SixSides
42: Planning our first hire

42: Planning our first hire

Dec 16, 2025
In this episode, Mitchell and Gavin celebrate landing a new client (Project Hammer), read out their latest listener emails, give pragmatic advice on validating SaaS ideas, and unpack what it looks like to plan their first hire - starting with just four hours a week focused on lead generation.

Chapters
  • (00:00) - Intro - building SixSides and the 12-month momentum shift
  • (01:17) - We won another client - welcome, Project Hammer
  • (04:29) - Project Rendezvous prep - pitch work, mockups, and what to demo
  • (09:48) - Listener emails - Herri Lee and Nick from the UK
  • (12:15) - Nick’s questions - validating SaaS ideas and when to start marketing
  • (20:46) - Planning our first hire - 4 hours a week and ROI expectations
  • (23:47) - SOPs and documentation - avoiding vague roles and churn
  • (28:08) - The “Messi effect” - sprinting when it matters, avoiding burnout
  • (33:05) - Next year planning - AIM, banners, travel, and a stacked first half
  • (36:14) - Sales cycles vs effort - and the path to self-serve signups
  • (44:07) - What Mitch is building for Thursday - reskinned app demo for the pitch

In this episode, we cover:
  • Winning a new client and why you should codename early deals (hello, Project Hammer)
  • Prepping for a high-stakes pitch with Project Rendezvous, including scripted intros and mockups
  • Listener emails from Heroly and Nick, and what questions we’d love more people to send
  • Advice for developers starting a SaaS - validating ideas with interviews before building
  • When to start marketing - and why relationships beat “get 1,000 customers” thinking
  • Planning the first hire: four hours a week, ROI expectations, and not burning cash
  • Creating lightweight SOPs and documentation so hires don’t fail from vague expectations
  • The “Messi effect” - when to sprint and when to cruise to avoid burnout
  • Next year planning: AIM conference prep, booth “holy shit moments”, banners, and travel
  • Thoughts on sales cycle length vs actual effort, and when self-serve might make sense
Expect a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to launch a B2B SaaS company from scratch – completely bootstrapped.

Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Email us at journey@sixsides.co

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42: Planning our first hire - Our B2B SaaS Journey