Most founders try to promote a sales leader before they actually have a sales team. That’s why it stalls. If you want a leader you can trust to run — and grow — revenue without you, you first need **enough reps to choose from.** For most small/medium businesses, that’s 3–5 reps. Once you’ve got that bench and you know who “your John” is, don’t expect an overnight handoff. A real transition into sales leadership takes **3–6 months** of gradual responsibility: coaching, pipeline cadence, hiring, reporting, accountability. You’re not just giving them a title — you’re teaching them to run what you used to run. Do that, and you buy back your time to actually run the business… while your sales leader runs the team. 📈 Curious — where are you right now: still hiring reps, or grooming your first sales leader? #SalesLeadership #SalesManagement #SMBGrowth #ScaleYourTeam #Entrepreneurship #LeadershipDevelopment