I’ve spent my profession constructing advertising and gross sales stacks, creating GTM methods, coaching groups, and implementing processes that drive sustainable progress. If there’s one hiring mistake I’ve seen greater than some other, it’s this: too many executives suppose an important advertising chief is a superb advertising chief — full cease.
They fail to account for the enterprise’s present stage. A advertising chief who’s excellent for a startup will wrestle in a late-stage public firm. And the reverse is equally true.
I’ve labored throughout the complete spectrum — from scrappy startups to huge enterprise manufacturers — and I can let you know: not all advertising leaders are created equal. Hiring the flawed kind of chief in your stage will sluggish you down, waste cash, and create pressure contained in the group.
On this article, I’ll break down the important thing enterprise levels — Startup, Go-to-Market, Progress, Scale-Up, Market Management, and Public Firm — and clarify what kind of promoting chief you want at every level. I’ll additionally name out a few of the largest errors hiring managers make — and provide recommendation to entrepreneurs trying to establish the place they may thrive.
Startup Stage
On the very starting, there’s one advertising rent: normally a generalist who acts as the complete advertising operate.
I’ve been that particular person. You’re doing every part: creating the model, establishing instruments, writing copy, constructing net pages, testing advertisements, sending emails, and determining analytics. You put on each hat and shift priorities each day.
The best chief here’s a Swiss Military knife marketer — fluent throughout disciplines, energized by chaos, and motivated by fast studying. They’re hands-on builders, snug with out construction or assets.
That is not the place for a profession enterprise CMO. They’ll drown in ambiguity. Neither is it the place for a workforce chief who expects a military of specialists. The rent right here have to be each a strategist and an executor.
Go-to-Market (GTM) Stage
As soon as the product is prepared for a broader viewers, the corporate enters the GTM part. The precedence now’s constructing demand, testing positioning, and discovering the channels that drive acquisition.
The advertising chief right here stays extraordinarily hands-on, however with a strategic focus. They prioritize early pipeline progress, refine their messaging, and validate repeatable applications.
I thrive on this part: crafting a MarTech stack (CRM, advertising automation, content material workflows), figuring out fast wins, and coaching the primary advertising hires. The chief have to be adaptable, data-driven, and laser-focused on creating measurable outcomes — quick.
A typical mistake right here is hiring a big-brand marketer with no early-stage expertise — they’ll waste time on perfection when what’s wanted is velocity, studying, and iteration.
Progress Stage
As soon as product-market match is evident and income is climbing, corporations enter the Progress part. Advertising shifts from pure experimentation to scaling what works, whereas nonetheless iterating and enhancing.
Groups sometimes develop to five–15 entrepreneurs. Specialists emerge in demand technology (Demandgen), content material, search engine marketing, and advertising operations. The chief transitions from particular person contributor to supervisor and coach.
Right here, you want somebody who can nonetheless get their fingers soiled however is expert at workforce constructing, course of improvement, and knowledge evaluation. They love progress advertising and perceive that scaling requires self-discipline, together with good attribution, clear knowledge, and clear KPIs.
I’ve seen corporations stall after they preserve their unique jack-of-all-trades chief, who resists delegation and struggles to scale a workforce. The proper chief balances construction with a progress engine that retains operating.
Scale-Up Stage
Late-stage enterprise, Collection C/D, or pre-IPO corporations sometimes enter the Scale-Up part. The advertising group is now massive (15–50+), budgets are vital, and management expectations are rising.
The CMO or VP of Advertising right here should remodel advertising from an opportunistic operate into an operational machine. They construct repeatable processes, implement requirements, and be sure that each program has clear measurement and accountability.
There’s nonetheless room for creativity, however it happens inside outlined frameworks. Leaders should handle advanced tech stacks, align carefully with gross sales and product, and report constantly to executives and traders.
A frequent misstep is leaving an early-growth CMO in place too lengthy, hoping they’ll preserve doing what labored earlier than. However Scale-Up requires a brand new management mindset: course of excellence, cross-functional alignment, and operational rigor.
Market Management Stage
Many corporations attain a Market Management stage — typically post-IPO, post-acquisition, or after securing a dominant share of their class.
Progress continues to be a mandate — however it’s extra predictable, measured, and strategic. The main target shifts to worldwide growth, deepening buyer relationships, growing lifetime worth, and defending share from opponents.
At this degree, advertising turns into actually enterprise: multi-regional groups, advanced reporting, model governance, and deep integration with gross sales and product features. International consistency and operational excellence are paramount.
The advertising chief have to be an distinctive govt: skilled in large-scale advertising organizations, able to managing a whole bunch of workers, and adept at aligning advertising with total company technique.
This isn’t the time to rent a fast-moving progress hacker or a purely inventive model marketer. You want a seasoned operator who can lead by way of complexity and construct a sturdy, long-term aggressive benefit.
Public Firm Stage
At full public firm scale, advertising management shifts once more. Compliance, company governance, and investor expectations dominate the panorama.
Advertising should serve a number of masters: prospects, companions, regulators, and traders. Each initiative is completely scrutinized for potential authorized dangers and influence on model repute. Approvals are layered. Timelines lengthen.
Right here, the CMO is a board-facing govt, fluent in company finance, international model administration, and governance. They’re a grasp of orchestration — much less about constructing net-new campaigns and extra about guaranteeing the complete advertising org is delivering towards strategic imperatives.
The chief should handle throughout areas, cultures, and sophisticated stakeholder environments. They drive advertising’s contribution to shareholder worth as a lot as pipeline or income.
Hiring Pitfalls: One Measurement Does Not Match All
Too many corporations put up imprecise Head of Advertising roles that would imply something, or they anticipate one rent to someway embody the talents of all these levels without delay.
Widespread errors I see:
- Hiring a scrappy startup marketer and anticipating them to steer a 100-person org
- Hiring a company CMO for a Scale-Up that also calls for entrepreneurial drive
- Anticipating a GTM marketer to deal with the model rigor of a public firm
The answer is straightforward however typically missed: outline the function in your stage — and rent accordingly.
In case you’re Collection A, say so — and discover a builder.
In case you’re a market chief, prioritize govt depth.
In case you’re a Scale-Up, search course of management and operational excellence.
And be sincere about what you really want, not simply what appears good on LinkedIn.
Ideas for Entrepreneurs: Know The place You Thrive
As a marketer, you must also ask: the place do I do my finest work?
- In case you love chaos and invention, contemplate becoming a member of a Startup or a progress workforce.
- In case you love constructing groups and processes, Progress or Scale-Up.
- In case you love international management and model, Market Management, or Public.
Be sincere with your self. Nothing burns folks out sooner than being within the flawed stage. A few of my friends (together with me) are unbelievable builders, however we wrestle within the enterprise. Others excel in boardrooms however falter in a scrappy GTM. Know your strengths — and lean into them.
Remaining Ideas
Not all advertising leaders are alike. And the neatest corporations — those that scale efficiently — know this.
They rent leaders who match the wants of their stage, they usually evolve management as the corporate evolves. They keep away from the parable of the “excellent marketer” who can someway thrive at each degree.
And as somebody who’s constructed advertising and gross sales methods throughout these levels, I can let you know — while you get this proper, advertising is a progress engine. Once you get it flawed, it’s a drag.
Rent sensible. Align to your stage. And watch your advertising fly.
