-$50K. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices, no 6-month minimum contracts.
- Do you sign NDAs?
- Yes — happy to sign your standard NDA before kickoff on any engagement. I send a mutual one if you don't have your own. The 30-minute strategy call is informal and doesn't require an NDA unless you'd like one signed first.
- How do the engagements stack together?
- They're designed as a ladder. Start with the $2,500 Assessment if you're not sure where AI fits — the full fee is credited against any install or build you hire me for within 90 days. Most Assessment clients move into the Claude for Small Business install. There's no contract lock-in at any rung — if something isn't working, we change it or end it without ceremony.
- Are you available right now?
- Booking depends on capacity. Strategy calls are usually available within 1-2 weeks. Assessment slots are capped at 2-3 per month, so 2-6 week lead time is typical. Install and rescue lead times depend on the current queue — book a call to check availability.
Read More Before You Decide
Honest breakdowns of the roles and engagements above — what they actually deliver, what they cost, and when to skip them entirely.
AI Consultant: What They Do, Cost, and How to Hire
The full landscape — strategy vs implementation, $150-$2,000/hr pricing, vetting questions, and red flags.
Vibe Code Rescue: A Case Study
What it actually looks like to take a broken AI-built MVP and get it back to shipping.
What is AI Readiness? (And How to Measure Yours)
Five dimensions, four tiers, the diagnostic question that exposes whether you're ready.
AI Consulting Firm vs Solo Consultant
Big firm or solo? Pricing, fit, who actually does the work, and when each one wins.
“Justin doesn't just write code; he thinks like a CEO. He understands the business impact of every technical decision, which is rare in this industry.”
None of these fit?
Have something custom in mind — an internal tool, a weird integration, a build that doesn't match any door? Book a call and tell me what you're trying to do. Or email me at hello@justinmckelvey.com. Worst case I point you at someone better.