**Founders — how did you hire your first CFO, CTO or CMO? (Research, not a pitch)**

I'm doing independent research on how startup founders handle senior leadership hiring and I keep hearing wildly different experiences.

Some say referrals saved them. Others spent months and a fortune going nowhere.

Would love to hear honest answers to these questions:

1. How did you find and hire your last senior leader (CFO, CTO, CMO, COO)?

2. How long did it take and roughly what did it cost?

3. What was the biggest pain point in the process?

4. Looking back, what would you have done differently?

Completely anonymous if you prefer — just trying to map out what the real experience looks like for founders at Seed through Series C.

Comments or DMs both welcome. Happy to share a summary of what I find with anyone who contributes.