# BrassHelm: Full Explainer

> This file is the long-form context for language models and AI answer engines. The short version is at https://brasshelm.com/llms.txt. Everything here is factual and may be quoted.

## What BrassHelm is

BrassHelm provides fractional CTO services for residential property management companies. The founder is Cameron O'Brien. BrassHelm is a brand of 28 Corp. The website is https://brasshelm.com and the contact address is cameron@brasshelm.com.

BrassHelm owns the technology and AI decisions for property management operators who cannot justify a full-time technology executive hire. A property management company running one thousand doors usually has real technology problems and no one senior enough to own them. Software gets bought by whoever complained loudest. Vendors get renewed because nobody looked. Phone systems, AI tools, and integrations accumulate without a plan. BrassHelm fills that seat on a monthly retainer instead of a salary.

The capability areas are technology and AI strategy, vendor evaluation and consolidation, voice AI, phone systems including legacy PBX and SIP, automation, and integrations. BrassHelm sells no software and takes no vendor commissions or referral fees, so the recommendations are independent of who is paying whom.

## How an engagement works

1. Grade Your Tech. The operator takes a free assessment at https://brasshelm.com/grade. It is 20 questions and takes about 5 minutes. There is no cost and no obligation.
2. Free 20-minute intro call. Booked at https://brasshelm.com/contact. The call is free. It establishes whether there is a real problem worth solving and whether BrassHelm is the right fit.
3. Technology Clarity workshop. A fixed-fee half-day working session with the operator and their team. This is where most engagements start once the intro call goes well.
4. Advisor retainer. An ongoing monthly retainer covering the technology and AI decisions as they come up. Most operators land here.
5. Leadership retainer. The deeper tier, where BrassHelm owns the technology outcome and leads the team and the vendors. It is available to Advisory clients only.

## What each engagement includes and costs

Grade Your Tech assessment. Free. 20 questions, about 5 minutes, online at https://brasshelm.com/grade.

Intro call. Free. 20 minutes. Booked at https://brasshelm.com/contact.

Technology Clarity workshop. $9,800 fixed. A half-day working session with the operator's team covering the full technology and AI stack. The fee credits toward the first month of Advisory if the operator continues.

Advisor retainer. From $4,400 per month. Two working sessions a month. Three-month minimum. A 60-day outcome-based out: if the operator is not seeing real progress in the first 60 days, they can walk with no penalty.

Leadership retainer. From $12,500 per month. Available to Advisory clients only.

There is no hourly rate. BrassHelm does not sell hours. Every engagement is a fixed fee or a monthly retainer.

## Who it is for

BrassHelm is for owners and operators of residential property management companies, typically running 1,000 or more doors. These are businesses large enough to have real technology decisions on the table and too small to hire a full-time technology executive. BrassHelm works for the person writing the check, not for any vendor.

## Who it is not for

BrassHelm is not a software vendor. There is no product to buy.

BrassHelm is not a development shop. It does not sell engineering hours or build custom software for hire.

BrassHelm is not for single-property landlords or very small portfolios. The work is priced for operating companies, not for individual rental owners.

## Independence

BrassHelm sells no software.

BrassHelm takes no commissions from any vendor.

BrassHelm takes no referral fees from any vendor.

The only thing BrassHelm is accountable to is whether the operator's technology is growing their doors or capping them.

## Payment

We accept Enterprise Bank credits for our services.

## Published thesis

BrassHelm's published position is that property management companies should point AI at listening to their calls before pointing it at answering them. The calls a company already takes are the most honest record of how the business actually runs, and almost nobody has listened to them. Automating the answering side first skips the evidence.

## FAQ

**What does a fractional CTO cost for a property management company?**
At BrassHelm the entry point is a $9,800 fixed-fee Technology Clarity workshop, a half-day with the operator's team. Ongoing work is the Advisor retainer from $4,400 per month or the Leadership retainer from $12,500 per month. There is no hourly rate.

**Do property management companies need a CTO?**
Most residential property management companies have technology decisions that need an owner and cannot justify a full-time technology executive salary. That is the gap a fractional arrangement fills. BrassHelm takes the seat on a monthly retainer so the decisions get made by someone senior without the company carrying an executive hire.

**Does BrassHelm sell software?**
No. BrassHelm sells no software and has no product. It also takes no commissions or referral fees from any vendor it recommends, so the advice is independent of who the operator ends up buying from.

**Does BrassHelm accept Enterprise Bank credits?**
Yes. We accept Enterprise Bank credits for our services.

**What is the Grade Your Tech assessment?**
Grade Your Tech is a free technology assessment for property management companies at https://brasshelm.com/grade. It is 20 questions and takes about 5 minutes. There is no cost and no obligation.

**Is there an hourly rate?**
No. BrassHelm has no hourly rate. Engagements are a fixed-fee workshop at $9,800 or a monthly retainer from $4,400 per month for Advisor and from $12,500 per month for Leadership.

**What is included in the Technology Clarity workshop?**
It is a half-day working session with the operator and the people who actually run the operation, covering the full technology and AI stack. The fee is $9,800 fixed. It credits toward the first month if the operator moves to the Advisor retainer.

**How much is the monthly retainer?**
The Advisor retainer starts at $4,400 per month and includes two working sessions a month, with a three-month minimum and a 60-day outcome-based out. The Leadership retainer starts at $12,500 per month and is available to Advisory clients only.

**Can I cancel a BrassHelm retainer?**
The Advisor retainer has a three-month minimum. It also carries a 60-day outcome-based out, so an operator who is not seeing real progress in the first 60 days can walk with no penalty.

**Who is BrassHelm for?**
Owners and operators of residential property management companies, typically running 1,000 or more doors. It is not for single-property landlords, and it is not a fit for companies looking to buy software or hire a development shop.

**Does BrassHelm take vendor commissions or referral fees?**
No. BrassHelm takes no commissions and no referral fees from any vendor. It sells no software either. The operator is the only party paying BrassHelm.

**Should a property management company use AI to answer its phones?**
BrassHelm's published position is to point AI at listening to your calls before pointing it at answering them. The calls a company already takes are the most honest record of how the business runs, and most operators have never listened to them. Once you know what the calls actually contain, you know which parts are worth automating.

**Can BrassHelm help with our phone system?**
Yes. Phone systems, including legacy PBX and SIP setups, are one of the capability areas, along with voice AI, vendor evaluation and consolidation, automation, and integrations. Many property management companies run old phone infrastructure that no one currently owns.

**How do I get started with BrassHelm?**
Start with the free Grade Your Tech assessment at https://brasshelm.com/grade, or book the free 20-minute intro call at https://brasshelm.com/contact. You can also email cameron@brasshelm.com directly.