Every Day Without a GTM Hire is Costing You Revenue

Every Day Without a GTM Hire is Costing You Revenue

When a Go-to-Market (GTM) role sits unfilled at a Series A or B startup, it might not immediately seem like a crisis. But behind the scenes, those vacant seats are quietly draining your momentum and your revenue.

Most founders and hiring managers focus on hiring the right person, and rightly so. But what’s often overlooked is the cost of waiting too long. In the world of early-stage startups, time is money, and every day without a skilled Go-to-Market (GTM) hire could be costing you far more than you think.

Every unfilled sales or marketing role represents missed opportunities:

• Sales reps aren’t building pipeline or closing deals.
• Marketers aren’t generating leads or driving demand.
• Growth strategies remain on pause.

It’s not just about productivity—it’s about impact. A strong Go-to-Market (GTM) hire in a startup can contribute hundreds of thousands of pounds or dollars in annual revenue. Now consider the opportunity cost of that role sitting empty for 30, 60, or even 90 days.

Let’s say your Account Executive role typically delivers £750,000 in annual revenue. If it’s unfilled for just 60 days, that’s a potential £125,000 in missed revenue. Multiply that across a few open roles, and the cost quickly becomes unsustainable.

And while you’re searching for the right hire, your current team is feeling the pressure with sales leaders spending time in the weeds, covering day-to-day deals and marketers being stretched thin, trying to fill in gaps across campaigns.  Burnout begins to creep in, and performance starts to dip.

Not only are you losing productivity, but you risk losing your current high performers, creating a negative cycle that’s hard to reverse. Suddenly, your strongest team members—the people you were counting on to hit those ambitious targets—are considering new opportunities. What began as a single hiring delay will trigger a domino effect across your Tech Sales Careers team, and lead to further hiring difficulties later down the line, if your start-up begins to adopt a high staff turnover rate.

Why is a Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy particularly important for start-ups

A good Go-to-Market strategy is particularly important for start-ups looking for scalable growth. It provides a clear roadmap for how your offering will reach the right audience, generate revenue, and carve out market share. For early-stage businesses with limited resources, a strong GTM strategy ensures every effort, whether in sales, marketing, or customer success, is aligned, measurable, and impactful. A good Go-to-Market strategy can help build investor confidence by showing your start-up is looking at future growth and scaling up.

Without one, even the best products can struggle to gain traction, leading to wasted time, budget, and missed opportunities. A focused GTM approach also makes it easier to prioritise hiring the right people at the right time, from Account Executives to Product Marketers, all of whom are essential to executing your growth plan. Perhaps most importantly, a robust GTM strategy signals to investors that your business is not just full of potential—but ready to deliver.

The True Cost of Unfilled Go-to-Market (GTM) Roles

It is easy for companies to think that when hiring they should take their time in order to make sure they have found the perfect match. However, in the fast-paced world of Tech Sales Startups, this strategy could stall growth, pressure your existing team and give your competitors enough time to overtake you.

The time spent waiting for the right hire can lead to stalled product launches, neglected leads, and delayed market entry. Without dedicated sales and marketing professionals in place, even the best Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy for Startups falls flat. The gap left by these roles forces existing teams to stretch beyond their limits, diluting performance and focus. Over time, this not only hinders execution but creates a reactive culture where teams are constantly catching up instead of driving forward and can lead to a higher staff turnover than before due to overworked teams and burnout.

Slowed Momentum = Missed Milestones

Early-stage companies operate on momentum. You’ve raised capital. You have ambitious targets. But when key roles go unfilled, you delay progress toward:

• Revenue milestones needed for your next funding round
• Launching new products or entering new markets
• Expanding into key accounts or regions

Investors don’t fund potential—they fund execution. A lack of Go-to-Market (GTM) execution due to hiring delays can jeopardise investor confidence and future fundraising.

While hiring in any area is important, Go-to-Market (GTM) roles are unique in their direct connection to revenue and growth. Every sales or marketing hire you delay means delayed pipeline, closed-won deals, and long-term customer value.

That’s why startups that prioritise Go-to-Market (GTM) hiring early, and move with urgency, gain a competitive edge—not just in talent acquisition, but in market position.

Why Internal Hiring May Be Slowing You Down

Tech Sales and SaaS sales recruitment require a specialist, and while internal hiring may look like a quicker and cheaper decision especially for early-stage start-ups, using internal resources to hire Go-To-Market (GTM) talent can often end up with your business running into costly delays. By cutting off the potential of an external hire, you are losing access to a deep, targeted talent network, the hiring process becomes slower and less effective. Top-tier candidates could be slipping through the cracks as executives waste valuable time sifting through unsuitable CV’s.

That’s why working with North Starr can help, we understand the urgency behind hiring Tech Sales, SaaS and Go-To-Market (GTM) leaders. Whether you’re building your first Go To Market Team or scaling an existing one, we connect you with high-impact candidates who are ready to hit the ground running. We work exclusively with fast-growing startups, so we’re fluent in the challenges you face: tight timelines, ambitious targets, and the need for cultural fit.

Why GTM Hires Are Revenue-Multiplying Assets, Not Costs

For many startups, hiring feels like an expense—but Go To Market hires should be viewed as powerful revenue-multiplying assets. A skilled sales or marketing professional isn’t just a cost on the balance sheet—they’re a catalyst for growth. The right Account Executive can open doors to six- and seven-figure opportunities. A sharp product marketer can accelerate adoption, drive conversions, and build pipeline at scale. In high-growth environments, these roles generate far more than they cost, especially when placed strategically within your Go To Market Strategy for Startups. Rather than waiting for the “perfect time” to invest, high-performing startups move early, bringing in the people who can turn potential into performance—and projections into profit.

How The North Starr Can Help You Move Faster

At North Starr, we understand the urgency of hiring in high-growth environments. We partner exclusively with Series A and B companies to:

• Fill critical Go-to-Market (GTM) roles quickly—without compromising on quality
• Reduce the time-to-hire with a focused and proven process
• Connect you with candidates who deliver fast, measurable impact

We are a specialist in Tech Sales Recruitment and SaaS Sales Recruitment, helping fast-growing startups build high-performing Go To Market (GTM) teams. We understand the urgency and precision required to scale during the critical Series A and B stages because hiring the right talent isn’t just about filling seats, it’s about driving revenue. With a deep network of proven professionals across Tech Sales Careers and experience in building effective Go To Market (GTM) Strategy for Startups, we deliver candidates who make an immediate commercial impact. If you’re serious about growth, North Starr is your partner for hiring with speed, quality, and strategic insight.

Why You Can’t Wait to Hire Go-to-Market (GTM) Talent

Think of your Go To Market (GTM) team as the engine driving your revenue. Every day that engine isn’t running at full power, you’re losing ground.

Here’s what you risk by delaying:

• Missed revenue targets = compromised investor confidence
• Stalled product or market launches = delayed competitive positioning
• Team burnout = increased attrition and more roles to fill

Early-stage companies don’t have the luxury of time. You’re working in high-stakes, high-pressure environments where every quarter counts. That’s why Go-to-Market (GTM) hiring needs to be treated with the same urgency as product development or investor relations.

The best companies understand this. They don’t just plan their hiring—they execute it with precision. And that’s what gives them a competitive edge in both talent and market share.

Move Fast, Grow Faster

If you’re running a startup, remember this: every day without the right Go-to-Market (GTM) hire is costing you growth.

From missed revenue and delayed milestones to team burnout and lost momentum, the true cost of slow hiring is too high to ignore. The risk of losing top candidates to fast-moving competitors is high in the start-ups where decision makers are more likely to hesitate before making a hire. If your competitors are more decisive and less likely to hesitate on an offer, they will take your top candidates.

That’s where North Starr comes in. Whether you’re looking to build out your sales organisation, enhance your marketing firepower, or strengthen your customer success capabilities, we connect you with candidates who deliver fast, measurable results.

We’re more than a recruitment agency—we’re a growth partner. Let’s build your Go-to-Market (GTM) dream team and accelerate your journey from Series A to success.

Get in touch today and discover how we can help you scale smarter and faster.