When and Why to Hire a President
For many scaling startups, a natural inflection point emerges when the founder’s capacity becomes the company’s constraint, signaling it may be time to bring in a strong operational counterpart. The founder is spread too thin with too many direct reports, not enough time to focus on product innovation, strategic direction, or fundraising. If you’re a founder in this position, or an investor or board member advising one, you may be asking: What type of Second-in-Command or President will best complement the business and unlock the next stage of growth?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The right #2 archetype depends on what your company needs most, whether that’s driving revenue, operational excellence, or product maturity. At SPMB Executive Search, we typically see three core Second-in-Command profiles emerge across successful growth companies.
1. The Commercial-Focused President
Profile:
Commercial Presidents are builders of go-to-market maturity. They bring deep expertise in sales, marketing, and customer success, often having led global revenue or commercial operations teams in the past.
When they shine:
- When the company is transitioning from founder-led selling to a scalable, repeatable go-to-market motion.
- When revenue growth has plateaued and the business needs process, structure, and accountability to accelerate top-line performance.
What they bring:
- Strength in sales and marketing operations.
- Experience designing scalable GTM organizations.
- Ability to align marketing, sales, and customer success around predictable growth metrics.
Potential challenges:
They may not be as deep on product or technology, and if paired with a founder who is also commercial-leaning and/or a strong CRO in the business, there’s a risk of overlap rather than complementarity.
2. The Product-Oriented Second-in-Command
Profile:
These Second-in-Command leaders are often former product or engineering executives who bring deep technical fluency and product strategy expertise. They serve as the founder’s true partner in scaling product vision and execution.
When they shine:
- When the company’s biggest growth lever is product velocity and innovation, especially when a business is DTC or SMB/Marketplace focused.
- When the founder needs to shift focus to external activities, such as fundraising, partnerships, and investor relations, but wants product momentum to continue.
What they bring:
- Deep understanding of product and platform strategy.
- Experience building scalable tech and product organizations.
- A collaborative, iterative approach to driving innovation and customer value.
Potential challenges:
If the founder is also highly product-oriented, there’s potential for friction in decision-making. The partnership works best when roles are clearly defined: the founder serves as the visionary, and the Second-in-Command leader acts as the operator, driving delivery and scale.
3. The Finance/Strategy President
Profile:
This President comes from a finance, consulting, or corporate strategy background. They bring structure, rigor, and operational discipline to a fast-scaling or complex business.
When they shine:
- When the company needs better cross-functional coordination, scalable systems, and performance metrics.
- When operating in regulated, capital-intensive, or multi-entity environments.
What they bring:
- Strong command of financial and business levers.
- Experience implementing scalable processes across finance, HR, and operations.
- A steady hand during hypergrowth or restructuring.
Potential challenges:
They may need to lean more heavily on technical or product leaders to balance their focus on structure with innovation and speed.
Career Stage Considerations
Beyond profile type, it’s also critical to consider where your next President is in their career journey:
- The Up-and-Comer: A high-potential GM or divisional leader at a larger company ready to step into their first #2 role. They bring energy, ambition, and hands-on leadership – ideal for scrappy, fast-growing environments.
- The Seasoned #2: A “been there, done that” President or even former CEO who’s seen multiple growth phases and is motivated by solving complex scaling challenges alongside an ambitious founder.
- The Founder-Turned-#2: A former founder CEO who’s experienced both success and setbacks. Their last venture may not have gone the distance, but they emerge with hard-earned lessons, humility, and a hunger to build again, this time alongside another visionary leader.
Each of these backgrounds can work. The key is aligning career stage and motivation with the company’s current inflection point.
Choosing the Right Fit
The most effective #2 hires are based on clarity. Clarity of the company’s current state, growth challenges, and leadership gaps. Ask yourself:
- Where are we strong, and where do we need reinforcement?
- What must happen for us to reach our next milestones?
- What pain points or blind spots are slowing us down today?
Work backward from those answers to define the Second-in-Command or President profile that fills those gaps, not just the press release hire, and one that looks good on paper.
Hiring a President is one of the most pivotal decisions a founder or board can make. The right operator frees the CEO to focus on vision, product, and growth while building the systems and team to scale sustainably.
At SPMB Executive Search, we’ve helped countless founder-led companies evaluate and hire Presidents who complement their leadership DNA and accelerate their trajectory. If you’re considering bringing in your next Second-in-Command or simply want to pressure-test your leadership structure, we’d love to connect.
