Don't hire a Founding Account Executive without a sales motion

"If you're a strong founder, you can sell anything. You can get weak product-market fit out of almost any idea, and that's a problem.” - Immad Akhund This hit me HARD this morning. I’ve seen it multiple times: Startups celebrating 'momentum' and calling it PMF, when in reality, it’s not (and often trying to fix it by adding more features or hiring a marketer). 📉 I’ve seen teams gain traction purely because of external shifts (COVID, competitor consolidation, regulatory changes) – but fail to build on it once those tailwinds fade. 📉 I’ve seen brilliant sellers (usually founders) sell their way into what looks like momentum – only for the rest of the team to struggle to replicate it. 📉 I’ve even seen companies hit 5–10M€ ARR with impressive growth charts but no deep, sustainable demand — and no predictable GTM underneath it. (The kind that look like a single 10M€ company, but are really five 2M€ companies hiding under one roof.) I haven't founded a company, but I've seen this SO many times (and been in the trenches with the founders). The best founders don't skip the hard work – the customer development, the digging, the discipline to say no to some so you can truly say yes to others. Full story of Mercury here: https://lnkd.in/dw2p6Tx7

The job description you write today will be wrong in three months. Early-stage startups operate in environments where problems are poorly defined and constantly shifting. You might think you need a sales executive to build process and manage a large team. Three months later, you realize you actually need founder-led sales and someone to fill the pipeline. You might think content and blogging is your key channel. Then something happens on LinkedIn and you discover viral video is where all your customers actually come from. The person you thought you needed - a chief content officer - turns out to be completely wrong. This is why I push back when early-stage founders want hyper-specific milestones and requirements baked into offer letters and consulting agreements. It feels responsible. It feels structured. But it's actually counterproductive. You need people who can operate in uncertain environments with limited context. People who can acquire information without having it spoon-fed. People who can figure out what's actually going on, come up with solutions, and adapt as circumstances shift. Because circumstances will shift. Constantly. Flexibility and adaptability matter more than any specific skill set at the earliest stages. The founders who try to rigidly define roles and milestones six months out are planning for a reality that won't exist. The market will teach you things. Customers will surprise you. Your assumptions will be wrong. Hire people who can roll with that. People who thrive in chaos. People who get energized by poorly defined problems. Lock them into rigid milestones and you'll either lose them or waste their potential. Different stages require different people. Early stage requires operators who embrace uncertainty. Scaling requires process builders. Enterprise requires people who navigate bureaucracy. None is better than another. But if you're pre-PMF, you need flexible humans more than you need perfect job descriptions. Are you hiring for the stage you're at or the stage you wish you were at?

Startup hiring: Attitude/Fit > Experience Latest onboarding failed... See why to avoid the same mistakes Just brought on a salesperson to help drive sales on a newish startup. Industry experience in niche we are selling to, lots of sales experience, personal friend*... seemed like a good fit. * so less thorough in suitability checks, first error. 1st day: "where's your sales training guide?" Me: It doesn't exist, you are first sales person ever, we will build it as we go. (went down like an oceangate sub) 1st potential customer, had some unexpected difficulties: "we can't think about selling this until every possible issue is sorted" Me: Every issue there is already fixed, every client going forward will get smoother, find the next. "No, will be a headache having 10 like this at once" Me: None will be this difficult again, we learnt from it, and who said 10, just get 1 "No. You need to redesign the whole (fully functional and no critical design issues) app to my preferences before I will sell it" ....................................... Corporate sales is a different beast to startups. Having to figure things out is a different skillset to following provided process down a provided list of hot leads. While a desire for perfection in everything is valuable at times, it is the wrong priority for an early stage tech startup. When hiring for a startup, go for the keen, hungry problem solver rather than the person with the big names on their CV

5 reasons why early-stage startups don't need full-time Sales Leaders too soon ❌ 𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 In the early days, hiring a full-time Head of Sales is expensive. Unless you have incredible traction and metrics, it's 99% too much. 𝟮. 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 As a founder, you may have already sold your product. Your company is still too small to detach itself from the sales organisation, and you might be too involved to hijack the job of your Head of Sales. Sales leaders, by definition, want trust. Indefinitely. 𝟯. 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗽-𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 During the startup period, you have to be fast. Over-structuring might be fatal. You want a plug-and-play solution from someone who has done this multiple times. Ramping up a Head of Sales takes 4-6 months, which is a lot of time at your stage. 𝟰. 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Giving and receiving feedback at this stage is crucial. The initial relationship between the co-founder and the full-time leader might be biased. Biased from the employment relationship, from fear of making mistakes, hurting their feelings or the fear of losing them. You need a direct relationship with candid feedback flowing both ways. 𝟱. 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Like a house, you have to build foundations first. CRM, dashboards, outbound, tiers, inbound KPIs, hiring and onboarding. If done right and fast, all of them can be completed in less than three months. First, build the foundations, then hire a full-time VP. If you are <2M.... Better call...ME!

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐈𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐈𝐭. 😬 I see it all the time. A founder closes their first round of funding, and the first thing they do is hire. A Head of Sales, a Marketing Manager, a full-time developer... and suddenly, that precious capital is gone in a flash. 💸 That first check from an investor isn't a prize to be spent. It's a test of your discipline, your focus, and your ability to build a sustainable business. It's a trust you've been given, and how you handle it will determine your future. 🤝 Let's be clear about what that early money is for: 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝/𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫: - 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭-𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐭: This is your #1 priority. You need to prove that you have a product that people want and are willing to pay for. This means iterating, testing, and getting customer feedback. 🎯 - 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐕𝐏 (𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭): You need a functional product to test your assumptions and gather data. This is where your technical resources should be focused. 💻 - 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐨-𝐭𝐨-𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: This is the time to test different channels and strategies to see what works. It's not about scaling; it's about learning. 🧪 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐟𝐨𝐫: - 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦: Premature scaling is the #1 startup killer. You don't need a full team before you have a product that sells itself. The founders should be the first salespeople. 🏃♂️🏃♀️ - 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬:  A remote or co-working space is more than enough. Your money should be going into your product, not your rent. 🏠➡️📈 - 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬: You don't have a proven model yet. Throwing money at marketing is like throwing it into a black hole. 🕳️ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠? That's what your Series A is for. Once you have a proven product, a repeatable sales process, and a clear path to scale, then you can start building out your team. 🚀 𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 1/ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭: 80% of your early funding should go directly into product development and iteration. 🛠️ 2/ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦: Keep your team as small as possible for as long as possible. The founders should be doing most of the work. 💪 3/ 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: Track your burn rate, your customer acquisition cost (CAC), and your customer lifetime value (LTV). If the numbers don't work, you don't have a business. 📊 That first investment is a massive opportunity. Don't waste it. Be disciplined, be focused, and build a business that lasts. 🙏 What's the biggest mistake you've seen founders make with their first check? 👇 #Founders #Startups #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Entrepreneurship #StartupAdvice

Keep meeting startups making the same early sales hiring mistakes. And it’s f&%*ing killing them. These (mostly Seed-stage) founders come inbound and the stories all sound the same: "We hired a salesperson we thought could take over for me as our main revenue driver. They had great industry experience...but as soon as they joined...things fell apart. It's been 6-9 months...we need to move on. Can you help?" So we dig in...and the red flags are almost identical every time: 1. 15+ years in sales, usually with leadership titles at much larger companies...but little to no experience building from zero 2. One strong run (5+ years somewhere good) followed by 3–5 short stints that never quite clicked 3. “Relationship sellers.” Great in-person, well-connected, lots of talk about “knowing the space”… but no ability to create pipeline beyond their "friends" 4. Constantly dropping balls. Whether from poor CRM hygiene or lack of follow-up, they miss key steps necessary to close deals Here’s the truth: early-stage startups don’t need that sh*t. You don’t need a polished exec who “knows everyone.” You need a scrappy operator who can create momentum out of thin air. When we help clients hire Founding or early AEs, this is what we look for instead: 1. Experience at Seed/Series A companies. People who know how to build process, not just run it 2. Matching sales motion. The velocity, deal size, and cycle need to align...not just the industry 3. Multiple runs of success. Not a one-hit wonder 4. Clarity and ownership. They can explain exactly how they drive pipeline, run outbound, and stay organized. Founders: I know hiring is brutally hard, and early sales hires are some of the toughest calls you’ll ever make. But the wrong one doesn’t just burn money...it kills momentum and drags out product-market fit. If you’re in that stage and want to talk through it, reach out. Always happy to share what we’re seeing. And if you’re a salesperson chasing a founding/early AE role…use this as your cheat sheet. Hope everyone reading this has a great week!

I analyzed Series A founders' sales teams. The ones scaling fastest didn't hire better salespeople—they documented what the founder was already doing. **The Pattern:** Founder-dependent (stuck): - Founder closes 80% of deals - New AEs close 0-10% - Revenue plateaus at $1-2M Scalable (growing): - Founder documented sales process - New AEs close 40-60% by Month 3 - Revenue grows 3-5x faster **Real Examples:** Founder A: Recorded 5 sales calls → extracted pattern → trained AEs → 2 AEs went from 0 to 1-2 deals/month each (+$120K revenue) Founder B: Built sales playbook in 2 weeks → same team, 3x more closes in 90 days (+$180K pipeline) Founder C: Created segment-specific playbooks → hired 5 AEs → each closing 1-2 deals/month (+$300K ARR) **The Unlock:** Your founder isn't the superpower. Your process is. Most founders think: "Hire experienced closers" Reality: Experienced closers want a playbook, not a founder babysitting them. Here's the 4-step process every founder has (but doesn't realize): 1. **Discovery** (20 min) - Understand their pain in dollar terms 2. **Solution Pitch** (15 min) - Connect product to their problem 3. **Objection Handling** - Address, don't dismiss 4. **Close** (5 min) - Get commitment or reason for delay Document this. Train your AEs. Watch revenue scale. **Question: Is your founder the primary closer?** DM me "PROCESS" and I'll share the 3 questions to ask before hiring your next AE. (Most founders ask the wrong ones.) #GTMStrategy #SalesLeadership #B2BSaaS #Founder #Sales #SaaS #Startups

𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 9 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. Different industries. Different backgrounds. But every first call started the same way: “We’ve tried everything — ads, funnels, salespeople… nothing works.” And every time, I could tell — the problem wasn’t strategy. It was delegation. They treated lead generation like admin work. Something to hand off to an intern or an agency and forget about. It reminded me of when I used to think the same — that one more campaign or funnel would fix it all. It doesn’t. Lead gen isn’t a “set and forget” task. It’s the heartbeat of your business. If it stops — growth stops. I’ve seen it hundreds of times: → Founders overcomplicating strategy. → Hiring juniors for critical execution. → Panicking when the pipeline dries up. The shift happens when you stop hoping for leads… and start engineering them. Leads don’t come from luck. They come from rhythm. Precision. Consistency. It’s not about doing more — it’s about owning the process that feeds your business. That’s the difference between a founder who survives… and one who scales. 💭 What part of your growth process do you still treat like “admin work”?

The traditional SDR/BDR role doesn’t work for early stage startups. ❌ Startups don’t need sales people who just follow a playbook and fill calendars. They need someone who can built it from scratch by analysing what is working, what isn't, setting up the best process, and work collaboratively with customers to close deals. That’s where a Commercial Associate comes in. They bridge the gap between strategy and sales. They don’t just “book meetings", they help the company work out how to improve the product and GTM approach. The CA role is fast becoming the go-to hire for startups. Take James Sweeney at Encord - an ex-Oxford Engineer, & Strategy Consultant who wanted to be more fulfilled and creative in his job. The CA role let him stay competitive whilst finally seeing the commercial impact of his work every day, and getting compensated for it! Or Kit Shirley, who landed a role as a Commercial Associate at InsurX through Jumpstart. She wanted to be closer to the market, actually involved in deal closure and revenue generation. She has just been promoted to Commercial Manager. Or Stella Christiana Kaskaveli, ex-founder, who works in GTM at Adfin. “You have to get very creative,” she says. “It’s not just about execution. You meet the customer, identify pain points, & adjust the product and processes to get the deals over the line” Want a piece of the action? Apply to our brand new Commercial Associate stream here https://lnkd.in/eNqi3cMk #Jumpstart #CommercialAssociates #Startups

After placing 1,000+ candidates in 500+ UK startups, I’ve found three reasons which push a startup to hire. 🤕1. Hiring from pain >> “We're on fire - systems & capacity are creaking” 🎯2. Hiring to drive growth >> “We want to 2x sales so let’s 2x the sales team” 🔮3. Crystal ball gazing >> “WHEN we 2x sales, we’ll need 2x more account managers to deal with the 2x volume” This last one is obviously the most speculative. You NEVER know what’s going to happen - especially with this new tech called AI that some people are talking about(?) But, it does mean that early-stage founders start off by hiring from pain and then move through to 2 & 3. Given that they are often hiring for the first time AND their startup is on 🔥, it’s so easy to rush the hiring process, leaving them with mediocre talent. My advice: Hire high quality, even when things feel really painful. ps if you're a hiring manager and want to see what quality looks like, you can take a peak at some of our candidates here: https://lnkd.in/eA437czR