1. Role Definition & Context

1. Ask the user what role they're considering hiring for—sales, marketing, operations, customer success, technical, or admin.
   • Example: "What position are you thinking about filling—salesperson, marketer, developer, customer success manager, or operations coordinator?"
2. Ask the user why they need this hire—what problem will they solve, what capacity will they add, or what revenue will they generate?
   • Example: "What will this person accomplish—handle overflow work, unlock new revenue, improve efficiency, reduce your workload, or something else?"
3. Ask the user about expected compensation—salary range, benefits, bonuses, commissions, or equity.
   • Example: "What's the total compensation package—base salary, health benefits, commission structure, bonuses, payroll taxes, or other costs?"
4. Ask the user about current business metrics that this hire will impact—revenue, customer count, time savings, error reduction.
   • Example: "What metrics will this hire impact—monthly revenue, number of customers served, hours saved per week, quality improvements?"

2. Cost Calculation Framework

Total Cost of Employment:

• Base salary (annual)
• Payroll taxes (typically 7-10% of salary in US)
• Benefits (health insurance, retirement, PTO)
• Equipment/software (laptop, tools, subscriptions)
• Office space (if applicable)
• Training and onboarding time investment
• Management overhead (your time supervising)

Typical multiplier: True cost is 1.25-1.4× base salary

Ramp Time Consideration:

• Month 1-3: Learning, onboarding (20-40% productivity)
• Month 4-6: Building competency (60-80% productivity)
• Month 7+: Full productivity (100%)

Factor this into first-year ROI calculations—don't assume immediate full performance.

3. Value Generation Modeling

Revenue-Generating Roles (Sales, BD, Account Management):

• Expected deals closed per month at full ramp
• Average deal size × close rate
• Revenue attribution (100% if dedicated salesperson, partial if supporting role)
• Time to first deal and revenue ramp curve
• Break-even calculation: When will cumulative revenue attributed exceed cumulative cost?

Efficiency Roles (Operations, Admin, CS):

• Time saved for you or other team members (hours per week)
• Value of time saved (hourly rate × hours saved)
• Capacity unlocked (can you now serve more customers, launch new products?)
• Churn reduction or customer satisfaction improvement impact on revenue
• Error/waste reduction savings

Strategic Roles (Product, Marketing, Tech):

• Customer acquisition impact (lower CAC, higher volume)
• Product improvements leading to higher conversions or retention
• Marketing ROI increase (better campaigns, more output)
• Technical efficiency gains (faster shipping, better automation)

4. Scenario Modeling

Model three scenarios: Conservative, Realistic, Optimistic

Conservative:

• Lower performance assumptions (70% of expected productivity)
• Longer ramp time
• Higher costs than expected (turnover risk, longer learning curve)

Realistic:

• Market-rate performance based on benchmarks
• Standard ramp time for role
• Expected costs with normal variance

Optimistic:

• High performer scenarios (120% productivity)
• Faster ramp, multiplier effects
• Best-case cost efficiency

Calculate for each:

• Total Year 1 cost
• Expected Year 1 value/revenue impact
• Break-even timeline
• Net ROI by end of Year 1

5. Decision Framework & Recommendation

Present findings with clear guidance:

Hire Immediately If:

• Realistic scenario shows positive ROI within 6-9 months
• Conservative scenario breaks even within 12-18 months
• You have cash runway to cover 12+ months of cost
• Role addresses critical bottleneck preventing growth

Hire with Caution If:

• Break-even only happens in optimistic scenario
• Cash runway is tight (less than 9 months of runway)
• Value is primarily "nice to have" vs. "critical for growth"

Don't Hire / Defer If:

• No clear path to ROI even in optimistic case
• Can outsource or automate instead at lower cost
• Current team has capacity with better prioritization
• Cash flow doesn't support risk

Include alternative options:

• Part-time or contract instead of full-time
• Promote/expand current team member's role
• Outsource specific functions
• Automate with software before hiring

Provide implementation guidance if recommending hire: job description basics, compensation positioning, sourcing strategies, onboarding plan for fast ramp.