Each early hire has a large effect on a small company’s culture, speed and costs. Deciding what to hire deserves careful thought.
Start With Outcomes
Ask what the business needs to achieve over the next six to twelve months and what is preventing it. A hire should remove a specific constraint: not enough engineering capacity to ship, customers waiting for support, or a founder spending all week on tasks someone else could do better.
Alternatives to Hiring
Consider contractors, agencies, automation or simply stopping low-value work. These can be faster and cheaper for short-term needs.
Generalist or Specialist
Early teams often benefit from adaptable generalists. Specialists make sense when a specific skill is central to your success.
Budget
Include salary, employer costs, equipment, software and recruiting costs. Check the impact on runway in your financial model.
Exercise
Write down the constraint your next hire will remove, the outcomes they should achieve in their first six months and the alternatives you considered.