In the earliest stages of a company’s growth, it’s entirely appropriate, even essential, for the founder to lead sales. No one understands the product better, no one is closer to the customer, and no one can articulate the company’s mission as powerfully. But at some point, the founder becomes the bottleneck.
This inflection point is one of the most important, and difficult decisions a founder will face: when is the right time to step back from founder-led sales and hire a senior sales leader?
It’s not simply about bringing in a new hire. It’s about changing how the business operates commercially. And it requires both structural readiness and emotional readiness from the founder.
The Indicators
There are clear signals that the business is ready for a senior sales leader:
- Revenue growth has plateaued despite strong product-market fit.
- Deals require too much direct involvement from the founder.
- There is no repeatable sales process—just individual heroics.
- The sales team lacks strategic leadership and direction.
In short: if the founder’s time is being consumed by sales activities, but the outcomes are becoming less predictable, it’s time to re-think the structure.
The Transition
Hiring a senior sales leader is not a plug-and-play move. It requires a deliberate transition. The founder must:
- Shift from deal-making to vision-setting.
- Clearly define what success looks like for the new leader.
- Support the handover of relationships, insights, and systems.
It’s also critical to avoid creating ambiguity. A new sales leader cannot succeed if they are constantly second-guessed or overshadowed. The founder must make room.
What to Look for in a Senior Sales Leader
The right hire is not just someone who’s hit targets in the past. It’s someone who can:
- Build and lead a team.
- Define and implement sales infrastructure.
- Bring discipline and data into forecasting and pipeline management.
- Scale a go-to-market function without losing agility.
Just as importantly, they must be aligned culturally. Early-stage companies require leaders who are willing to operate without ego, roll up their sleeves, and build as they go.
Making It Work
Founders who navigate this transition successfully do a few things well:
- They communicate the “why” to the team—this is a step forward, not a loss of control.
- They co-design the first 90 days with the new leader, including clear deliverables.
- They shift their focus from involvement to enablement—removing blockers, offering insights, and staying aligned on strategy.
This isn’t about stepping away—it’s about stepping back to allow the sales function to scale independently of the founder. That’s when real growth happens.
About the author:
Suzy Rowley, Founder & CEO
As both an intrapreneur and entrepreneur, Suzy has launched and accelerated growth in several PE & Founder backed businesses. As part of the founding leadership team of global talent firm AMS, together they grew the business through 4 highly successful management buy-outs to a $1.1billion valuation in 2018. Having since built a varied portfolio career as a Board & Strategic Advisor to scaling businesses, in 2023 Suzy identified a value creation gap in the scale-up eco-system and founded Excelerator Partners.
