Dear Early-Stage Founders,

If you say “YES” to any of these questions, you’re likely spending too much time as firefighter-in-chief—and not enough time as CEO and visionary:

• Do you review resumes, schedule interviews, or screen candidates for non-executive roles?

• Are you writing marketing assets (one-pagers, social posts, case studies) yourself?

• Are you involved in vendor selection or negotiating contracts for accounting software, health insurance, or CRM platforms?

With the back-and-forth, and subsequent uncertainty regarding Donald Trump’s tariffs, many companies have no choice but to pause what they’re doing and wait to see if (and when) there’s a path forward. 

As we border on a potential recession, I’ve had a number of founders reach out about my practice as a Fractional People Operations Leader. When the world is in flux and stability is not guaranteed, solutions that provide flexibility are a godsend.

Hiring your first sales leader too early absolutely comes from a good place and the assumptions that lead to this hire are very understandable (I am by no means throwing anyone under the bus), but in most cases it’s a mistake, and an expensive one. I thought I’d break down my perspective (supported by Kieran’s data) based on my first-hand experience partnering with Founders over the years.