IT vCIO Service: Discovery Map vs a Retainer Conversation

Pay vs Consulte for an IT vCIO service: when Discovery $99 maps owners and gaps, when Growth/Consulte is the retainer, and why Starter is the wrong SKU for fractional CIO — no invented seat averages.

Discovery $99 Consulting $499 Starter $2,500 Growth $8,000/mo Response within 24h

Map it with Discovery — $99 Pay on /plans/ Consulte

What this page is (and is not)

This is a fit guide for the decision cadence you actually want (monthly ops, quarterly roadmap, or vendor RACI). It is not a case study and it does not invent a savings percentage, SLA letter grade, or certified outcome. Published commercial prices live on /plans/. The diagnostic is Discovery $99. Human-scoped work starts at /contact/.

Related hub: Managed IT services.

The unit of work

Process

the decision cadence you actually want (monthly ops, quarterly roadmap, or vendor RACI)

Systems

whatever the vCIO must see: ticketing, spend, and the exec sponsor

Operating signal

a written decision log — not a fake “hours saved” CIO scorecard

Stop rule

Do not buy Starter hoping it becomes a fractional CIO. Wrong SKU.

Pay vs Consulte

Pay (Starter $2,500 · ZG06)

You do not Pay Starter for “be our CIO.” Pay Discovery $99 to map owners and the first decision. Retainer is Growth or a Consulte SOW.

Pay Starter $2,500 USD · menu on /plans/.

Consulte (/contact/)

You want an ongoing vCIO cadence, vendor negotiation, or board-facing roadmap. That is Consulte / Growth — not a $2,500 pilot.

Start Consulte — SOW first, Pay later if the slice is clear.

If you cannot name the process, the systems, and the acceptor for “done,” do not Pay yet. Use Discovery $99 for a written map (Pay, Consulte, or stop). Deeper SKU comparison: Discovery $99 vs Starter $2,500.

What Discovery $99 writes

Owners and systems for this slice — not a company-wide transformation plan.
A recommendation: Pay Starter, Consulte a SOW, Growth/retainer, or stop.
The stop rule above, in writing, so kickoff cannot smuggle a second project.

Discovery is not implementation. Implementation is Starter or a scoped SOW. Ongoing coverage is Growth after the model is clear.

Good after kickoff (no fake math)

The process sentence still matches day 10.
Access landed or a named blocker with an owner.
Definition of done is operational — a live path, map, or control — not “we explored AI.”
Exception queue exists. Humans know what the automation must not decide alone.

If access is still pending or success was redefined to “demo,” stop and re-scope. That is Consulte, not a silent expand of Pay.

Map it with Discovery — $99 Plans Consulte

FAQs

Can I skip Discovery and Pay Starter?

Yes — if the decision cadence you actually want (monthly ops, quarterly roadmap, or vendor RACI) is already named, whatever the vCIO must see: ticketing, spend, and the exec sponsor are reachable, and someone will accept “done.” If kickoff would still debate the job, map first: Discovery $99.

Is Consulte a free consultation?

No. Consulte is a human-scoped conversation via /contact/ when the SKU is unclear. Discovery is the $99 written diagnostic. There is no free consultation SKU.

Do you publish ROI or savings percentages for this work?

No. This guide uses fit patterns only. Use an operating signal you already measure. Board language without fake math starts from the Discovery map.

Where do Consulting $499 and Growth fit?

Consulting $499 sits between Discovery and Starter when you need RACI or roadmap without a pilot yet. Growth $8,000/mo is ongoing coverage after the model is clear. Ladder: /plans/.