Who to Hire First in Your Startup as a SaaS Founder

Starting a SaaS company is an exciting journey, but it comes with its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to hiring your first employee.

The right hire can free up your time, boost productivity, and help your business scale.

In this article, we’ll walk through who you should hire first in your SaaS startup, focusing on making strategic hires that align with your business goals and personal strengths.

Watch the video below 👇

➡️ Link to the document: https://teachbit.notion.site/Who-to-Hire-First-e76361f8e2aa4a2abdbb09ef2a4dae08?pvs=4

Freeing Up Your Time

Regardless of your business model or industry, your first hire should aim to free up your time.

As a founder, your primary focus should be on activities that directly generate revenue or significantly improve your product.

This means you should look for someone who can take over the tasks that are necessary but not the best use of your time.

Assessing Your Strengths

To determine who your first hire should be, you need to assess your strengths and weaknesses.

Are you better at sales, or do you excel at product development and customer service? If sales and marketing are your strong suits, consider hiring someone who can handle customer support and product management.

Conversely, if you shine in product development, hiring a sales or marketing professional might be the better choice.

Potential First Hires by Department

Here are some specific roles you might consider for your first hire, depending on your business needs and personal strengths:

1. Product Department

• Customer Support Representative: This role can be filled by a virtual assistant (VA) or a part-time employee. They will handle customer inquiries, troubleshooting, and support tickets, allowing you to focus on product development and strategic planning.
• Customer Success Manager: As your company grows, a customer success manager can help ensure your customers are satisfied and achieve their desired outcomes with your product.
• Web Developer: If your product is in its early stages and you need additional development support, hiring a web developer can accelerate your product’s progress.

2. Sales Department

• Appointment Setter: An appointment setter can help you book more sales calls, freeing up your time to close deals and focus on high-level sales strategies.
• Sales Closer: If closing deals is not your forte, a sales closer can handle the final stages of the sales process, ensuring a higher conversion rate and increased revenue.

3. Marketing Department

• Social Media Manager: A social media manager can handle your social media accounts, create content, engage with your audience, and help build your brand presence online.
• Content Creator: Hiring a content creator who can write blog posts, produce videos, and design graphics can enhance your marketing efforts and attract more leads.
• SEO Specialist: If your primary marketing strategy involves organic search traffic, an SEO specialist can optimize your website and content to improve your search engine rankings.
• Media Buyer: If you run paid advertising campaigns, a media buyer can manage your ad spend and optimize your campaigns for better ROI.

4. Admin/Finance/Legal Department

• Bookkeeper: A bookkeeper can manage your finances, handle your accounts, and ensure your financial records are accurate and up-to-date.
• Legal Advisor: Depending on your business, you might need a legal advisor to help with contracts, compliance, and other legal matters.

Example Hiring Plan

At our company, we follow a structured hiring plan that has proven effective. Here’s an example of our current hiring strategy:

• Sales Team: We are currently hiring appointment setters to book more sales calls. We use LinkedIn and email outreach to find suitable candidates. To scale quickly, we also plan to leverage appointment setting agencies.
• Product Team: We are hiring better mentors, accountability coaches, and customer success managers to ensure our customers achieve faster and better results.
• Support Roles: We are looking for a virtual assistant to handle both personal and business tasks, ensuring smooth operations.

Quality Over Quantity

When hiring, it’s crucial to focus on the quality of the hires rather than the quantity.

A small, high-performing team can often achieve more than a larger, less effective one.

Look for individuals who are not only skilled but also align with your company’s culture and values.

Remember, the goal is to achieve better results, not just to fill positions.

Hiring Tips

Here are some tips to help you make the right hiring decisions:

• Define Clear Job Roles: Clearly define the responsibilities and expectations for each role to ensure you find the right fit.
• Use Multiple Channels: Utilize various platforms like LinkedIn, Upwork, and Indeed to find potential candidates.
• Leverage Freelancers and Agencies: For certain roles, especially those requiring specialized skills, consider hiring freelancers or working with agencies.
• Focus on Results: Emphasize the importance of results over hours worked or tasks completed. Set clear performance metrics and regularly review progress.

Final Thoughts

Hiring your first employee is a significant milestone in your SaaS startup journey.

By focusing on freeing up your time and making strategic hires that align with your strengths, you can set your company up for success.

Whether you start with a customer support representative, a sales closer, or a social media manager, the key is to hire someone who will help you focus on growth and revenue-generating activities.

If you’re ready to take the next step in scaling your business, consider implementing a hiring plan similar to ours.

Remember, the goal is to create a team that helps you achieve your business objectives while allowing you to focus on what you do best.

Next Steps

For a step-by-step guide on hiring your first employee, check out our detailed video linked in the description.

It covers the entire hiring process, from identifying your needs to onboarding new staff.

In case you want us to do it with you, our team at ProfitSecrets.io specializes in helping SaaS founders scale their operations and turn their businesses into cash-flow-producing assets ($1.2M ARR and $3M+ valuation).

Book a free consultation call to learn how 👇