<ul data-eligibleForWebStory="true"><li>Hire your first Account Executive (AE) once you've closed 10-20 customers as a founder.</li><li>Stay in founder-led sales mode until you have 1-2 scaled sales executives hitting quota.</li><li>You need a repeatable sales process in place before bringing in an AE.</li><li>Founders are uniquely positioned to sell early due to their product knowledge and passion.</li><li>If consistently closing deals and feeling like a bottleneck to growth, it's time to hire an AE.</li><li>Consider the Annual Contract Value (ACV) to justify the cost of hiring an AE.</li><li>Your first AE doesn't need extensive experience but should be scrappy, hungry, and customer-oriented.</li><li>The first reps hired should be individuals you would genuinely buy your product from.</li><li>These early hires will help scale proven sales processes.</li><li>Hire carefully but don't delay if you're already at full capacity with sales.</li><li>Here's more on who to hire as your first magical sales rep.</li></ul>

Dear SaaStr: When Should I Hire My First AE?

Discover more