Most early-stage brands hire marketers in the wrong order. Here is what actually works.
Quick answer
The short version: most teams overcomplicate this. Below is the actual sequence we run for clients, what works, what's a waste of time, and the order to do things in for compounding results.
Stage 1: $0-$1M ARR (1 person)
**Generalist Growth Marketer**, $70K-$120K + equity. Runs Meta Ads, writes email, manages agency. This person should be senior enough to hire specialists later.
Stage 2: $1M-$3M ARR (2-3 people)
- →Head of Growth (promote existing), $100K-$150K
- →Creative Marketer (UGC, graphics, video), $65K-$100K
- →Optional: Email / retention specialist, $60K-$90K
Stage 3: $3M-$10M ARR (5-8 people)
- →VP Marketing, $150K-$250K
- →Paid Media Manager, $80K-$130K
- →SEO+ Content Lead, $80K-$130K
- →Email + Retention Lead, $75K-$115K
- →Creative Director, $100K-$160K
- →Analytics / Data, $90K-$140K
- →Brand / Community, $65K-$100K
Stage 4: $10M-$50M ARR (10-20 people)
VP Marketing + 3-4 Directors (Paid, Email, SEO, Creative) + 8-12 ICs + 2-3 specialists (Analytics, Brand, Ops).
When to hire vs agency
- →Hire in-house: repeatable, continuous work (daily ad management, weekly email, ongoing SEO)
- →Use agency: specialized knowledge you don't need full-time (creative strategy, technical SEO, one-time audits)
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