Founders often make repeated mistakes when hiring their first sales team, which can slow growth and increase stress, according to saastr.com. The guidance emphasizes that CEOs must first prove their product is sellable themselves before hiring sales reps or a VP of Sales. This approach is critical in the current B2B environment where sales strategies have shifted significantly.
The article outlines a top 10 list of sales hiring errors to avoid. Key advice includes not hiring a sales rep until the CEO can sell the product personally and not hiring a VP of Sales until at least two sales reps consistently hit their quotas. Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaStr, tweeted that a VP of Sales should be brought in only after establishing a repeatable sales process with two quota-hitting reps, enabling scalable growth from 3 to 300 reps.
This guidance matters as many startups struggle with early sales scaling, especially amid changing market dynamics where AI-driven companies see rapid growth while others face cutbacks. Proving product sellability and a repeatable sales process before expanding the team helps avoid premature hires that can drain resources and stall momentum. The advice aligns with best practices in SaaS sales scaling, emphasizing founder-led selling initially.
Jason Lemkin’s August 28 tweet encapsulates the core recommendation: hire a VP of Sales only after two reps hit quota, ensuring the sales process is proven. This milestone serves as a concrete benchmark for startups to measure readiness for scaling their sales teams, according to saastr.com.