Hang around business folks. They often need a "CTO" to just handle automation, logistics, teach them about CRMs and ERPs. The downside is you're a cost center

Hang around business folks. They often need a "CTO" to just handle automation, logistics, teach them about CRMs and ERPs. The downside is you're a cost center then. The last time I applied for one of these, I was getting offered intermediate engineer salaries for a "CTO" role of keeping a multi-million dollar small company with a complex supply chain going smoothly. Less bus count, less vacation time. They'll be reluctant to pay you 5x the median salary, whereas if you work corporate, you can make 1/2 the median salary with the same skill set. It's why it's not a common path for the folks around here, and it doesn't reward depth of knowledge.