When to Hire a Researcher vs. Do It Yourself

The Research Dilemma

Every startup needs customer insights. But how you get them depends on your stage, resources, and goals.

Your options:

1. DIY research — Founders/team do it themselves
2. Agency/consultant — Hire external experts for specific projects
3. Full-time hire — Dedicated in-house researcher

Let's break down when each makes sense.

Option 1: DIY Research

When It Works

• Pre-seed to Seed stage
• You're still validating the problem
• Budget is limited
• You want to build research muscle internally

Pros

• Founders hear customer pain directly
• No coordination overhead
• Forces you to stay close to customers
• Free (just your time)

Cons

• Takes time from other work
• May lack interviewing skills
• Easy to introduce bias
• No synthesis expertise

How to Make It Work

• Dedicate 3-5 hours/week to customer conversations
• Use simple frameworks (don't over-engineer)
• Record and transcribe calls
• Discuss findings weekly

Option 2: Agency or Consultant

When It Works

• You need specific expertise quickly
• One-time project (ICP validation, GTM research)
• Team doesn't have time but has budget
• High-stakes decision needs validation

Pros

• Expertise without long-term commitment
• Fresh perspective
• Faster than learning yourself
• Structured deliverables

Cons

• Costs money ($3K-15K per project)
• Knowledge leaves when they leave
• May not understand your context deeply
• Quality varies widely

How to Make It Work

• Define clear scope and deliverables
• Share context generously
• Stay involved (join interviews, review synthesis)
• Build internal capability alongside

Option 3: Full-Time Researcher

When It Works

• Series A+
• Research needs are continuous
• Product decisions require constant validation
• You can justify the salary

Pros

• Deep context knowledge
• Consistent methodology
• Available for ad-hoc questions
• Builds organizational capability

Cons

• $80K-150K+ salary + benefits
• Takes time to hire and ramp
• May become siloed
• Risk of research for research's sake

How to Make It Work

• Hire someone who ships insights, not reports
• Embed them with product/marketing teams
• Measure impact, not just activity
• Give them decision-making authority

Decision Framework

Ask yourself:

1. What's your stage?

• Pre-seed/Seed: DIY or light consulting
• Series A: Consider agency for big projects
• Series B+: Full-time hire makes sense

2. What's your budget?

• $0: DIY only
• $5-15K: Agency project
• $100K+/year: Full-time hire

3. How often do you need research?

• Occasional: Agency
• Monthly: Agency retainer or part-time hire
• Weekly: Full-time hire

4. What's the decision you're making?

• Low stakes: DIY
• High stakes, one-time: Agency
• High stakes, ongoing: Full-time

Hybrid Approaches

Founder + Consultant: Founder does ongoing conversations, consultant for big projects.

Part-time researcher: Some researchers work fractionally (20 hrs/week).

Agency retainer: Monthly support without full-time commitment.

Red Flags for Each Option

DIY Red Flags

• You haven't talked to a customer in months
• You keep building things nobody uses
• Team debates assumptions endlessly

Agency Red Flags

• They don't ask about your context
• Deliverables are generic templates
• No access to raw data

Full-time Red Flags

• Research doesn't influence decisions
• Researcher is isolated from product
• Reports gather dust

Getting Started

If you're reading this, you probably need more customer insight than you're getting.

Right now: Talk to 3 customers this week. DIY.

In 1-3 months: If you can't make time, consider a consultant.

In 6-12 months: If research is consistently valuable, budget for it.

The worst option is no research at all.