For Founders & Hiring Managers

I've placed Sales and GTM talent at 200+ startups. One of the most common things I see is a founder making a great hire — then watching that person struggle for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability. The rep is good. The marketing foundation underneath them isn't. Here's what I learned working alongside fractional CMO June Bower — and what every founder should fix before making their next sales hire.

The best candidates have options — and they know it. Salary gets you in the conversation, but it rarely closes the deal. Here's what actually gets great people to say yes.

Hiring a great rep is hard. But the work doesn't stop at the offer letter. Research shows structured onboarding improves retention by 82% — yet most early-stage startups still hand new GTM hires a laptop and a Slack invite. Here's the 30/60/90 framework, plus expert onboarding support from HR consultant Nivi Rabbi, that actually sets new hires up to perform.

Most founders run interviews the same way they ran them at their last job — or make it up as they go. The result is a process that's slow, inconsistent, and tells you almost nothing useful. Here's how to build one that evaluates fast, stays consistent across candidates, and doesn't lose great people to a slower competitor.

Sales compensation in 2026 is about alignment. The best teams tie pay directly to outcomes, keep plans simple, and benchmark against real market data. From SDRs to CROs, structure, quota, and variable pay all need to reflect role expectations, sales cycles, and revenue responsibility. Get it right, and performance follows.

Losing a top rep at Seed or Series A isn't just inconvenient — it can set your GTM motion back by months. Here's what actually keeps great sellers around, and it's not what most founders focus on.

The player-coach role sounds great in theory — until your week disappears into deals and your team gets nothing from you. The 30/30/30 Rule helps first-time sales leaders stay intentional about where their time actually goes.

Pushing new GTM hires for pipeline in their first 30 days usually backfires. When reps lack confidence in the pitch or product, activity goes up but quality tanks. Here's how to coach for clarity first — and watch everything else follow.

You can close deals. The hard part is building a team that can close them too. Here's how to extract what's in your head, build just enough process, and turn founder-led selling into a motion your reps can actually run.

Most startups go quiet after the offer is signed. That silence is where second-guessing creeps in. Here are five simple ways to preboard your new GTM hire — plus how Nivi Rabbi can help if you want structured support.

Most founders nail the recruiting process and drop the ball the moment someone signs. Here's a stage-by-stage playbook — from offer-accept through the 90-day check-in — built for early-stage teams without an HR function.

Top candidates are running three processes at once — and they'll make a decision before you get to the offer if you're not deliberate. Here's how to move fast, sell the moment, and close with conviction.

Another behavioral interview won't tell you if a candidate can sell in ambiguity. A well-designed roleplay will. Here's the exact setup, what to watch for, and the four signals that predict early-stage performance.

Gut feel and culture fit impressions lead to mis-hires. A structured scorecard keeps evaluations consistent, gives your team a shared language, and focuses on what actually predicts success in a startup environment.

Slow hiring isn't usually a process problem. It's a positioning problem. If the candidates you want aren't excited about your startup, no amount of process fixes that. Here's what's actually driving decisions for top GTM talent today.

Your first few sales hires aren't just filling seats — they're testing whether your motion works. Here's how to scope each of the first three hires correctly, and the red flags that signal you're about to make a costly mistake.

Hiring a CRO right after your Seed or Series A closes feels like the right move. Usually it isn't. Here's what early-stage companies actually need at each stage — and when the CRO conversation becomes relevant.

Founders spend hours polishing their investor deck and almost no time thinking about how they pitch to candidates. That gap is costing them great hires. Here's how to close it.

A Founding AE isn't a typical closer — they're a builder who sells and a seller who documents. Here's a ready-to-use job description template, plus the context you need to know when to hire this role and what to look for.

Getting the AE profile wrong is one of the most expensive early-stage hiring mistakes. Here's how to match your candidate profile to your actual sales motion, stage, and buyer — before you start recruiting.