The Hidden Costs of DIY Recruiting

Doing it yourself seems faster. Cheaper. Smarter. But DIY recruiting often comes with a price tag you don’t see until it’s too late.

Founders can easily spend 50+ hours per hire — writing job descriptions, sourcing candidates, running back-to-back interviews. That’s time not spent selling, building, or fundraising. And when you’re moving fast, the bar can slip. You start hiring the “best of who applied,” not the best for the role.

Then there’s the cost of a bad hire. One wrong sales rep doesn’t just burn salary — they stall pipeline, confuse messaging, and drain team morale. Add a 3–6 month ramp and a quiet exit, and you’ve lost more than time. You’ve lost momentum.

Great hiring is a growth function. Treat it like one. Whether you build in-house or work with a partner, the goal is the same: get the right people in fast, and set them up to win.

DIY works until it doesn’t. And when it breaks, it breaks hard.