Janine O'Neill, co-founder of ElevenX Talent, has more than 20 years of experience helping startups find and hire top executive talent. With an MBA from UC Berkeley and certification as an Integral Coach, Janine leverages her background in recruiting, leadership development, and advising to partner with early-stage and growth-stage companies to build out their go-to-market teams. In this episode, Janine shares her learnings on navigating the challenges of hiring the right executives at the right time. She breaks down the evolving dynamics between sales, marketing, and customer success, and reveals the red flags that make candidates wary of joining certain startups. Janine's wisdom and tactical advice are a must-listen for any founder looking to avoid costly missteps and put their startup on the track to success. Her unique perspective, honed through years of working with top-tier startups and VCs, is both eye-opening and immediately actionable. Here are some of the key topics from our conversation: [02:30] Hiring the right go-to-market executives at the right time [27:51] Building trust in go-to-market hires' expertise [29:29] Setting realistic expectations for ramp-up time [36:11] Recognizing when a product is not ready for the enterprise market [41:24] The importance of grit and self-awareness in founders