Build the minimum viable team

Who this is for

Founder led lower-middle market companies with 5 to 50 million in annual revenue that want marketing that supports sales without unnecessary headcount.

The quick answer

At ten million, start with a lead who owns plan and analytics, a content and email specialist, and a designer who keeps the site current. Use agencies for paid and for video. At thirty million, add a demand manager, a product marketer, and an events owner. Keep sales enablement close to product marketing for better handoffs.

The method in seven steps

Write the jobs to be done
List outcomes that matter. Meetings, sourced pipeline, sales enablement, brand consistency, and site health. Map each outcome to one owner.
Hire the first three roles at ten million
Marketing lead. Owns plan, analytics, and budget.
Content and email specialist. Publishes weekly and runs the newsletter.
Designer or webmaster. Keeps site fast and pages current.
Use agencies for spikes
Paid media and video are variable. Use partners until volume and measurement justify in house talent.
Define interfaces with sales
Weekly revenue meeting, shared dashboards, and a clear intake for collateral and case notes.
Add the three roles at thirty million
Demand manager to run channels and tests.
Product marketer to write positioning, value props, and sales tools.
Events owner to plan field events and partner plays.
Centralise enablement with product marketing
Keep decks, one pagers, and proof library under one owner. Tie updates to product and to the messaging framework.
Review capacity each quarter
Compare planned work to outcomes. Shift agency tasks in house only when volume and learning justify it.

Example

A company at nine million hired the three core roles and kept paid with an agency. At twenty nine million they added demand, product marketing, and events. Sourced pipeline doubled year over year while headcount stayed lean.

Pitfalls and fixes

Hiring creative roles before a planner. Put a planner in the seat first.
Owning many tools without outcomes. Tie every role to meetings and pipeline.
Enablement scattered. Centralise under product marketing.

Checklist

Jobs to be done list
Three core roles hired or assigned
Agency plan for paid and video
Weekly sales interface defined
Add three roles near thirty million
Enablement owned by product marketing