Hiring guides for SaaS and startup founders
Practical, role-by-role guides on hiring leaders who move your numbers, written from live search work.
Most senior hiring mistakes are made before the search even starts: hiring the wrong profile for your stage, confusing two roles, or writing a brief around activity instead of outcomes. These guides walk through each key role the way we scope a real search, when you are ready to hire, the profile that fits your stage, what to pay in 2026, and the questions that surface the right person. Start with the role you are hiring for, then discuss the role when you are ready.
Marketing & Growth Leadership
When to hire, the profile that fits your stage, salary benchmarks, and the interview questions that separate a leader from a campaign manager.
Hire a SaaS Head of Marketing (2026)
When to make the hire, the profile that fits your stage, salary benchmarks, and the interview questions that separate a real marketing leader from a campaign manager.
Read the guide Hiring StrategyHire a Head of Growth (Guide)
Head of growth is one of the most mis-hired roles in digital companies. The title covers too many different jobs, the candidate pool is full of people with impressive CVs and mediocre track records, and the failure mode is slow. Here is how to get it right.
Read the guide Hiring StrategyHire a VP of Growth for SaaS (Guide)
Most VP of Growth searches fail because founders hire for brand names and past playbooks instead of stage fit. Here is the profile that works, the red flags that don't, and the interview questions that surface the difference.
Read the guideRevenue & Sales Leadership
The roles that own pipeline and revenue operations, what they actually do, and how to evaluate candidates who can do the job.
Hire a Head of Revenue Operations
RevOps job titles grew 25x in three years. Most founders still confuse the role with a CRM admin. Here is what a real Head of RevOps actually does, when you need one, and how to evaluate candidates who can do the job.
Read the guide Hiring StrategyHire a VP of Sales for SaaS (Guide)
The VP of Sales hire is one of the highest-stakes decisions a SaaS founder makes. Most get it wrong. Here is how to define the role, find the right profile, and avoid the most expensive mistakes.
Read the guideAI Automation & Technical Hires
Hiring the operators who turn manual processes into systems. Skills to screen for, where to find them, and 2026 salary benchmarks.
Executive & C-Level Search
How senior search actually works, from shortlist to offer, and how to recruit C-level leaders without wasting a quarter.
Hire a C-Level for Digital Companies
Most executive search advice is written for corporate HR teams with six-month timelines and enterprise budgets. This guide is for founders and operators at agencies, SaaS companies, and e-commerce brands who need to get the hire right without the luxury of a long runway.
Read the guide Executive SearchC-Level Hiring: 9 Methods That Work
C-level executive recruitment is the discipline of finding and hiring CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, and other senior leaders. It costs 25-33% of first-year salary at large firms, 15-20% at boutiques. Here are 9 methods that actually work.
Read the guide Executive SearchC-Level Shortlist: Sample Template
Most hiring managers have never seen what a great executive shortlist looks like. Here is the format we deliver: candidate summary, scorecard rating, evidence, and a recommendation per candidate.
Read the guide Executive SearchHow Long Does Executive Search Take?
Executive searches typically take 8 to 16 weeks. Boutique firms can compress this further. Here is what drives the timeline and what slows it down.
Read the guideCosts & Hiring Frameworks
What a search costs, the fee models compared, and the assessment frameworks that make hiring decisions defensible.
Recruitment Agency Fees: What Each Pricing Model Costs
Contingency fees run 15-25% of salary. Retained is 25-33% upfront. Embedded recruiting is a flat $5k-20k a month. See which model saves money.
Read the guide Hiring StrategyExecutive Search Cost in 2026
Executive search: 10-33% of salary. What you are paying for and when it is worth it. Compare retained and contingency models.
Read the guide Hiring StrategyWhy a Job Scorecard Wins Better Hires
Most hiring decisions are made on gut feel. Founders who use a structured scorecard consistently outperform those who don't. Here is how the framework works.
Read the guide Hiring StrategyStructured Interviews: Pros & Cons
Most people searching for structured interviews want to understand the disadvantages first. Here they are, along with the genuine advantages and when structured interviewing is right for your process.
Read the guide Hiring StrategyTopgrading for Recruitment: A Guide
Topgrading is a rigorous interviewing methodology that consistently identifies A players. Here is how to implement it without overcomplicating your process.
Read the guideDone reading? Let us run the search.
Mihai leads every search and delivers an initial shortlist of 3–6 assessed candidates in 10 business days.