ScalingProven Pattern

Wait until you can articulate how your last several deals closed before hiring first sales

Q: How many founders have validated "wait until you can articulate how your last several deals closed before hiring first sales"?

3 founders have proven this pattern works. Examples include Ryan Glasgow (Sprig), Christina Cacioppo (Vanta), Graham Moreno (Windsurf/Codeium).

Having a repeatable sales process means you can clearly explain your ICP, typical sales cycle length, and common objections.

When to use

When considering your first dedicated sales hire

Don't do this

Hiring a VP of Sales to figure out 100 things simultaneously

3 Founders Who Did This

Sprigby Ryan Glasgow

Handled all sales personally until 8 months after public launch, only hiring salespeople once he could articulate how every recent deal closed

Result:Developed a playbook so refined that anyone could replicate his process, ensuring first sales hires had a proven system to follow

Read full story →

Vantaby Christina Cacioppo

Built complete sales playbook through founder-led selling (~3 deals/week, 12/month) before hiring first salesperson. Set monthly quotas based on her own baseline performance.

Result:First sales hire immediately doubled her output, validating the playbook was repeatable. Hired support then customer success then sales - prioritizing existing customers before optimizing acquisition.

Read full story →

Windsurf/Codeiumby Graham Moreno

Founders personally closed millions in revenue before hiring first sales reps, deeply learning ICP, pricing, and PMF

Result:Created a solid foundation that enabled scaling from 3 to 75 GTM hires in under a year with 7/10 reps exceeding quota

Read full story →