Startup Support Stack | 200+ Support Roles We’ve Built for Founders Who Want to Scale Smarter
Founders Don’t Fail From Lack of Hustle- They Fail From Hiring Wrong
Most founders think their next hire is a virtual assistant or a marketing intern, and that’s why they stay stuck.
Smart founders know:
The right hire creates time and revenue
The wrong hire creates stress and cleanup
SmartStart exists to build the right team, in the right order, without wasting money or momentum
This is a no-fluff, proven breakdown of 200+ roles we’ve hired, managed, or built for scaling founders
Executive & Strategic Roles
Executive Business Partner (EBP) — your right-hand operator
Chief of Staff (fractional or full-time)
Director of Operations
Strategic Project Manager
Founder’s Personal Chief of Staff (blending EA + life ops)
Launch Coordinator (for coaching programs or product launches)
Fractional COO (SmartStart EBP alternative at a fraction of cost)
Finance & Admin Support
Bookkeeper (strategic, not entry-level)
Fractional CFO (revenue modeling, cash flow management)
Client Billing & Collections Manager
Contracts & Proposal Coordinator
Financial Reporting Assistant
Subscription Renewal Specialist
Payment Dispute Manager
Cost-Saving Analyst (profit margin improvements)
Sales Support Stack
Appointment Setter / Lead Qualifier
Warm Lead Nurture Specialist
CRM Manager (HubSpot, GHL, Airtable)
Sales Pipeline Administrator
Sales Follow-Up Coordinator
Affiliate & Referral Program Manager
Proposal/Quote Assistant
Demo Scheduler
Marketing Support Stack
Marketing Operations Manager
Content Coordinator (with actual strategy execution)
Paid Ads Media Buyer
Marketing Automation Specialist (email/SMS workflows)
Organic Content Editor (Loom to post-ready content)
YouTube Channel Manager
Podcast Editor & Coordinator
Social Media DM Closer
Community Manager (Skool, Circle, Discord)
Customer Review Collection Specialist
Client Delivery & Success Roles
Client Success Manager (retention & upsells)
Client Onboarding Specialist
Client SOP & Resource Builder
Group Coaching Coordinator
Accountability Coach (for programs or communities)
Client Data & Reporting Assistant
Refund Prevention & Save Manager
Graduation & Renewal Specialist
Systems & Tech Operations Roles
Systems Integrator (ClickUp, Airtable, GHL, Slack setups)
Zapier/Automation Specialist
AI Integration Assistant (ChatGPT prompt building, email drafting)
CRM Cleanup & SOP Specialist
Course/Program Portal Builder
SOP Process Builder
Loom Library Creator
Knowledge Base Manager
Founder-Specific Roles (High ROI Time Protection)
Calendar Gatekeeper (no more random calls)
Inbox Manager (triage, filtering, response templates)
Personal Scheduling Assistant (travel, life logistics, doctor appointments)
Founder Content Repurposer (brainstorm once, publish everywhere)
Meeting Note-Taker & Summarizer
Strategic Time Audit Partner (helps remove low-value tasks weekly)
Metrics & Dashboard Preparer (weekly reporting)
Common Founder Hiring Mistakes We Fix
Hiring VAs for $5/hour and redoing the work yourself
Hiring an EA when you needed a strategic operator
Waiting too long to hire support until you’re drowning
Not knowing what to delegate (or when)
Hiring agencies for work that should be done in-house
Getting stuck in “cheap help” instead of high-ROI support
SmartStart solves this by identifying your biggest time leaks and plugging in the right operator or team to fix it fast.
Get the Right Support, in the Right Order, Without Wasting a Year on Trial and Error
At SmartStart, we don’t just suggest roles- we fill them, train them, manage them, and remove them if they’re not working. That’s how our founders scale from stuck to streamlined within 24 hours of becoming one of our partners.
Want Your Own Support Stack Built for You?
Start with a Free Founder Time Audit → we’ll map out your time leaks
Get a done-for-you hiring and systems game plan
Let SmartStart replace your bottlenecks with high-performing operators
