What to look for, how to comp them, and what to hand over first.
June: the integrator's first 90 days needs explicit handovers, not vibes.
Refreshes on the 1st of every month
List exactly which decisions, meetings, and metrics transfer in days 30, 60, and 90. Vague onboarding is how visionaries quietly take everything back by week 12.
Most owners are visionaries: pattern-matchers, deal-makers, comfortable in ambiguity. The business needs the opposite — someone who closes loops, runs cadence, and turns ideas into operating systems.
| Visionary energy | Integrator energy |
|---|---|
| 10 ideas per week | Kills 8, executes 2 fully |
| External — customers, deals, partnerships | Internal — team, systems, follow-through |
| Energized by new | Energized by done |
| Bored by repetition | Builds repetition into systems |
| Component | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $160-280k | Depends on revenue and complexity |
| Annual bonus | 20-40% of base | Tied to operating metrics, not just EBITDA |
| Long-term incentive | Phantom equity 1-3% | Vesting 4 years, cliff at 1 |
| Severance | 6-12 months | Protects them, protects you |