Who to hire first at a startup (and who not to)
You’ve got the idea. You’ve got the grit. Maybe you’ve even got some early traction. But now comes the next big question for every founder: who to hire first at a startup?
It’s a critical decision—hire the wrong person too early, and you burn cash, stall momentum, or worse, lose control of your vision. Hire right, and you set the foundation for sustainable growth. That’s why understanding who to hire first at a startup—and who not to—is make or break.
At FoundersMax, we’ve partnered with dozens of early-stage teams, helping them validate ideas, build MVPs, and yes—make the right first hires. Let’s walk through what that decision really involves.
The Rule: Hire for Gaps, Not Titles
The biggest mistake founders make? Hiring based on traditional org charts instead of actual skill gaps. Your first few hires aren’t just employees—they’re partners in building momentum.
Ask yourself:
- What is stopping us from growing faster?
- What can’t the founding team do well enough or fast enough?
- What risks are we carrying by not having this skill in-house?
Answer those, and the right role will emerge.
Hire These Roles First (Depending on Your Startup Type)
1. Technical Founder or CTO
If you’re building a tech product and no one on your founding team can code—this is non-negotiable. You don’t need a 10-year engineer. You need a builder, someone who can move fast and iterate.
If you already have technical capabilities, great. Then shift focus to:
2. Product or Growth Generalist
This is the most undervalued hire. A scrappy product-minded person who can handle:
- User interviews
- Light design and testing
- Building with no-code tools
- Early traction experiments
Think of this as your mini co-founder for experimentation.
3. Sales or Customer-Facing Lead
For B2B startups especially, you need someone who can talk to users, pitch, demo, and close. This doesn’t have to be a VP of Sales—it could be a great SDR or an ex-founder with hustle.
Who Not to Hire First (Seriously, Wait)
1. Marketing Manager (Too Soon)
Until you’ve found product-market fit and traction channels, don’t hire someone just to “do content” or “run ads.” Early-stage marketing is too chaotic and fluid. You’ll likely pivot 3 times before you find a repeatable strategy.
2. HR or Operations Lead (Premature)
Unless you’re managing a team of 10+ already, these hires create more process than progress. Founders can—and should—handle ops early on.
3. Senior-Level Execs
Avoid flashy titles like CMO or CFO in the early days. You’ll either overpay, underutilize, or lock yourself into the wrong strategy.
Instead, use contractors or fractional roles until you understand what you truly need.
Smart Hiring Sequence for Early-Stage Startups
Here’s a simple way to think about sequencing hires across the first 12–18 months:
| Month | Likely Hires | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Founders, freelance dev/design | Validate, build MVP |
| 4–6 | Product generalist, growth hacker | Test channels, get first users |
| 7–12 | Technical PM, sales rep | Early traction, feedback loop |
| 12+ | Full-stack dev, ops support | Scale what’s working |
Traits to Look for in Early Hires
No matter the role, early hires should be:
- Flexible – Comfortable wearing multiple hats
- Biased to Action – Willing to ship messy first versions
- Mission-Aligned – Driven by your vision, not titles
- Low Ego – Open to learning, feedback, and constant iteration
Cultural misalignment is a bigger risk than a skills mismatch at this stage.
The question of who to hire first at a startup isn’t just about filling seats—it’s about accelerating your path to product-market fit.
Start with your bottlenecks. Plug skill gaps that slow you down. Avoid shiny hires that look good on LinkedIn but add little real value.
And if you’re still unsure who your next hire should be—or how to structure your founding team—FoundersMax offers hands-on support to help startups build smart, lean, and validated teams.
Because hiring isn’t just about scaling, it’s about surviving long enough to grow.
