Good Enough to Start: The Truth About Confidence, Credentials, and Client Impact

The CTOx Podcast

In this episode, Marissa and Lior go deeper than “impostor syndrome” to unpack what it really takes to start serving at a high level—before you feel ready. They reframe confidence as a byproduct of action, emphasizing minimum viable expertise, outcome ownership, and the core CTO skill: figure-out-ability. You’ll hear how to shift attention from people to problems, protect your confidence with evidence folders, and use humility as a strategic advantage. Lior contrasts mastery with expertise, champions delegation and the “who, not how” muscle, and explains why most SMB clients buy results, not résumés. If you’re building a fractional practice, this is a practical, mindset-first blueprint for showing up, activating teams, and delivering measurable impact.
You’ll learn:

• Shift attention from “who’s watching” to the problem—map outcomes, steps A→B→C, and watch impostor feelings drop.

• Aim for minimum viable expertise, not mastery—know the next “rock,” name the gaps, and call domain specialists when needed.

• Lead humans, not code—clients buy outcomes over résumés; build people leadership and the ability to activate teams.

• Protect confidence—keep an evidence folder (“cookie jar”) of wins, quotes, and artifacts to review and reuse in marketing.

• Scale with “who, not how”—delegate, cultivate figure-out-ability, and treat hesitation as curiosity to fuel innovation.

If you’re a Fractional CTO—or any kind of visionary leader—this conversation is a must-listen.

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