Marty Gauthier · Just Asking
Hi, I’m Marty. Curious by nature. Practical in the work.
I help owner-led businesses find where the work gets stuck, then simplify it, with custom tools where they help.
Right now I’m taking on new projects. Some of my businesses need less of me day to day.
Where I’ve been
From IBM to businesses of my own.
Over the past 30 years, I’ve worked at IBM, in startups and in my own professional services businesses, including CodeMountain. I’m also CTO of PixelTrail, my company behind GetTrail and PixelStream.
I’ve worked with retailers, manufacturers, distributors, service firms and builders, in English and French.
Just Asking is my newer practice: operations consulting and custom tools for owner-led businesses.
30 years
IBMStartupsMy own businesses
1,500+ client projects in the last 15 years, from simple websites to full automation.
My businesses
- CodeMountain Professional services I run with my partner. Code Machine helped launch it. codemountain.ca (opens in a new tab)
- smbCoach A focused, no-nonsense online marketing team. It can handle specific pieces of work, or act as your internal senior online marketing team. smbcoach.ca (opens in a new tab)
- PixelTrail The company that manages GetTrail and PixelStream. I’m its CTO. pixeltrail.co (opens in a new tab)
Why Just Asking?
The useful change usually starts with a plain question.
Why does this take three phone calls?
The projects I remember best started the same way: someone asked why a simple thing took so much effort. Who is everyone waiting on? The answer isn’t always a new tool. Often it’s a clearer handoff, better use of what you already have, or a small tool built around the real work.
The scheduling, the billing, the tracking, the follow-ups: they matter too. Making them easier to handle leaves more room for the products, services, and client work the business is there to deliver.
Plain questions that started real work
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Not enough availability, or not enough visibility?
Client project · Mon Arbitre
Read the Mon Arbitre story -
What, exactly, would this person do all day?
My own business · WP Hammer
Read the WP Hammer story -
Why rebuild the same trail status grid every morning?
My own product · GetTrail
Read the GetTrail story
How I work
You know the work.
So we look at what surrounds it, together: what takes too much chasing, what keeps landing back on your desk, and where things stall.
We work through real situations before choosing a solution. Sometimes it means changing a workflow or clarifying responsibilities. Sometimes predictable, repetitive steps can go into a tool shaped with the people who will use it.
Working together
Three ways in.
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Define
Find those stumbling blocks.
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Build
Fewer things to chase. Tools that fit.
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Fractional CTO
A clear direction for the technology your business depends on.
In their words
What we appreciate is having a say in how it’s developed. It’s a great system, and we’re glad to be part of it.
Out on the trails, every minute counts, and the ACTION!T app saves us a lot of them.
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How does it start?
Write a few lines about what’s getting in the way. I’ll read your message and reply personally by email, and we’ll find a time to talk from there. You don’t need a finished brief.
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What does it cost?
We agree on length and price before starting. Both depend on what we find and the kind of help that fits.
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How much of our time will it take?
We plan it together before starting, and it depends on the job. Your team walks through real situations with me, tries the changes and says what needs adjusting. Nobody has to write code.
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Do I need to understand AI?
No. You know your business. We start with the work, not the technology, and I explain any technical choice in plain words.
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Will this replace the software we already use?
Not by default. Sometimes the change is a clearer handoff or better use of a tool you already have. We build something new only where it helps.
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Is it always a software project?
No. Some changes are about who does what, or what information arrives where. Predictable, repeatable steps may become a tool your team helps shape.
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French or English?
Both. We can work in French or in English, whichever suits your team.
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What happens once a change is in place?
You keep the journal: a short written record of what we found, what we decided and why. If you want help after that, we agree on it together. When technology is central to what your business delivers, the Fractional CTO offer adds ongoing strategic guidance.