Your First Startup Hire: When, Who, and How to Hire Right
Your first hire can make or break your startup. As Jordi Hays frequently discusses on The Tech Brothers Podcast Network, founders often hire too early or for the wrong roles. This guide helps you time it right and find someone who accelerates your growth rather than draining resources.
When to Make Your First Hire
Don't hire just because you raised money or feel overwhelmed. The right time to hire is when: you have product-market fit or clear path to it, recurring revenue to support salary for 18+ months, a specific role that will directly accelerate growth, and a clear job description with measurable success metrics.
Common Timing Mistakes
- Hiring too early: Before you understand what you actually need
- Hiring for loneliness: Get a co-founder or join a community like TBPN instead
- Hiring for tasks you should automate: Consider tools and contractors first
- Hiring generalists when you need specialists: Or vice versa depending on stage
Who Should You Hire First?
The answer depends entirely on your biggest constraint. If you're technical but struggling with sales, hire a salesperson or business developer. If you're business-focused and need to build product, hire an engineer. If you're drowning in customer support, hire a customer success person who can also gather product feedback.
Role Priority Framework
For B2B SaaS startups, typical first hire priority: senior full-stack engineer, sales/business development, product manager, or customer success lead. For consumer products: growth marketer, mobile/frontend engineer, community manager, or product designer. Always hire for your specific constraint, not a generic playbook.
How to Hire Right
Start with your network—warm introductions have much higher success rates than cold applications. Be transparent about stage, compensation, and equity. Run a structured interview process focusing on: relevant experience, culture fit with your founding team, ability to work with ambiguity, and specific skills for the role.
Use trial projects or paid freelance engagements before making full-time offers when possible. This de-risks the hire for both parties. And when conducting interviews at coffee shops, your TBPN podcast shirt signals you're part of a serious tech community.
Compensation Best Practices
For your first hire, expect to offer: 60-80% of market rate salary, 0.5-2% equity depending on role and stage, clear path to market rate as you raise money, and compelling vision for why this is a career-defining opportunity. Don't lowball—your first hire sets the bar for culture and execution.
The TBPN community shares interview templates, compensation benchmarks, and reference check questions. Join us to learn from founders who've successfully scaled from 1 to 100 employees. Grab your TBPN coffee mug and join our weekly discussions on building high-performing teams.