#55 – When to Hire (and Who): A CEO’s Guide to Smart, Strategic Team Growth

Description Still wearing all the hats in your business—or hesitating to hire because you're afraid it won’t pay off? In this episode of Millions Were Made, Jessica Marx and Chief Integration Strategist, Brooke Dumas, tackle the most common questions CEOs have around hiring: when to hire, who to hire, and how to know if your current team is actually helping you scale—or quietly holding you back. They break down the real cost of waiting too long to hire, how to audit your current team’s efficiency, and what roles you should be prioritising based on your revenue stage. Whether you’ve been burned by bad hires before or you’re sitting on strong profit margins but feeling stuck in the weeds, this episode gives you the clarity and strategy to confidently build a high-performing team. Highlights: (00:06) What it’s really costing you to delay your next hire (01:06) Why most org charts are missing one critical role (02:59) Case study: Two businesses stuck for years without the right hires (04:24) Why busy teams aren’t always efficient teams (06:33) How to tell if your team is actually overworked or just disorganised (08:21) How to assess true service delivery time and scope creep (09:17) What to do if your last hires didn’t work out (10:42) Why protecting profit might actually stall your growth (11:44) Using KPIs to define ROI before you hire (12:54) Not all hires are tied to profit—and that’s okay (14:45) Signs it’s time to hire (or replace someone) (17:13) Why you should always be planning 1–2 hires ahead (18:57) Keeping a warm bench and protecting your A-player ratio (20:41) How to write job descriptions that attract the right candidates (22:37) Why your hiring process needs a 30–60 day runway Connect with Jessica: Instagram: @millionsweremade and @thejessicamarx Website: Millions Were Made Apply to work with Jessica: Tailored Premier