When do I hire a VP of Sales, and what happens to me after I do?
Most founders are ready around one to two million dollars of ARR, once a couple of reps are already selling successfully and you have a process worth scaling. The bigger mistake is what happens next: Jason Lemkin's estimate is that about two thirds of founders step out of sales entirely after this hire and it backfires almost every time. Your new VP needs months to learn the product and the market, your customers still want the founder in the big deals, and your credibility is part of what closes. So do not reduce your sales hours, redirect them, towards the largest deals, key relationships and unblocking the team. Also expect a real failure rate on this hire and plan for it rather than being shocked by it.
Go deeper
3 resources, 3 link-checked.
📄 Article
✓ Link checkedFreeIntermediate
The mistake is not the hire, it is stepping out of sales afterwards, which Lemkin reckons about two thirds of founders do and which backfires almost every time. Six specific reasons your presence still matters, plus where to redirect your hours instead.
Lemkin gives actual numbers for the decisions leaders agonise over: when to hire, how to set quota, how many reps per manager. Opinionated in a way that is useful even where you disagree.
A four phase model for handing off sales, with a clear warning that most of the damage comes from adding closers too early. Short enough to read before your next hiring decision and specific enough to change it.
