Process
How we work
Five steps. The one most agencies skip is the fourth.
1. Recorded kickoff
The kickoff call is recorded and transcribed. Not for our convenience. Because what you say about the role in that hour is the actual specification, and a job description is a lossy summary of it written by someone else.
2. Written brief before outreach
The kickoff becomes a written search brief and a sourcing plan. You see the brief before a single message goes out. If we heard the role wrong, you catch it in week one rather than after three bad slates.
3. Calibration slate
The first candidates we send are there to sharpen the target, and we tell you that rather than presenting them as finalists. Your reactions to them change the search. Agencies who present slate one as a triumph are optimizing for looking good in week two.
4. Written candidate prep
Every candidate who reaches an interview gets a written brief on your company, your interviewers, the format of the loop, and what each round is actually testing.
Most contingent agencies do not do this. It is the piece of our process we would point at first.
The interview process is the only working sample of your company a candidate gets before they commit. Slow scheduling, contradictory feedback, a panel that hasn't read the resume: that isn't a hiring problem, that's a preview. Strong candidates read it correctly and take the other offer.
Prepped candidates ask better questions, evaluate faster, and decline earlier when it isn't a fit. All three are good outcomes.
5. Reasoned submissions
Every candidate arrives with a written argument for why this profile fits this search, including where they don't match. Unmatched must-haves get stated, not buried. You should be able to decide from the write-up whether to open the resume.
Scope
We run GTM, sales, and growth marketing searches for venture-backed startups from pre-seed through Series D. We do not run engineering, finance, or executive searches outside of go-to-market. Three people work on your search: Jonny Leighton, Leslie Johnson and Adrienne Campbell.
What this costs
We run contingent, retained, and embedded engagements, and every search carries a 90 day guarantee. Fees differ by model and are published in full on our pricing page.