1. Decide
Hire when founder-led sales works but you've become the constraint. If you can't yet explain who buys, why, and how long it takes, a salesperson won't fix that — they'll inherit the confusion.
- Run the readiness check honestly.
- Choose the seat: founding AE by default; SDR only with a proven closer in place; fractional for process gaps.
- Agree the number you'll hold the seat to at 6 and 12 months.
2. Define the seat
Write a scorecard before a job description. The scorecard is what you hire against; the JD is just marketing for it.
- One-line mission for the role.
- Outcomes at 90 days, 6 and 12 months.
- Five competencies max — builder mindset, discovery depth, pipeline self-sufficiency, product curiosity, coachability.
- Context you need: deal size, buyer, cycle length, stage they've sold at.
3. Source
The best founding AEs aren't applying to job ads. They're closing at Series A–B companies and need a reason to move.
- Start with your investors' portfolio and your customers' vendors.
- Look for reps who were early at a company that scaled — not reps who joined after it scaled.
- Lead outreach with the problem and the equity story, not the perks.
4. Interview
Test what they'll actually do in month one: find pipeline and run discovery.
- Founder screen for motivation and stage fit.
- Deal deep-dive: how they sourced, qualified and closed two specific deals.
- Role-play a discovery call on your real ICP.
- Working session: a 30-day pipeline plan.
- Reference checks you source yourself, not just the ones they give you.
5. Offer
Make one clear offer, in writing, within a week of the final stage. Slow offers lose good candidates to counter-offers.
- Base, variable split, ramp terms and equity in one document.
- Explain the equity in pounds-and-pence scenarios, not just percentages.
- Agree the 90-day plan before they sign.
6. First 90 days
Judge leading indicators, not revenue. Pipeline created, discovery quality and product feedback tell you far more in the first quarter than closed deals.
Days 1–30
Shadow founder calls, learn the product, take over existing pipeline, start outbound.
Days 31–60
Run deals solo with founder support. Document the playbook as they go.
Days 61–90
Own pipeline targets. Weekly review against the scorecard. Decide together what the second hire should be.