| Time to first results |
3–6 months per hire to ramp — and you need more than one |
2–4 weeks (traffic, not product) |
First results in weeks |
| Cost |
$150–200K+ per hire × 3–4 roles — plus benefits, equity, and time |
Ongoing retainer, stops when you stop |
Engagement-based — no ongoing overhead if you pause |
| Scope |
You need Head of Product, Head of Growth, Analytics Lead, and ML — one hire doesn't cover it |
One channel (ads, SEO, content) |
All of it in one engagement: research, analytics, experiments, implementation, ML |
| Inside your product |
Yes — after 3–6 months of ramping |
Rarely — they work on traffic, not product |
Yes — from week one |
| Compounds over time |
Maybe — depends on the hire |
No — tied to channel spend, not the product |
Yes — each cycle builds on the last |
| If it's not the right fit |
High cost: severance, lost time, restart |
Medium cost: switch agencies, lose time |
Lower risk: structured engagement, clear scope from day one |