As a founder, you know your business better than anyone. You understand why it exists, what makes it different, why customers choose you and how to communicate its value. In many founder-led businesses, the founder is still the strongest person when it comes to telling the company's story and winning new customers.
But as the business grows, that can become a challenge. What happens when you're not in the room? Can your business communicate its value, generate demand and win new customers without everything depending on you?
I recently attended the Metronomics Tip Top Summit in Toronto, where entrepreneur and bestselling author Daniel Priestley raised an interesting question: If a prospective customer looked up your business today, could they find a short video explaining what you do, why it matters and who can vouch for it?
It's a simple question, but it speaks to a much bigger issue facing growing businesses: how much of their ability to attract and win customers still depends on the founder?
Building a Great Business Isn't the Same as Building Demand
At the summit, Priestley shared an example of a consultant who can serve 20 clients but has 200 people wanting to work with them. That puts the consultant in a very different position. They have the ability to be selective about who they work with and what they charge.
His point was that businesses often spend so much time improving what they offer that they overlook the work required to create demand for it.
I see this distinction as particularly important for founder-led businesses. You can have loyal customers, a strong reputation and a steady stream of referrals, but still rely heavily on the founder to build relationships, communicate value and turn interest into new business. That approach can work for years, but it becomes harder when you're looking to enter new markets, reach different customers or grow beyond the network you already have.
At some point, the business needs more than a great product or service. It needs the people and capabilities to consistently communicate its value and create new opportunities.
Before You Hire a VP of Marketing, Understand What Needs to Change
When a founder tells me they need a VP of Marketing to drive growth, I want to understand what's actually holding the business back. Are not enough of the right people hearing about the company? Are prospective customers aware of the business but unclear about why they should choose it? Or is the value proposition already working, and the real opportunity is to reach more customers and scale what's delivering results?
These are very different business challenges, and they require different leadership capabilities.
If the business needs a stronger story, I'd look for someone who can get close to customers, understand what drives their buying decisions and translate those insights into a clear message that the entire organization can communicate. If the positioning is already working and the challenge is reaching more buyers, I'd look for someone with experience building and scaling the channels the business needs next.
The job title might be identical, but the experience, capabilities and leadership style you're looking for could be very different.
This is why I encourage founders to look beyond the title when making their next senior hire. Start with the business challenge, understand what needs to change and then identify the leadership experience required to make it happen.
The Best Leaders Will Sometimes Challenge Your Thinking
There's another important consideration when bringing a senior marketing leader into a founder-led business: being open to a different perspective.
A strong marketing leader should be able to challenge assumptions, ask better questions and bring insights that the business may not have considered. They might discover that the feature you're most proud of isn't what customers value most. Or that something you consider a routine part of your offering is actually the reason customers choose you over the competition.
That kind of insight can change how a business positions itself, communicates with customers and approaches growth.
But it requires founders to be open to hearing something different from what they've always believed about their business. The right leader isn't there simply to execute your existing ideas. They're there to bring the experience and perspective to help move the business forward.
Start With Your Customers, Not the Job Description
Before writing your next job description, I'd recommend speaking with a few of your best customers. Ask them what made them choose your business, what convinced them to buy and when they knew you were the right fit. You might be surprised by what you hear.
Then take a look at what a prospective customer can find about your business before they ever speak to you. Is your value clear? Does your story resonate? Can someone understand why they should choose you without needing the founder to explain it?
The difference between what your customers actually value and what your business communicates externally can reveal a lot about where your next growth opportunity lies. It can also tell you more about the kind of marketing leader you need than another hour spent debating job titles and years of experience.
Getting the Right Leadership in Place Changes What's Possible
After more than 20 years working with startups and scale-ups, I've learned that growth rarely happens by accident. Businesses evolve, their challenges change and the leadership they need must evolve with them.
At Ari Agency, I believe great executive search starts with understanding the business, not simply filling a position. Through our A-WAY™ methodology, we look at the organization, its leadership, its culture and its future direction to understand what the business actually needs.
The goal isn't to find someone with the most impressive CV. It's to find the person who brings the right experience, perspective and capabilities to help the business reach its next stage.
Because getting the right leadership in place isn't just about filling a role. It's about changing what's possible for the business.
Thinking about your next leadership hire? Let's start a conversation with Ari Agency.