May 29, 2025
Making your first sales hires is a pivotal moment for any founder—it’s the transition from founder-led sales to building a repeatable, scalable sales engine. But getting it right is easier said than done. Who should you hire first? What backgrounds should you consider? How do you structure compensation to incentivize the right behaviors? And how do you avoid the common pitfalls that trip up early-stage teams?
An all-star lineup of Panelists joined SwingSearch and Silicon Valley Bank on May 29th to break down:
- The right time to transition from founder-led sales
- Profiles of great first sales hires and red flags to watch for
- Compensation structures that drive performance while protecting your bottom line
- Avoiding common hiring mistakes that can set you back months
A few gems from the event on how Founders can navigate their first Sales hire:
From Samantha Price at Audacious Ventures:
- If you’re not ready to hire two AEs, are you really ready to hire one?
- Hire with ICCE in mind: Intelligence, Character, Coachability, Experience.
- Hire for obsession. Hustle culture fades; hire people who can’t stop thinking about the problem.
- Treat reference calls like a final sales call — it always gets back to the candidate.
From Todd Lathrop at Polaris Growth Advisors:
- The Founder is always the Head of Sales; you can’t hand it off early-stage.
- If you can’t document it, you’re not ready to delegate it.
- Be specific: the clearer you are, the easier it is to coach the right behaviors.
From Connor Fee at Fathom:
- If you’re not sure, you’re sure — you will make hiring mistakes, so move faster than you think.
- Spend way more time onboarding: check in AM and PM every day.
- The younger or older you are, the more you should be in the office.
To see the full recording of this Founder Session, please visit Silicon Valley Bank’s Youtube channel:
Transitioning from Founder Led Sales to Hiring Your First VP | 5/29/25