How to Build a Growth Team for Your Startup in 2026

In this video, I break down how to build a high-leverage growth team for your startup in 2026—based on real experience managing a $7M/year growth budget, 12 U.S. employees, and 20+ overseas contractors.

Marketing has changed fast. What worked in 2015 or even 2020 doesn’t work anymore. Instead of hiring too early or hiring the wrong roles, I explain how founders should think about growth today: finding winning channels first, then building a team around what actually works.

I walk through the difference between “marketing” and “growth,” why founders must own early growth themselves, and how to use contractors, systems, and AI to scale without burning cash or slowing down.

You’ll learn:

• Why traditional marketing teams don’t work in 2026
• The real difference between growth vs marketing (and why it matters)
• How founders should approach growth before hiring anyone
• The one-channel, one-avatar strategy to reach $1M in revenue
• When to hire contractors vs full-time employees
• How to structure U.S. strategy roles + overseas execution
• What to look for in your first growth hire
• Why iteration speed beats perfect plans
• How AI fits into modern growth teams
• The marketing channels I’m most bullish on for 2026