In this week’s episode, Bill breaks down a costly pattern inside private equity–backed companies: hiring senior go-to-market leaders before defining the system they are supposed to run. When growth slows, the reflex is often to bring in a VP of Sales or CRO. But leadership alone cannot fix an undefined GTM motion.

Bill explains why clarity must precede talent. Without a clearly defined ideal customer profile, documented sales stages, aligned handoffs, and operational infrastructure, new leadership is set up to fail. Mis-hires at the senior level don’t just cost money — they stall momentum for 12 to 18 months and erode internal confidence.

You’ll learn the difference between building a GTM system and operating one, why scaling headcount before repeatability multiplies inefficiencies, and how private equity operators can shift from hiring as a shortcut to designing system-driven growth.

One of the most common patterns I see in private equity bag companies shows up very early in the post acquisition timeline. Often within the first 90 days, leadership decides that growth needs to accelerate, and the immediate conclusion is the company needs to hire a senior go to market leader. Most of the time, that role is framed as a VP of sales, a chief revenue officer, or some variation of a senior commercial executive.

The expectation is that this hire will come in, bring structure, drive accountability, and fix whatever slowing growth. That belief is understandable, but it is also deeply flawed because in most cases, the issue is not a lack of leadership. The issue is a lack of a system and hiring a senior leader into a broken or undefined system does not fix the problem.

It delays the idea that a VP of sales can fix growth. Problems persist because it feels decisive and familiar. Sales is where revenue happens. So when revenue slows, sales leadership becomes the focal point. A strong resume experience of larger companies, and maybe even a history of hitting numbers create confidence that the right person can simply impose discipline and drive results.

The problem is that sales leadership cannot manufacture clarity where none exists. If the ideal customer profile is vague, the VP of sales cannot enforce focus. If the go to market motion is inconsistent, they cannot standardize execution. If marketing, sales, and customer success are misaligned, they cannot realign incentives on their own. What often happens instead is that the new leader spends the first 6 to 9 months diagnosing the same issues that already existed while being evaluated on the results.

They cannot yet influence. At this point, the organization has lost time, momentum, and credibility. Go to market. Leadership works best when it is layered onto an already defined system, not when it is expected to invent one from scratch. The first step should always be clarity. Leadership must be aligned on who the company is built to serve, how it wins, and how revenue flows through the organization.

Without that foundation, any hire is operating in the dark. Once the GTM strategy is defined, leadership roles can be designed intentionally. Instead of hiring a VP of sales to figure it out. The organization should be hiring a leader to operate and optimize a known system. This distinction matters. Operators scale systems. They don't create systems. When leadership is hired after the strategy is clear, expectations are realistic.

Onboarding is faster and impact happens sooner. Another mistake I see frequently is scaling sales or marketing headcount before the organization is ready. Adding more representatives does not fix a broken motion. It multiplies the inefficiencies that already exist. If messaging is inconsistent, adding reps increases inconsistency. If qualification is weak, adding reps increases waste. Before scaling headcount, companies need operational leverage.

That means clear ICP definition, documented sales stages, consistent messaging, and agreed upon handoffs between teams. It also means having enablement tooling and reporting in place that supports repeatability. In many cases, the most valuable early hires are not quota carrying roles. They're leaders or operators who bring structure, alignment, and process to the system. Before volume is added. Mis hiring at the leadership level is not just expensive.

It is slow. What a senior GTM hire is misaligned with the company's reality. The organization often spends months trying to make the fit work. Messaging shifts. Priorities change. Teams are reorganize as confidence erodes. Even if they hire eventually exits, the damage remains. Momentum is lost. Teams are fatigued and trust in leadership decisions decline in many bad companies. A single mis hire can stall growth for 12 to 18 months.

This is time. Most investments cannot afford to lose. If you are operating or investing in a bad company, there are a few practical steps you can take to avoid these traps. Start by defining the go to market system before hiring leadership to run it. Clarity first, then talent. Design leadership roles around an operating system. Not in one. Be explicit about what already exists and what success looks like in the first six months.

Delay headcount growth until repeatability is proven. Skill should follow consistency, not proceed it. Finally, evaluate GTM hires not just on the past results, but on their ability to work with your specific motion. Market and economics. Private equity doesn't get go to market hiring wrong because a bad intention. They get it wrong because hiring is often used as a shortcut to clarity.

There are no shortcuts. The right people matter, but they only perform when the system around them is designed to support success. Affinity capital growth we help leadership teams and investors define go to market systems first after capital growth. We help leadership teams and investors define go to market systems first. So hiring decisions are intentional, effective, and aligned with growth goals.

If you want to avoid costumers, hires and built a GTM organization that scales with confidence, I encourage you to learn more about our work at 50 Capital growth.com. Thanks for listening. Subscribe if you haven't already and leave a comment with your thoughts below.