Updated November 2026
Before you act on a bad hire, work out whether you hired the wrong person or put the right person in a setup that could not work, because the fixes are opposite. If expectations were never written down, run a 30-day reset with clear outcomes, then decide. If they were clear and still unmet, take legal advice, part ways decently and fix the hiring step that let it through.
This page starts from one idea: most early "bad hires" are part person problem and part founder problem, and the founder part is cheaper to fix. Skip it and the next hire can fail in the same seat.
Wrong person, or right person in the wrong setup
Write down, on one page, what you expected this person to have done by now. Next to each item, note whether you ever told them in writing. Often the expectations lived only in your head.
Then look at how they take direct feedback. Someone who changes course within a week or two is worth a reset. Someone who disputes the facts, or agrees and changes nothing, has a problem a better brief will not fix.
One check founders rarely make is whether the job changed after the hire. Seed companies often rework their go-to-market plan within months, and someone hired for one plan can look poor against the next. If that happened, say so, because "the job moved" is a fairer conversation than "you are failing".
The 30-day reset, week by week
A reset is a short written plan with three to five outcomes for the next 30 days, agreed in a meeting and sent the same afternoon. Outcomes must be visible, like a live campaign, never "show more ownership".
In the first meeting, own your share early, because people defend themselves less when the founder is changing too. Something like: "This isn't working yet, and part of that is on me because I never wrote down what good looks like. Here is what I need in 30 days, and I'll tell you every week where we stand."
Do not quietly interview replacements during the reset; people notice. If priorities change, rewrite the plan together and restart the clock.
Worked example: a first marketing hire, four months in (illustrative)
Hannah runs a seed-stage B2B software company and hired her first marketer to "own growth". Four months in, the blog was busy but marketing had produced almost no sales pipeline.
Her one-page exercise showed she expected demo requests but had told the marketer, who came from a brand role, to "build awareness". Unclear expectations and good response to feedback put it in the setup box.
The reset set three outcomes: two campaigns to a named list of target accounts, demo-request tracking, and a target number of qualified demos (illustrative, swap in your own). By week three the campaigns were live, but the marketer said plainly they did not want to own a pipeline number.
At day 30 they agreed the role needed demand generation experience. After advice from her lawyer, Hannah agreed exit terms, let the marketer shape the team announcement, and offered to vouch for their brand work. Her next search began from a scorecard whose first line was "marketing-sourced qualified demos".
Parting ways decently, then fixing the process
If you part ways, keep the meeting short, kind and final. Say the decision in the first minute, explain it against the written outcomes, then move to practical matters: last day, pay, equipment, how the team will hear.
Agree the story with the person first; a consistent two-line answer protects their reputation and your culture. Check with your lawyer before offering references, terms or anything on equity. Then fix the hiring step that let the mismatch through.
| Where it slipped | Fix for the next hire |
|---|---|
| Role defined by a title only | Write a job scorecard with 90-day outcomes |
| Interviews tested their past | Add a work sample from a real current problem |
| Nobody planned the first month | Write the first 30 days before the start date |
| The role quietly changed | Rewrite the scorecard together at every pivot |
The job description builder turns the new scorecard into an advert. If a recruiter placed the person, read their terms before agreeing an exit date, since replacement cover usually depends on timing; see our guide to recruiter replacement guarantees.
Where Funded.club fits
When you rehire, the brief matters most. Every search we run starts with a kick-off where one dedicated recruiter defines the outcomes with you, then runs the search end to end. First screened candidates arrive within 7 days, and the average from kick-off to hire is 33 days.
We charge a low fixed fee per hire agreed upfront, averaging 6 to 9% of salary, against the 20 to 25% typical of contingency recruiters. If we do not deliver a shortlist of at least 3 qualified candidates within 30 days, you can claim the advance back in full. See pricing for the bands.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I wait before deciding a hire is not working?
Wait until you have written expectations and a few weeks of evidence against them, not a set number of months. A 30-day reset gives you a fair point to decide.
Can I let someone go during their probation period?
Probation can make an exit simpler, but the rules differ by country and state and rarely remove every obligation. Read your contract and speak to an employment lawyer before you act.
Should I move a bad hire into a different role instead?
Only when the person takes feedback well and a real role exists with its own written outcomes. If you cannot write a scorecard for the new role, it only postpones the exit.
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