Hiring Your First Marketer: A Founder's Guide to Timing, Roles, and Vetting

Arielle Jackson, First Round's Marketing Expert in Residence, provides early-stage founders with a comprehensive playbook for hiring their first full-time marketer. The article covers critical timing decisions based on go-to-market strategy, essential questions to ask before hiring, and guidance on matching headcount budgets with marketing spend. Jackson addresses common pitfalls founders encounter when making this important hire, offering frameworks to determine whether a full-time marketer is actually needed.