Hiring your first marketer shouldn’t feel like a gamble.

I help SaaS founders reduce the risk of their first marketing hire by creating the clarity, structure, and teamwork needed for marketing to succeed, even before you write the job ad.

Because even the perfect marketer will fail in a business that isn’t ready for them.
The Solution

Why Your First Marketing Hire So Often Fails (80% Don’t Make It 12 Months)

Most founders think hiring a marketer works the same way as hiring sales, ops or dev.

It doesn’t.

A marketer’s success depends on the systems and clarity in place around them, not just their talent.

Without:

  • Clear business + marketing goals
  • Realistic budgets
  • Defined responsibilities
  • Collaboration with sales, product + CS
  • Feedback loops
  • Measurement tools
  • A 30/60/90 onboarding plan


Your marketer would be stepping into chaos, with no map, no compass, and no way to show progress.

And then founders blame the hire, when the environment was the problem.

Your business needs to be ready before your marketer arrives.

That’s what I fix.

The Pain

If you’re a founder, this probably feels familiar:

  • You know you need marketing, but you’re not sure who to hire
  • Every job description feels vague or overstuffed
  • You’re worried about wasting money on the wrong hire
  • You don’t want to figure it out as you go, but you don’t know where to start

So hiring feels risky.

And delaying feels just as dangerous.

Thinking About Hiring Your First Marketer?

Before you write a job description, speak to recruiters, or start interviewing candidates, there’s one important question to answer:

Is your business ready for a marketing hire?

Many first marketing hires fail not because the marketer lacks skill, but because the business lacks the clarity, structure, and support needed for marketing to succeed.

That’s why I created the Marketing Hire Readiness Assessment.

In just a few minutes, you’ll discover how prepared your business is across five critical areas:

✓ Clarity & Strategy
✓ Role Definition
✓ Revenue & Customer Alignment
✓ Systems & Infrastructure
✓ Onboarding & Measurement

You’ll get a personalised readiness score and a visual summary showing where your business is strong and where your future marketing hire might need more support.

Are You Set Up for a Marketing Hire… or a £100k Mistake?

Take the free assessment and find out.

What I Do

Recruiters fill roles. They do not prepare your business to make that role successful.

I help you:

  • Define the marketing outcomes your business actually needs
  • Translate business goals into practical marketing objectives
  • Identify the right type of marketer, so you don’t end up searching for an unrealistic ‘unicorn’ candidate.
  • Set budgets, expectations and KPIs
  • Build cross-department collaboration and communication
  • Create a simple, sustainable marketing framework
  • Develop a clear onboarding + 90-day success plan
 
You’re not just filling a vacancy, you’re creating the conditions for marketing to work.

The real cost of getting it wrong

When first marketing hires fail, it’s not just about the salary:

Financially

3-5x the annual salary when you factor in recruitment, training, lost opportunities, and starting over

Operationally

6-12 months of stalled growth while you figure out what went wrong

Emotionally

Your confidence in marketing takes a hit, your team questions leadership decisions, and you wonder if marketing actually works

Strategically

Competitors gain ground while you're stuck firefighting instead of growing

How We Can Work Together

Marketing Readiness

Fast, Focused Clarity

A choice of sharp, strategic sessions to answer the big questions:

Are you ready to hire?
What type of marketer do you really need?

You’ll walk away with clarity and direction.
Book your Power Hour

Marketing Hire Strategy Sprint

Perfect for founders preparing to hire.

Over 5 days, we build the complete foundation your marketer needs:

We cover everything from goals and workflows to expectations, collaboration, measurement, and onboarding.

By the end, your marketing function will be ready to launch.
Learn about the Sprint

Hire & Onboarding Mentor

Tailored, hands-on support to build your marketing infrastructure properly.

Min 6 weeks, we’ll define your objectives, audit your systems, clarify your role requirements, and prepare a full hiring + onboarding strategy.
Explore 1:1 Mentoring

Why Founders Choose Me Over Anyone Else

With nearly 25 years in marketing, as a PAYE hire, a department-builder, and a consultant, I see nuances others overlook.

My background working in five countries, running teams, integrating marketing into unprepared organisations, and repairing dysfunctional setups gives me a clear-eyed, practical perspective.

I’m known for:

  • Getting to the point quickly
  • Making complex ideas easy to understand
  • Seeing structural gaps immediately
  • Bringing cross-cultural insight to collaboration and communication

Being honest, direct, and human, without fluff or ego.

My approach is shaped by real experience, global context, and a deep belief in collaboration as the engine of success.

The Transformation You’ll Feel

Founders often come to me unsure, overwhelmed or afraid of getting the hire wrong.

They leave feeling:

Confident
You know exactly who you need and why.

Prepared
Your systems, expectations and workflows finally make sense.

In control
You understand what “good” looks like, and how to measure it.

Supported
You’re not making high-stakes decisions alone.

Future-focused
You’re building a function that can grow with your business.

This work strengthens your marketing, your leadership, and your entire business structure.
"Annique was pivotal in helping us navigate the 2008 crash. She repositioned our offering, implemented systems to nurture client growth and internal efficiencies, and brought about interdepartmental collaboration. This enabled us to hold steady during the crash and recover quickly."
Colin Bray
MD - Window Designs

My Values

I believe in:

  • Collaboration as the foundation of success
  • Diversity and immigration as drivers of innovation
  • Respect for individuality
  • Lifting others, not dividing them
  • Systems that support people
  • Long-term thinking and consistency

These values shape how I work and the impact I create.

My role isn’t to impress you with jargon, it’s to help you build something sustainable.

You’re Not Just Hiring a Marketer. You’re Building a Marketing Function.

And you shouldn’t do that alone.

Book a free 30-minute 1:1 consultation. I’ll give you honest, unbiased advice on how to approach your first marketing hire, whether we work together or not.

If you prefer to email, send it to annique@tatedigitalconsulting.co.uk
LET'S CHAT
Contact me

annique@tatedigitalconsulting.co.uk
07919610443