Hiring your first go-to-market (GTM) person is a make-or-break decision for any cybersecurity startup. Done right, you build momentum. Done wrong, you burn cash and time on the wrong hire. The debate often boils down to one question: should you hire a salesperson or a marketer first?
The common misconception: One person can do both
Many technical founders assume they can hire a salesperson who “also does marketing” or vice-versa to cover both functions in the early days. I’ve rarely seen this work outside of founders who have a background in one or both disciplines. Sales and marketing require different skill sets, and forcing one person to do both usually leads to underperformance on both fronts. Instead, you need to think strategically about your GTM motion and what kind of support your business needs first.
If your GTM is product-led growth (PLG) or e-commerce, hire marketing first
If your cybersecurity product is self-serve—where customers can sign up and buy without speaking to a salesperson—you need a strong marketing engine before you think about sales. Your first marketing hire should be someone who can:
- Drive awareness and demand through content, SEO, and digital campaigns.
- Optimize your website for conversions.
- Set up and run a basic marketing automation stack.
- Write compelling copy that explains your value proposition clearly.
- Schlepp pull-ups and data sheets to big events and set up the booth.
This person should be a mid-level marketing generalist—experienced enough to develop a basic strategy but hands-on enough to execute. However, positioning and messaging are critical at this stage, and most generalists won’t be strong in product marketing. If that’s the case, consider bringing in a contract product marketer to refine your positioning while your marketer focuses on execution.
If your GTM is sales-driven, hire sales first
To border on stating the obvious: If your cybersecurity product is sales-driven, you’ll need direct sales efforts to land deals. Inbound marketing will be helpful later, but early sales will come from relationships, outbound efforts, and founder-led selling. The rare exception to this rule is if one of the co-founders has a sales background - then hiring marketing first may be your best bet.
Your first sales hire should be someone who can:
- Identify and close early customers.
- Build relationships and trust in the industry.
- Navigate complex procurement processes.
- Gather customer feedback to refine your product-market fit.
Don’t underestimate that last bullet. Not all sales hires are created equal. Many startups mistakenly hire a record-breaking Fortune 500 seller, only to watch them fail. These reps often excel in well-oiled sales machines but struggle in early-stage chaos. Instead, look for someone with startup experience who understands how to prototype a sales motion and refine it over time. (Related: How to hire your first salesperson as a cybersecurity startup founder)
When should the founder “fire” themselves from sales?
Early-stage founders should lead sales themselves—at least for a while. Sales provides the most customer face time, making it the best source of insights for refining product-market fit (PMF). Founders should transition out of sales when they:
- Have a basic understanding of how to sell their product.
- Can teach someone else how to sell it effectively.
- Have enough cash to bring in a strong sales hire.
If you’re struggling to define your sales motion, consider bringing in a GTM strategy consultant for a for a project to help clarify ICP, messaging, and positioning. If you’re making money but can’t easily explain how to sell it, you might be casting the net too wide in terms of use cases and industries. And if you’re not making sales at all, it’s time to reassess the market and product fit before hiring anyone.
Outsourcing sales? Proceed with caution
Many startups look at fractional sales hires or outsourced SDR teams as a way to scale quickly. This can be risky:
Fractional sales reps juggle multiple products and will focus on the easiest sale, not on figuring out your GTM motion.
SDR teams won’t fix a broken system—throwing more leads into an unclear sales motion is just burning money. If your process isn’t converting yet, more volume won’t solve the problem.
Fractional sales leaders can help structure a team of sellers if you need functional expertise in management once you have several sellers and have neither the internal expertise to lead sales nor the money to bring in a full-time sales leader. However, I would not bring in a fractional head of sales to start your sales team.
Focus on getting your sales engine running cleanly first before pouring in more leads.
The case for hiring both marketing and sales
If you have the budget (usually through VC funding), hiring both marketing and sales early on can work. This allows you to test messaging, generate demand, and close early deals simultaneously. Make sure that both functions and the founder work in lockstep to share insights and iterate on the GTM motion. Once you have traction and product-market fit, you can scale both functions further. But if you’re bootstrapped, pick one function strategically:
- Enterprise sales? Do sales yourself, outsource marketing.
- PLG/self-serve? Hire a marketer first, then add sales later.
Lessons from real startups
At a cybersecurity startup I co-founded, I came with a background in product marketing and hired a salesperson with cybersecurity and enterprise experience to help refine messaging, positioning, and GTM motion. This worked well, especially because we worked hand in hand.
On the flip side, I’ve seen many startups hire “big-name” sellers from Fortune 500 companies who failed because they weren’t used to prototyping a sales motion from scratch. They were great at working within structured systems but struggled in the fast-paced, ambiguous environment of a startup.
Final takeaways: Who should you hire first?
If you’re PLG/e-commerce, hire a marketing generalist first. But contract out positioning and product marketing to an expert.
If you’re enterprise sales, hire a salesperson first. But ensure they have startup experience and can help refine your GTM motion.
If you have enough funding, hire both. If not, founders should handle sales early while outsourcing marketing.
Positioning and messaging must come first. If you can’t explain who you’re selling to and why, neither sales nor marketing will work well.
Making the right first hire sets the foundation for scalable growth. Making the wrong hire means spinning your wheels and burning cash.
Got questions on this? Let’s chat.