Hiring
Who should a founder hire first? The replacement ladder
The wrong first hire looks like growth for two months. The replacement ladder gives the order: assistant, delivery, marketing, sales, leadership – and why.
6 min readAIKAA editorial
Why does the order matter?
Because every rung frees time for the next. The assistant frees the hours used to hand over delivery. Handed-over delivery frees the hours used to build marketing. Skip a rung and the new person brings more work to a desk that has no room.
What are the five rungs of the replacement ladder?
- Assistant: inbox, calendar, travel, invoicing.
- Delivery: the work the client buys.
- Marketing: leads from a system rather than from the owner's month.
- Sales: only once delivery holds.
- Leadership: someone else runs the day, the owner runs the direction.
How do I know which rung I am on?
By the feeling. Stuck, stalled, friction, freedom or flow – every rung feels like its own. The demo workspace owner is on rung two and stalled: admin is carried, but delivery still runs through them, and it shows in the hours left for sales.
Why is a closer before delivery a mistake?
Because the closer succeeds. They bring in new clients, and every new client adds delivery that still runs through the owner. For two months it looks like growth, and by the third the owner is drowning.
How is the hiring done?
By the ladder, with a paid test project. A role opens only once it has a written outcome and a number that proves it. The candidate does a small piece of real work and is paid for it – the test says more than any interview.
Frequently asked
Who should a founder hire first?
Usually an assistant who carries the inbox, calendar, travel and invoicing. That frees the hours needed to hand over the next rung, delivery.
Why not hire a salesperson before delivery?
Because every new client adds delivery that still runs through the owner. Growth looks good for a couple of months and then drowns the owner.
What is a paid test project?
A small piece of real work the candidate does before an offer, and is paid for. It says more about their skill than an interview.
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