Map leadership roles by revenue

Who this is for

Founder led lower-middle market companies with 5 to 50 million in annual revenue that are formalising the leadership team.

The quick answer

At ten million. CEO, sales lead, operations lead, delivery or service lead, controller, and a marketing generalist. At thirty million. Add a CFO, a sales leader with managers, a marketing leader, a people leader, and either a product or programme leader with a light PMO. Keep spans of control near five to seven so coaching and decisions stay fast.

The method in seven steps

Write the jobs to be done
List the outcomes you need. New revenue, gross margin, on time delivery, cash, people health, and roadmap. Map each to an accountable seat.
Draw the ten million chart
CEO over three operating leads. Sales, operations, and delivery or service. Finance led by a controller. Marketing covered by a generalist who owns site and content.
Define spans of control
Every manager should have five to seven direct reports. Fewer can create bottlenecks. More can crush coaching time.
Plan the thirty million transition
Upgrade finance to a CFO. Move to a sales leader with front line managers. Add a marketing leader who owns demand and brand. Add a people leader. Add product or programme leadership and a light PMO for cross functional work.
Clarify decision rights
Publish who decides hiring, pricing exceptions, capital spend, and service levels. Keep a simple dollar threshold table.
Name interim owners
If you cannot hire yet, assign interim owners with written outcomes and a ninety day plan.
Review structure each quarter
As volume and complexity shift, adjust spans and handoffs so decisions and delivery stay smooth.

Example

A company near twenty eight million added a CFO and moved sales to a leader with two managers. Span per manager averaged six. Forecast accuracy improved and coaching time increased.

Pitfalls and fixes

Titles without outcomes. Tie every seat to a number.
Spans outside five to seven. Rebalance teams.
Unclear handoffs. Write how work moves between seats.

Checklist

Outcomes mapped to seats
Ten million org drawn
Thirty million org and timing
Decision rights table
Spans checked and balanced
Quarterly structure review booked