The one hire I'd make at $1M

Not interested in hearing from Lean Leverage or Go Carpathian?

When I was running my own marketing agency in college, I hit a wall.

The business was growing, and objectively, I was doing pretty well.

But, eventually, I couldn't keep up. 

I needed help, but folks in the US wanted $100K+, and international recruiters wanted to charge me an arm and a leg just to find a junior assistant.

That frustration is the reason Go Carpathian exists. But the lesson I learned building it is what I want to talk about today.

When you cross $1M in revenue, the instinct is to hire for growth. 

A salesperson.
Another marketer.
Someone to bring in more deals.

But after a few years of doing this, I’ve realized that the founders who scale fastest almost never start with a revenue hire.

They start with an operator.

Here's what's actually happening at $1-2M: 

That's an operations problem wearing a founder's hat.

I learned this the hard way. 

I spent two years in Hungary building my agency, trying to do everything myself. 

But the thing that unlocked the next stage wasn't more clients. It was handing the keys to someone who could run the business while I grew it.

One of my favorite placements is Chandre, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

She has 4 years as an executive assistant to a CEO of a law firm and a director of a growing enterprise. 

Watch her intro video for 30 seconds and you can see it for yourself: the communication is sharp, the energy is professional, and she has something you can't teach…

She anticipates what an executive needs before they even say it.

Watch Chandre's intro:

That's the caliber of EA talent coming out of South Africa right now. 

Strong English, aligned to EST, and career-focused. This isn't a gig for them. It's their career. 

You can hire someone like Chandre through us as a direct placement. You run the relationship, you manage the day-to-day.

Or, if you don't want to deal with any of that, there's our Managed Operating Partner service starting at $4,500 a month.

My cofounder (Tim) and I personally train your operator for 6 weeks on your business, your systems, and your workflows.

After that, we provide ongoing support and training, handle payroll and taxes, and if something doesn't work out, you get a free replacement.

Same quality of talent, but we do the heavy lifting, so you're not spending your first month teaching someone how your business works.

Either way, the talent exists. The question is how much support you want around it. 

You are. 

You don't need a $120K US-based Chief of Staff. 

South Africa produces exactly this profile at $1,000 to $2,500 a month.

You get strong English, EST-aligned, career-oriented. 

This isn't a stepping stone for them. It's a career.

Each geography has something it's uniquely good at. South Africa's edge is operators who stick around and take ownership.

The founder who tries to scale by selling harder while running everything hits a ceiling every time. The one who hands off operations buys back the 20 hours a week they need to actually grow.

If you're growing fast and the business can't run without you

That's the signal. One call and we'll map out what your first 30 days with an operator look like.

Book your discovery call with our recruitment specialists now or reply to this email. 

To your growth,
Nathan