The ISH

At The Ish, we help early-stage startups navigate one of the hardest (and most misunderstood) transitions in company building: moving beyond founder-led sales. For most startups, the founder is the first, and often best salesperson. But what happens when it's time to scale? Hiring your first sales rep isn't just about finding someone “good at sales.” It’s about translating founder intuition into a repeatable process, designing the right onboarding experience, and ensuring the hire is set up to thrive, not fail. That’s where we come in. The Ish specializes in: ✏️ Helping founders define the right first sales hire for their stage and product ✏️ Building the bridge from founder-led selling to a scalable sales motion ✏️ Avoiding the most common (and costly) mistakes with early hires ✏️ Coaching founders through delegation, process development, and trust-building ✏️ Ensuring early reps succeed by aligning expectations, tools, and strategy We've seen too many great startups stall because they mistimed or mismanaged this transition. Our mission is to make sure you’re not one of them. If you're thinking about hiring your first rep or wondering why your first hire isn’t working out, let’s talk.