While this statement is somewhat controversial, distribution is now more important than ever to get your startup off the ground successfully.

Despite that, most startups invest in growth way too late.

Growth channels take 6-12 months to mature. If you wait until you have product-market fit to build these channels, you create a deadly gap between finding PMF and scaling revenue.

To avoid months of being constrained by top of funnel opportunities, make your first dedicated growth hire as soon as you have a few dozen customers and early validation of your approach. Not after.

On top, too many startups hire the wrong people to build out their initial growth team.

Most hire experienced growth marketers from large companies or agencies as their first growth hire.

This doesn't work. Those people struggle with the constraints and ambiguity of startups.

The profiles that actually succeed surprisingly often are:

1. Ex-consultants and bankers with quantitative skills

2. Engineers moving toward business

3. Operations people with growth curiosity

They share core common traits of analytical thinking, self-direction, speed, and comfort with ambiguity.

Domain expertise can be taught. These qualities can't.

When assessing growth hires, use a work-sample approach and over index on people who can get stuff done. Meaning do work trials that test for a candidate’s ability to take an idea and get results done fast.

The key isn't whether their solution works perfectly, but rather: Can they execute with minimal direction? Can they explain their thought process clearly? And do they demonstrate resourcefulness in overcoming obstacles?

These qualities predict success in the ambiguous, resource-constrained environment of an early-stage startup far better than past job titles.

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Enjoyed reading this?

Then check out my conversation on the focal podcast with Austin Hughes, an early growth leader at Ramp and now Co-Founder and CEO at Unify GTM that changed how I think about growth at startups.

Youtube | Apple Podcast | Spotify

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