When a founder tells you they are hiring their first marketer, they are not just filling a seat. They are crossing a line. From product to brand. From early experiments to sustainable growth. And more often than not, they are doing it with a vague brief, a tight budget and a head full of ambition.
At The People Place, we have partnered with dozens of early stage founders across Melbourne and Sydney as they navigate this exact moment. We have helped place marketers into creative agencies, brand-led startups and scaleups on the cusp of transformation. Along the way, we have seen the same patterns appear again and again.
This post is for clients hiring their first marketing lead. It is also for candidates wondering what they are really walking into. Because what founders say they want and what they actually need are not always the same.
Here is what we have learned.
They Want Someone Who Will Figure It Out
Founders often list tools and outputs in a job description. CRM, paid ads, brand playbook, funnel design. But underneath all of it, what they really want is someone who can work things out.
There is usually no team. No existing strategy. No historical performance data. Just a rough idea of who the customer might be and a pile of growth goals.
They need someone who is curious, self-directed and unafraid to start messy. Someone who can run their own discovery phase, talk to customers, sketch out a plan and then execute it. Someone who says “I’ve got this” and means it.
In a recent study from Startup Muster, 74 percent of Australian founders rated marketing as a top skill gap, yet only 19 percent had a senior marketer on their team. That mismatch is why the first hire matters so much.
They Need to Look Legit
This is rarely said out loud, but it is always part of the job. Founders want the business to feel bigger than it is. They want a brand that feels trustworthy. Something they are proud to send to an investor or client or partner.
So even if the title says growth marketer or digital lead, the real brief often includes reworking the pitch deck, writing the website copy, setting up the email templates and choosing the brand fonts.
It is not about vanity. It is about perceived credibility. The ability to show up in the world as a real company. And that work almost always falls to the first marketer.
One founder we worked with admitted, “We needed someone who could polish the entire presence. I did not even know what brand tone meant until they came in and showed us how we sounded.”
They Want Strategy and Execution in One Person
In early stage environments, headcount is tight. There is no brand team, no media manager, no content lead. So the first marketing hire needs to be a hybrid.
Founders are not looking for big picture thinkers who cannot write a landing page. Nor are they looking for doers with no opinion on positioning. They need both.
This means your day might include building a performance dashboard, editing video content and facilitating a brand workshop. You need to be someone who can zoom in and out with ease.
In our own placements, the marketers who thrive in these roles are usually former generalists with broad exposure, high EQ and an itch to build. They know how to set priorities and create impact fast.
They Want Commercial Outcomes
A founder’s idea of marketing success is rarely traffic or reach or brand awareness. They want clear, commercial momentum.
That could mean leads, sales, sign-ups or investment buzz. But it needs to be visible and attributable. Even the brand work must ladder back to business value.
Founders want someone who treats marketing as a growth function, not a creative playground. Someone who understands CAC, retention and funnel performance. Someone who can ask, “What does success look like in numbers?”
According to Techboard’s Australian Startup Ecosystem Report, 62 percent of early stage businesses say marketing is their most critical need, yet also their least understood. This creates a massive opportunity for marketers who can connect brand activity to business results.
They Are Still Figuring Things Out
Founders are often moving at speed. They are making decisions daily that change the direction of the business. And that means things shift. Fast.
We once placed a brilliant marketer into a health tech startup. She built a whole brand story over six weeks. The following Monday, the founder walked in and said they were pivoting to aged care. She stayed, adapted and reworked the entire narrative. She is now Head of Marketing.
The reality is, these environments are not for everyone. But if you are adaptable, resourceful and comfortable with uncertainty, it is one of the best career accelerators you can find.
Culture Fit Really Does Matter
In creative agencies and brand-led startups, collaboration is everything. You are not just delivering campaigns. You are building something together.
This is why culture fit is non-negotiable. It is also why 89 percent of hiring failures in creative businesses stem from values misalignment, not skills gaps. That stat comes from Leadership IQ, and we have seen it play out in real time.
When someone clicks culturally, things move faster. Ideas land better. Trust is built quickly. And retention is stronger. That is why we spend time upfront getting to know both the business and the candidate. Because resumes do not tell you how someone works under pressure or handles feedback or rallies a team.
Flexibility Is Now a Competitive Advantage
The top talent in Melbourne’s creative and marketing scene are no longer asking for beanbags or Friday beers. They are asking for flexibility.
According to Seek, 94 percent of Australian job seekers now say remote or hybrid options are essential. And 43 percent would choose flexibility over a pay rise. In our experience, this holds especially true in the creative sector, where autonomy and flow state matter.
Founders who want to attract high performers need to think beyond salary. A few hours of freedom or a work-from-anywhere policy can be the difference between yes and no.
Freelancers Are Part of the Puzzle
More and more, founders are complementing their first marketing hire with a flexible bench of freelancers. It allows the core hire to stay focused while tapping into deep expertise for specific needs.
You might have one person running brand and growth, with a freelance designer on call for sprints. Or a content writer who comes in every second month to push out thought leadership.
According to Deloitte, 31 percent of Australian workers now engage in some form of freelance or contract work. In the creative space, it is even higher.
The smartest founders treat recruitment and resourcing as an evolving mix. Not a static org chart.
Final Thoughts
If you are a founder hiring your first marketer, get clear on what success really looks like. You are not just hiring a skill set. You are hiring a mindset. Someone who can grow with the business, shape the brand and deliver results without a roadmap.
If you are a marketer considering a first-in role, know what you are stepping into. The best fit is someone who wants ownership, loves ambiguity and can turn chaos into clarity.
At The People Place, we help creative agencies and brand-led startups in Melbourne make that match with confidence. Because the right hire does not just deliver work. They change the trajectory.
Need help hiring your first marketing lead?
Explore how we support clients at every stage of the creative growth journey.
Visit our Creative Recruitment Agency Melbourne page
Or just reach out. We would love to chat.
Let’s find good people for good places.
📩 Contact us at hello@peopleplace.com.au
🌐 Visit peopleplace.com.au
