Get the first hire right.

Most founders get their first sales hire wrong.
We're here so you don't.

You have a product, early customers, and the instinct that it's time to hire. But instinct isn't a system. Carden builds the commercial foundation that makes a first sales hire succeed.

The problem
A bad first sales hire doesn't just cost money. It costs six months you don't get back.

You're selling. Things are moving. It's working just enough to feel like it's working. So you decide to bring someone in. That decision, made at exactly the wrong moment, into exactly the wrong conditions, is where most early-stage commercial stories start to unravel.

The hire lands. There's no system to hand over, no clarity on who to sell to or how to win them. Six months later you're back where you started. Only now you're down a salary, a slice of equity, and the deals that didn't happen while you were distracted.

We work with founders before that moment arrives. We build the commercial foundation, the structure, the clarity, the process, so when the right person lands, there's something real to hand over. The work ends when the hire doesn't need us. That's the point.

See how →
Sound familiar?
You're close to making the hire. Something still doesn't feel ready.
You're winning deals, but you couldn't explain exactly why
You know what you'd tell a salesperson. You're just not sure it would be enough
You've decided to hire but the brief keeps shifting
You've already made this hire once and it didn't work out
Your investors want commercial momentum
You need to get this right, and you're not sure where to start
You start here
Selling on instinct
No system to hand over
No clarity on what good looks like
A hire decision you're not ready for
You leave with
A commercial foundation that runs
A hire who knows what to do
A founder who can step back
Confidence the next chapter works
How we work

How Carden
works.

01
Start here
The Diagnostic
A focused engagement that shows exactly what needs to be in place before you hire. You get a clear gap analysis and a decision — go further with Carden, or take the work and run with it yourself. Either outcome is a good one.
02
Build the foundation
The Build
We construct the full commercial foundation — who you're selling to, how you win them, what the process looks like, and what the first hire needs to be able to do. Focused work with a defined output, built to operate without us once we're done.
03
Make the hire
Hire support
We work alongside you through the hiring process — defining the role properly, running the sift, supporting interviews, benchmarking the offer. We close this phase when the right hire is in seat.
04
Land and perform
Onboard and ramp
The hire is in seat. Now the real work begins. We stay close to make sure they perform against agreed milestones and you can step back. The engagement ends when the system runs without either of us.

Not sure where you are? Start with a free 30-minute call. No pitch, no pressure — just an honest conversation about whether Carden can help.

Book a free call →
About Carden

Built for revenue.
Built for founders.

We've spent the last 14 years building and working sales engines inside early-stage and growing B2B companies. We've worked directly with founders, often stepping into the gap where there is no structured commercial function.

That means we understand the pressure to deliver revenue, the lack of clarity that slows everything down, and how quickly things break when there is no system.

We're not here to give you theory. We work with you to build something that actually drives revenue — and we bring the discipline to say no to the deals that won't, so your team focuses on the ones that will.

This is not for
Founders who aren't yet thinking about their first sales hire
Anyone looking to hand sales off permanently and step away from it
Founders who want more leads without addressing what's behind the pipeline
Companies looking for help with a hire that isn't sales
Founder at work
What Carden is not
A fractional sales director who takes it off your hands. A recruiter. A strategy document. Carden builds the foundation, supports the hire, and stays until the system runs. Then we leave.
Why now
A bad first sales hire burns pipeline, stalls investor conversations, and eats through runway you can't afford to lose.
Who we work with
Pre-seed to Series A B2B tech founders who have early revenue and have decided it's time to make their first sales hire. Or who already made that hire and need to understand what went wrong.
Book a call

Not sure where
to start?

Book a free 30-minute intro call. No pitch, no pressure — just a conversation about where you are and whether Carden can help. If it's not the right fit, we'll tell you.

30-min intro call — free
A quick conversation about your stage, your goals, and which Carden service makes most sense. No commitment required.
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Blog

Thinking out loud
on early-stage growth.

First post coming soon
Get in touch

Let's talk about
your growth.

Tell us where you are and what you're trying to figure out. We'll come back within one working day with whether and how Carden can help.

Based in
Cardiff, Wales
Working across the UK · remote and in-person