How to use it
Designed for one sitting, not a workshop series.
Score your situation first, then your shortlist. Use it to avoid hiring a full-stack unicorn when you needed a channel owner.
Resources · Founders hiring marketing
First Marketing Hire Scorecard
Score whether your next marketing hire should be a generalist, growth marketer, or leader, and define what they need to test first.
Instant download. Optional: leave your email below for the Growth Bottleneck note.
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One practical note on pipeline, positioning, and founder-led systems.
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What you get
Inside the First Marketing Hire Scorecard
Hiring scorecard · 15 minutes per role design
- Stage-fit criteria, what the first marketing hire should actually own
- Scorecard for candidates against execution vs advisory bias
- Sequencing note, when fractional beats full-time
Best fit
Who this is for.
Founders deciding between generalist, growth marketer, or senior GTM leader.
Not for: Enterprise marketing teams with established leadership.
FAQ
Questions to check before using it.
Does this overlap the fractional CMO hiring checklist?
Similar territory, this scorecard is faster and stage-first; the checklist goes deeper on interviews.
Can WSS help hire?
We often advise on role design and bar-setting; recruiting partners handle search when needed.
Is it only for B2B SaaS?
Written for B2B SaaS and AI, most criteria transfer to adjacent B2B models.
Other resources
Three more, all free.
Post-PMF startup leadership teams
90-Day Growth Experiment Planner
Turn one commercial priority into a 13-week sequence of experiments, owners, decision rules, and reusable learning.
View →VCs and accelerator teams
VC Portfolio Growth Diagnosis Template
A portfolio workshop format for spotting whether a founder needs positioning, acquisition, team, or reporting help first.
View →Growth teams · 10 minutes
Acquisition Channel Decision Matrix
Score paid, organic, partnerships, outbound, and content against your current stage, team capacity, and ICP clarity.
View →Need more than a template?
If the first marketing hire scorecard surfaces a constraint you'd rather solve with senior help, the next step is a Growth Diagnosis call. Bring your result, we'll pressure-test the constraint it names and sketch the next move in 20 minutes.
Last updated: 6 August 2026