FATadvisory LLC
Plain-language technology advice for small and medium businesses
Technology is complicated, and most ‘tech guys’ keep it that way with acronyms and jargon. Yet, technology is often helpful, if not necessary for many business processes. I bridge the gap, translating techno-speak into plain language, creating custom solutions, and guiding your long-term digital transformation journey.
My Fractional CTO services are unique in that by design, I provide the longevity and continuity of a senior-level full time hire at the fraction of the price. Where most consultants will focus on a project and move on, my goal is to transcend projects to provide strategic and actionable advice regarding the technology you need to achieve your long-term goals.
I’ve designed and implemented solutions supporting over $1B annual revenue with a lean team and tight budgets in a fast-paced environment. I’m excited to have the opportunity to bring this experience to your organization, elevating you to new heights!
>$1B
Revenue Supported
5,000+
Work Hours Liberated
>$350k
Savings Achieved
Need More Information?
Feel free to keep reading! If you’re ready to Talk to Me or See Services I offer, feel free to save yourself the scrolling and jump to it here.
Talk to Me! See Services
Sweet Home, Chicago
If you’re in the greater Chicago area and it’s important to you or your team, I’m happy to discuss options to meet or work in-person.
But geography no longer limits us – I generally work remotely. I may work some odd hours to support global teams and in an attempt to achieve that elusive work-life balance. No pressure to respond when I email at 2:30 am!
It is in Chicago that I gained much of my experience in enterprise technology, working for a large Beverage Alcohol CPG company. In that role, I maintained the overall system architecture supporting all of the North America commercial business. This involved technology supporting every facet of business – Sales, Marketing, Finance, Manufacturing, Brand, R&D, and beyond. The system architectures, strategies, and standards I developed supported over $1B in sales across the entire product lifecycle – from the ground it grew in to the grin on the consumer’s face when enjoying.
Why FAT?
My core differentiator? I take on limited clients to ensure dedicated service, and I design services for legacy. That is, my intention when we partner is for a long-term relationship. I’m committed to your organization as an employee would be, by design. By contrast, most consultancies are project-based, focused on project deliverables and securing the next project. My work transcends the project to provide continuity and strategic direction. We succeed together – I firmly believe that.
Most of my career has been in CPG, and I am an entrepreneur myself. I have been fortunate to have experiences at companies small, medium, and large. When we talk about your challenges, chances are I’ve lived them first-hand from both the business and the technology perspectives.
I’m on LinkedIn!
OK, but why that acronym?
It’s memorable! As a fractional advisor, I join your organization as a true partner and colleague – I’m here to make things easier for you, and part of that is a memorable name. When something goes wrong, you don’t want to be frantically searching for a contact. You want to know immediately who to call – your FAT friend!
In the course of my career, I’ve known many people with amazing ideas and amazing business ability. IT and technology in general, though, seem to be a universal pain point – pain that could be alleviated with the right skillset. This is where I come in – to be that advisor, to provide that skillset, to ensure we minimize pain so you can focus on what you do best!
Services
I offer four standard packages, and all new engagements start with a thorough technology audit. The technology audit itself is available as a stand-alone offering to provide a low-risk, low-cost way to explore possibilities beyond an initial consultation. Otherwise and as you may expect by now, other services follow a retainer model with varying levels of service and pricing to meet you where you’re at.
Technology Audit
Most popular
All Adventures Start Here
$ 2,000 One-Time
- Define Business Goals & Pain Points
- Review Existing Tech & Process
- Highlight Risks & Opportunities
- Document Findings & Recommendations
- Read-Out and Q&A Capstone Session
Strategic Advisor
Most popular
Low Touch, High Impact
$ 3,000* /mo
- Includes Technology Audit
- Monthly Strategy & Ideation Sessions
- Weekly Check-In Sessions
- Support via Email
- Customized Proactive Insights
Fractional CTO
Accessible & Impactful
Enterprise-Caliber Tech Leadership
$5,000* /mo
- ALL Strategic Advisor Services
- Additional Session Each Month
- Software Selection & Bid Review
- New Capability Solution Design
- Dedicated Hours for Operational Needs
FraCTO+
Most popular
Advisory with Rolled-Up Sleeves
$8,500* /mo
- ALL Fractional CTO Services
- Hand’s-On Leadership
- Major Project Oversight
- Tech Vendor Management
- Ideal for Start-Ups & Rapid Growth
Reach out if you’re ready! Or, scroll for more detail
GET STARTED TODAY* To promote a long-term partnership, I am pleased to offer favorable terms for longer-term contracts on monthly services. Specifically, I offer discounts of $250/month for each month of a six-month contract, and discounts of $500/month for a full year term.
Technical Audit
The technical audit is the starting point of all advisory services, in addition to being offered as a stand-alone service. I’ll work with you and your team to understand the technologies you currently have in place, and how they impact your core processes. Most importantly, we’ll talk about where you want to go as an organization and where you may currently be experiencing some challenges. Throughout this discovery period, I’ll also be looking for risks and opportunities. I’ll take that information back to develop a full report, which we’ll review in a capstone session. In this session, we’ll discuss findings as well as recommendations tailored to your unique goals and challenges. In this session, I’ll aim to intertwine discussion into the presentation, and you’ll have the opportunity for questions as well. The ultimate outcome is a specific and actionable plan to achieve the most critical needs.
Get Started!Strategic Advisory
Strategic advisory services are a great choice for smaller organizations or those who’d prefer a more arm’s-length service. I ask for a minimum three-month term so we have enough time to ‘see’ results as advisory by nature has an indirect – but substantial – impact. We’ll start with the Technical Audit, but we’ll add time to the capstone session to define specific and actionable next steps.
Then, the advisory service kicks in. Each month, we’ll have a defined number of sessions during which we review progress on recommendations, any changes to the organization or strategy that may impact those initiatives, and any new capabilities that may be desired. Essentially, we will ensure everything is on track to meet your goals through technology.
With the Strategic Advisory service, you can expect the following:
One Monthly Strategy & Ideation Session (1 hour)
One Check-In per Week (2 hr; 30 min each)
Custom Monthly Insights Report
E-Mail Support
The Monthly Insights Report will be customized to your organization and your specific needs. It is a professionally researched and written document focused primarily on relevant trends, threats, and news from the tech world. As it is intended to be a custom document for you, we will work together to tailor focus areas and key areas of interest for you and your organization.
Fractional CTO
My Fractional CTO service is the optimal blend of impact and affordability, giving your organization enterprise-caliber technology strategy and solutions for less than the salary expense of an entry-level analyst. I ask for a minimum three-month term so we have enough time to ‘see’ results as advisory by nature has an indirect – but substantial – impact. We’ll start with the Technical Audit, but we’ll add time to the capstone session to define specific and actionable next steps.
Then, the advisory service kicks in. Each month, we’ll have a defined number of sessions during which we review progress on recommendations, any changes to the organization or strategy that may impact those initiatives, and any new capabilities that may be desired. Essentially, we will ensure everything is on track to meet your goals through technology. Further, as your Fractional CTO, I will work hand’s-on with your team for a defined number of hours each week on high-impact initiatives.
With the Fractional CTO service, you can expect the following:
Two Monthly Strategy & Ideation Sessions (1 hour)
One Check-In per Week (30 min each)
Five Direct Hours per Week for Support or Execution
Custom Monthly Insights Report
E-Mail Support
The Monthly Insights Report will be customized to your organization and your specific needs. It is a professionally researched and written document focused primarily on relevant trends, threats, and news from the tech world. As it is intended to be a custom document for you, we will work together to tailor focus areas and key areas of interest for you and your organization.
The scope of Direct Hours will be defined by us, tailored to your organizational needs. Scope can include software or vendor selection, software or vendor bid review, new capability design, strategy implementation, and more. If there’s something you need, let’s discuss and see what we can do!
FraCTO+
(Fractional CTO Plus)
As an entrepreneur myself, I appreciate the need to roll up sleeves and get stuff done. I designed the FraCTO+ (Fractional CTO Plus) service especially for companies in rapid growth or start-up mode – companies that can’t afford mis-steps and need someone unafraid to grab the fire extinguisher when needed. Companies that need equal parts thinker and do’er. While this service is priced to account for the high degree of involvement, but is still designed to be priced lower than a senior-level FTE salary. I ask for a minimum three-month term so we have enough time to ‘see’ results as advisory by nature has an indirect – but substantial – impact. We’ll start with the Technical Audit, but we’ll add time to the capstone session to define specific and actionable next steps.
Then, the advisory service kicks in. Each month, we’ll have a defined number of sessions during which we review progress on recommendations, any changes to the organization or strategy that may impact those initiatives, and any new capabilities that may be desired. Essentially, we will ensure everything is on track to meet your goals through technology. Further, as your Fractional CTO, I will work hand’s-on with your team for a defined number of hours each week on high-impact initiatives.
With the FraCTO+ service, you can expect at least the following:
Two Monthly Strategy & Ideation Sessions (1 hour)
One Check-In per Week (30 min each)
One Management Call per Week (30 min each)
Ten Direct Hours per Week for Support or Execution
Tech Vendor Management
Custom Monthly Insights Report
E-Mail Support
The Monthly Insights Report will be customized to your organization and your specific needs. It is a professionally researched and written document focused primarily on relevant trends, threats, and news from the tech world. As it is intended to be a custom document for you, we will work together to tailor focus areas and key areas of interest for you and your organization.
The scope of Tech Vendor Management and Direct Hours will be defined by us, together, tailored to your organizational needs. Scope of Direct Hours can include software or vendor selection, software or vendor bid review, new capability design, strategy implementation, and more. With this service, I expect to be designing architectures, leading implementations, and even coding where it is the highest-impact use of time. Suffice to say, this service is highly customizable – Let’s talk and see what we can achieve, together!
Cannabis Market Highlight
Illinois Track & Trace Migration
In February 2025, the State of Illinois announced a significant change to the state-mandated Seed-to-Sale tracking system. This migration from BioTrack to Metrc impacts companies throughout the Illinois regulated cannabis industry.
Read the Press Release
With disruption, though, comes opportunity. Drawing from my experience in leading business-critical system migrations, my advisory services for the cannabis industry goes beyond the tactical:
MITIGATE RISK
Lots can go wrong, but you won’t be alone. I know what to watch for.
COMPLIANCE
Ensure you meet state deadlines to have systems migrated by.
IMPROVE PROCESS
Take the opportunity to enhance and streamline processes!
LIMIT DISRUPTION
We’ll stay agile throughout the project to keep your operations smooth!
Say Hey
I enjoy solving problems, which is why I offer no-cost, no-obligation consultations. Please reach out using whatever method is most comfortable for you, and let’s get to talking!
I’d love to hear from you!
The form at left will send me an email, but please refrain from including any confidential or sensitive information.
Contact info
LinkedIn.com/in/NathanPolak
+1 630 280 0097
Chicago, IL, USA metro area