The First 5 Remote Hires for a Startup (and the Order to Make Them)
Which roles should a startup hire remotely first? A practical order for SaaS and AI startups: assistant, SDR, GTM engineer, media buyer and social media.
By the Zenstack team · · 3 min read
Early-stage founders do every job. The first hires should take away the work that keeps you from the two things only you can do: building the product and talking to customers. Here is an order that works for many SaaS and AI startups.
1. Executive assistant
Why first: your time is the scarcest thing in the company. An assistant gives back hours every day for a small cost.
They take over: inbox, calendar, meeting prep, travel and follow-ups.
Hire when: you spend more than an hour a day on email and scheduling. See what an executive assistant does.
2. Sales development representative (SDR)
Why second: once you have closed a few customers yourself, the limit becomes how many conversations you can start.
They take over: prospecting, cold outreach and booking meetings. You keep closing.
Hire when: you can describe your ideal customer and have a message that works. See when to hire your first SDR.
3. GTM engineer
Why third: one SDR working by hand reaches a limit. A GTM engineer builds lists, enrichment and automation so each rep covers far more ground.
They take over: lead lists, data, routing and automated campaigns.
Hire when: your SDR spends hours on research and data entry. See what a GTM engineer is.
4. Media buyer
Why fourth: paid ads work best once you know who buys and what message converts, which outbound has taught you by now.
They take over: campaigns on Google, Meta or LinkedIn, with daily optimisation.
Hire when: you are ready to spend on ads every month. See what a media buyer does.
5. Social media manager
Why fifth: consistent content builds trust and supports both ads and outbound, but it rarely drives early revenue on its own.
They take over: posting, short videos and replies across your channels.
Hire when: founders have things to say but no time to publish them.
The order at a glance
| Order | Role | Problem it solves |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Executive assistant | Founder has no time |
| 2 | SDR | Not enough sales conversations |
| 3 | GTM engineer | Outbound is manual and slow |
| 4 | Media buyer | Ready to scale with paid ads |
| 5 | Social media manager | No consistent presence |
Adjust the order for your business
- Mostly inbound leads? Replace the SDR with an appointment setter.
- Selling to consumers? Move the media buyer and social media manager up.
- Heavy admin or support load? Add a virtual assistant early.
Why hire these roles remotely
All five are done on a computer and a phone. Hiring them locally at an early stage uses up runway quickly. See the true cost of hiring an employee.
Through Zenstack, each of these roles is full-time, dedicated and working your exact hours, with rates from $12 an hour and most roles between $12 and $23. You meet vetted candidates within days. At the starting rate, a team of three costs about the same as one local hire, by our estimate.
One rule for every early hire
Hire to remove a bottleneck you can name. If you cannot say which problem the hire solves, wait. Write the answer into the role brief: see how to write a remote job description.
Frequently asked questions
Should a startup hire sales or marketing first?
For business-to-business startups, sales development usually comes first because it gives direct feedback from buyers. Marketing scales what you learn.
How many people should an early-stage startup hire at once?
One at a time is safest. Let each hire settle and show results before adding the next.
Can a startup build a whole team remotely?
Yes. Sales development, marketing operations, ads, social media and assistant roles all work well remotely when the team shares working hours.