Strategic Hiring Checklist for Scaling Consumer Brand Founders

10 Quick Checks to Know If You’re Hiring Smart or Reacting to Stress

Building Teams That Unlock Growth

Scaling Well Talent | [email protected]

✅ SECTION 1: Strategic Readiness

1. Is this hire linked to a specific business goal or bottleneck?

☐ Yes  ☐ No

E.g. Launching a new product, entering a market, solving operational inefficiency.

2. Do you know what success looks like in the first 90 days?

☐ Yes  ☐ No

Clear outcomes beat generic job descriptions. If you can’t write this, you’re not ready to brief a recruiter.

3. Have you decided what you’re willing to compromise on (and what’s non-negotiable)?

☐ Yes  ☐ No

You won’t find a unicorn. Knowing what you’re optimising for is key.

✅ SECTION 2: Internal Capacity

4. Do you or your leadership team have the bandwidth to onboard and embed this person?

☐ Yes  ☐ No

A great hire without a proper runway will underperform—and leave.