Five questions to answer before you open a search.

1. What business problem does this hire solve?

Start with the business, not the job description. Are you trying to open a new market, rescue a key account, scale engineering for a new product line, or prepare a successor? The answer changes who you should be looking for.

2. What will success look like in the first year?

Name a few concrete outcomes. Vague goals lead to vague searches and to finalists who all look equally plausible.

3. Who decides, and who influences?

List everyone who will interview and everyone whose opinion will matter afterward, including owners and family members who may not be in the interview loop. Agree on who makes the final call.

4. What does the job honestly offer, and what does it not?

Pay, title, location, travel, growth, the manager, the team, the products. Strong candidates will find the weak spots anyway. It is better to know them first and decide how to address them.

5. What would you trade?

Industry experience or a stronger track record from an adjacent industry? A local candidate or the best candidate who would relocate? A proven leader or a rising one? Deciding these tradeoffs in advance keeps the search moving when real people appear.

One more: how fast can you move?

Good candidates are usually considering more than one option. Hold interview time on calendars now, and agree how quickly you will give feedback.