Building for Now: Your First Hires & The Right Advisory Board

When you’re building a startup, every hire matters — but your first hires matter most. They shape culture, set habits, and define how your product gets built. Simultaneously, assembling the right advisory board creates a shortcut: expert insight, networks, credibility.

Getting both right isn’t optional — it’s foundational to investor-readiness and growth momentum.

Why It Matters

• Team signals investment readiness. Investors don’t just see your idea — they assess your ability to execute. Your early hires reflect how you’ll scale.
• Culture and tempo are baked-in early. The first 3-5 hires determine pace, quality, and norms — all before your Series A board meeting. EnSpire Oxford emphasises: “Don’t rush your first hires… they will determine how easy the next wave of hiring will be.” 
• Advisors accelerate traction and credibility. According to one study, startups with advisory boards achieved 24% higher sales and 18% greater productivity than those without.
• Risk management via external ballast. A well-chosen advisory board reduces founder isolation and covers blind spots — strategic, network, domain knowledge.

1. Your First Hires: What to Prioritise and Why

Generalists > Specialists (for now)

In the early stage, your team needs flexibility, speed, and resilience. A guide from the Founder Institute recommends prioritising generalists over narrow specialists because they can wear multiple hats. The Founder Institute

Identify the Single Most Mission-Critical Role

As noted in a FirstRound Review article:

“If a founder is intimidated or apprehensive about hiring, they need to narrow their focus to the single most important next hire."

E.g., if you’re in product development phase, that may be a strong hands-on engineer or product operator. If you’ve achieved PMF, maybe your first formal sales hire. According to the “0-$5 M: When, Who, and How to Make Your First Sales Hire” piece, timing matters."

Culture & Fit - hard to retrofit

Culture isn’t built later, it’s selected early. Hiring slow, using real tasks as trials, and assessing not just skill but style and adaptability are crucial. EnSpire Oxford warns: “The first few hires outside of the founding team are going to feel monumental… they also … determine the successful trajectory.”

Timing & Triggers to Hire

You should hire when you cannot do something critical effectively, or when you’re bottlenecked. As one YC-partner insight (recent) put it: only hire when something is about to break. Business Insider

Checklist for first hires:

• Define what you’ll stop doing once you hire.
• Write a one-pager for the role: key output in first 90 days.
• Decide equity + pay structure mindful of future dilution.
• Use a small “trial project” to assess real fit pre-hire.
• Execute a clear onboarding and integrate early feedback loops.

2. Your Advisory Board: Who, When & How

Define Purpose Before You Pick People

Before you call anyone “advisor”, define what you need: is it go-to-market advice, domain/regulatory expertise, investor introductions, credibility? This clarity drives selection. 

What to Look for in an Advisor

According to multiple guides:

• Relevant industry/domain experience. 
• Network access and ability to introduce (not just goodwill). 
• Fit with your team culture and a willingness to commit (time, attention). 
• Where you’re weak, pick strength: e.g., first-time founder in health-tech might pick regulatory veteran.
• Be mindful of equity cost: advisors consume head-room too. 

Structure & Engagement

• Ideal board size: 4–7 advisors early stage (enough diversity but manageable) 
• Define terms: how often you meet, time commitment, deliverables (intro, review, challenge). 
• Compensation: Often equity (vested over time) rather than large cash retainer. Align incentives. 
• Review and refresh: Your needs evolve; advisors who helped you find product-market fit may not help you scale operations.

When to Bring Advisors On

Don’t wait too long. While you don’t have to build a huge board on day one, getting 1–2 credible advisors early gives you strategic advantage and investor signal. Medium warns that early-stage founders often deprioritise advisory boards — to their detriment. 

3. Bridging Hires & Advisors: A Unified Playbook

• Use your advisory board to validate who to hire next: ask advisors “In your view what role would accelerate our growth most?”
• Align your first hires with advisors’ domain expertise: e.g., if advisor is a go-to-market leader, hire a marketer or SDR who can work directly with/learn from them.
• Build transparency: share first-hire performance readings with advisors, invite them into onboarding or mentorship to amplify impact.
• Culture check: both hires and advisors reflect your founder operating system — if you prioritise speed, transparency, learning loops, hire and pick accordingly.

Action Plan: next 6-8 weeks

• Workshop the first hire role: write a 1-page spec, include measurable outcomes for first 90 days.
• Start candidate sourcing: focus on diversity of thinking, generalist traits, and “will this person first-order solve our bottleneck?”
• Prepare advisory board brief: define 3-5 key support areas you need in next 12 months (e.g., fundraising intros, regulatory expertise, GTM advice).
• Shortlist 3 potential advisors: schedule informal conversations, clearly communicate time commitment and equity terms.
• Align hire & advisor timelines: ensure your first hire starts after your initial advisory board convos so they can benefit from advisor input.
• Set governance rhythm: plan quarterly advisory reviews, establish first-hire check-in cadence, create quick feedback loop for both.

Founder Takeaway

Your first hires and your advisory board are not just functions — they embody your operating rhythm, growth priorities and founder signal. Hire those who multiply your tempo; appoint advisors who stretch your vision. Get both right and you’re not just scaling — you’re shaping a startup that’s built to scale.

Mic-drop: You don’t hire people to fill roles — you build a founding team and a network that reflect the founder you want to become.