20 September 2026
The first-year hiring plan for a new online business
Which roles to hire first, which to outsource, and how to avoid the most expensive early hiring mistakes.
Most young online companies don't fail because of the product. They stall because the founder is doing five jobs and the first hires were made in a hurry. A simple hiring plan fixes most of that.
Start with the gaps that cost you money
Write down every task the business depends on each week: product decisions, payments, compliance, customer support, marketing, reporting. Next to each one, write who does it today. The tasks with the founder's name next to them, or with no name at all, are your first hires.
A typical order of hires
- A senior operator (COO or Head of Operations) who can run the day-to-day so the founder can focus on growth and partners.
- A technical lead who owns the platform, integrations and security.
- A payments and compliance specialist, especially in regulated markets.
- A marketing or CRM lead who understands retention, not only acquisition.
- Customer support, often in two or more languages.
Your order may differ, but the principle is the same: hire for the bottleneck, not for the org chart you'd like to have in three years.
Hire senior first, then build under them
One experienced lead who can hire their own team is worth more than three juniors without direction. Senior people also shorten the time it takes for later hires to become productive.
Budget for the whole year, not the first salary
Include recruitment fees, notice periods, relocation and the time it takes a new person to become productive. Most budget surprises come from these, not from the salary itself.
Get a second opinion before you start
A one-hour conversation with an experienced recruiter before you start can help you avoid expensive hiring mistakes. Our Hiring Strategy Call and Team Blueprint are designed for exactly this stage.