3 Hiring Red Flags That Mean You Need Help—Now

Let’s be honest: If you’re in Series A–C, you’ve proven the concept. Now it’s about building the machine—and hiring is usually where it breaks.

74% of small business founders say hiring is the #1 thing slowing growth. And most wait too long to fix it. That delay? It shows up in team burnout, bad hires, stalled launches, and missed revenue.

If these red flags sound familiar, it’s not a blip. It’s a hiring emergency.

1. You’re Saying “No” to Growth You Should Be Saying “Yes” To

Stat: 47% of hiring teams say they’ve lost out on business opportunities because they couldn’t hire fast enough (LinkedIn).

What this looks like at Series A–C:

• You’re turning down enterprise pilots because your CS team can’t absorb more.

• You’re deferring that second product line because engineering is stretched.

• You’re rescheduling investor meetings because your roadmap’s slipping.

What to do:

• Spot where delays are recurring—missed sprints, QA jams, onboarding pileups.

• Add fractional execs or interim leads to stabilize teams while you hire.

• Work with recruiters who understand Series A–C speed, stakes, and scale.

2. Your Team’s Maxed—and Starting to Crack

Stat: 49% of employees cite unmanageable workloads as the reason they quit (SHRM).

What this looks like at Series A–C:

• Your Head of Product is managing customer onboarding and roadmap.

• Engineers are writing support docs instead of shipping features.

• People are burning out—and your culture is fraying at the edges.

What to do:

• Conduct workload mapping—who’s doing what vs. what they should be doing.

• Offload “stretch” tasks that don't match core skills or goals.

• Hire for stability before you see top performers walk out.

3. You’re Hiring—But It’s Not Working

Stat: A bad hire costs $17,000 on average (CareerBuilder). For Series A–C? Multiply that by lost cycles, team drag, and lost investor confidence.

What this looks like at Series A–C:

• New hires don’t ramp quickly—and start slipping by month two.

• Your team spends weeks onboarding only to realize the fit is off.

• Culture issues start surfacing, even with great-looking resumes.

What to do:

• Create clear scorecards for every hire: what success looks like in 30/60/90 days.

• Test fit with short-term projects or contract-to-hire.

• Work with talent partners who know how Series A–C hiring is different than early-stage hustle.
  

The Hiring Miss We Caught Just in Time

At a scaling startup, two departments were hiring for nearly the same role. If we hadn’t intervened, we’d have on-boarded two people into duplicated responsibilities, confused reporting lines, and immediate frustration—for them and the team.

We hit pause.

Before offers were finalized, we got both leaders in a room, broke down actual business needs, and rebuilt the roles to be distinct, complementary, and clear.

Why it mattered: Poor on-boarding causes 16%+ attrition within six months and delays momentum across the team.

By fixing the overlap before Day 1, we prevented confusion, burnout, and turnover. Clarity upfront kept the business—and the people—moving forward.

Lesson: At Series A–C, you’re no longer “just figuring it out.” Your org structure is your strategy.

Don’t Wait to Fix Hiring—It Won’t Fix Itself

Here’s the summary:

• Saying no to growth is a hiring problem.

• Burnout and role confusion are hiring problems.

• Bad hires and early churn? You guessed it—hiring problems.

The fix?
→ Define success before you recruit.
→ Hire for outcomes, not just experience.
→ Get strategic help before your team buckles under the pressure.

Your hiring strategy is your growth strategy. When you get it right, everything moves faster—product, revenue, culture.

What’s Your Hiring “Uh-Oh” Moment?

Delayed a key hire and lost a quarter? Onboarded a rockstar who left confused and frustrated? Share your story—privately or publicly—and help other Series A–C leaders navigate smarter.

Want this tailored for your stage, vertical, or hiring focus?
Need help scaling GTM, product, or eng hiring without burning out your team?

Let’s turn hiring from your biggest headache into your biggest advantage. Just say the word.