Hey, Aaron here! Welcome to this bi-monthly startup newsletter. In each write-up, I tackle questions about building products, financial planning, growth, and raising capital! Today, we dive into -

Education:

Build a micro-SaaS in only 3 months… that makes money

Opinion:

Don’t hire more — hire smarter

Most founders don’t struggle because they’re too slow to hire — they struggle because they hire wrong. They bring in someone too senior for a job that just needs execution. Or too junior for a role that needs real leadership. They spend money before there’s a clear need. And sometimes, they hand out equity to someone who hasn’t actually earned it.

This problem shows up whether you're still validating your idea or pulling in seven figures. If you don't know exactly what you're hiring for, you're probably not hiring right.

What Are You Actually Hiring For?

Before you start writing job descriptions or sending offers, you need to get brutally clear: what is the actual outcome you’re trying to achieve?

Then, match that need to the type of help required:

• Service Provider: Clear deliverable. Minimal oversight. Think: logo design, legal docs, CRM setup. Hire and move on.

• Contractor (1099): Specialized support on a part-time or project basis. Good for things like paid acquisition audits, backend fixes, or fractional roles (e.g., ops or finance).

• Part-Time Employee: The work is recurring and important, but not yet a full-time load. You want them in your meetings and systems, but not full-time on payroll.

• Full-Time Employee: You’ve got consistent demand and clear ownership. They’re accountable for daily execution in a core part of the business.

• Co-founder or Executive: This isn’t about doing tasks — it’s about driving the business. They should be able to identify bottlenecks, make decisions, and lead without direction. You don’t give them a list. They create the list.

Misfiring on this can kill momentum. You think you’re solving a problem by hiring, but end up creating a bigger one when the person can’t actually do what’s needed.

Leadership vs. Operators

This is where founders mess up most often: they confuse Leaders and Operators. These roles aren’t interchangeable.

Leaders…

• set direction

• solve high-level problems

• drive outcomes across functions

• create clarity for others to execute

But in a startup, leadership isn’t about sitting behind a desk managing a multi-million-dollar budget. It’s about rolling up your sleeves and doing the work. A great early-stage Leader can think strategically and jump into the weeds — write the ad, run the campaign, manage the contractor, and fix the landing page if needed. It’s understandable they don’t want to spend all day on admin, but in the early days, versatility is part of the job.

Operators…

• follow directions and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

• work within the systems

• execute tasks and keep things moving

They’re critical, but they’re not there to define the strategy or build the system. That’s leadership’s job.

You need both. But you need to know which one you’re hiring for and to make sure they’re actually capable of doing what the role demands.

Hire for the Business You Actually Have

Founders often look at what other startups are doing — the org chart, the roles, the titles — and try to replicate it. That’s backwards. You don’t need a Head of Ops if your initial ops are still being tested and figured out.

You don’t need a social coordinator if you have no content strategy. You don’t need to “build a team” if what you really need is 20 hours of focused help per week.

Hiring isn’t about filling seats. It’s about unlocking progress by buying skills you don’t have or adding more horsepower to what’s already working.

Don’t hand out equity just because someone seems helpful or happened to show up early a few times. Equity is one of the most expensive things you can give. It should go to people who are long-term committed and create long-term results, not those who simply make a short-term impression.

My Takeaways / Next Steps

• Clarify the outcome. What exactly do you want this person to accomplish and / or what are the specific tasks that you need done?

• Start lean. Service providers and contractors help you stay flexible until you know the work / role is essential.

• Think before you offer equity. It’s easier to increase someone’s pay than to unwind ownership.

Notable News

That’s It For Today!

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Written By Aaron @(un)conventional Team