Who Should You Hire for Help with HubSpot? Full-Time Employee, Contractor, Consultant, or Agency Partner?

If you're trying to grow your business with HubSpot and need help — especially in areas like marketing, operations, or technology — one of the hardest early decisions is figuring out what kind of help to bring in.

Do you hire someone full-time? Bring in a contractor? Work with a consultant? Or do you engage an agency partner organization?

There’s no universal answer — the truth is, it depends on what you’re trying to solve for. This guide will walk you through the key differences, pros, cons, and decision factors to help you choose the right fit for your situation.

When to Hire a Full-Time Employee

Hiring someone full-time can be the right move when the work is ongoing, strategic, and demands enough consistent time and attention to warrant a dedicated role. This is someone who will embed with your team, grow with the company, and take full ownership of a function or outcome over time.  It’s a good path when the need isn’t going away — when you want deep familiarity, long-term accountability, and someone who’s fully aligned with your goals and rhythms. But it comes with a heavier lift: salary, benefits, onboarding, management, and a long-term commitment.

That said, not every core or recurring need requires a full-time hire. If the workload is consistent but limited in hours, an ongoing or retainer-based consultant, contractor, or agency partner may be a better fit — giving you continuity and expertise without the long-term overhead of a full-time employee.

If your company is ready to invest in a key role that will evolve and scale with you, this can be the most impactful option. If your needs aren’t quite clear or consistent yet, you may want to start more flexibly.

When to Choose a Contractor

Contractors are best when you know what needs to be done and just need more hands on deck to help you do it.

You're hiring someone to work under your direction, often on a time-based or task-based basis. You’ll manage their workload, set priorities, and provide day-to-day guidance — much like you would with an internal team member. In a way, they're an extension of your team.

This model works well when you already have a strategy in place and just need help executing it. Think: setting up workflows you’ve already mapped, cleaning up data you’ve already flagged, etc.

You get flexibility and control — but you also need to be ready to manage them.

When to Seek a HubSpot Consultant

Consultants offer a different kind of engagement. You’re not hiring them for time — you’re hiring them for expertise and outcomes.

These are independent professionals who bring deep expertise and a strong point of view. They often define the work, own the process, and are accountable for results. You might say, “We need better lifecycle automation,” and they’ll come back with a plan, lead the build, and drive the outcome — often with minimal oversight required.

They’re not waiting for direction — they’re bringing it.  That makes Consultants a great choice when you’re solving something complex or strategic, when you need someone to own a result, or when you don’t have the internal time or expertise to manage another set of hands. You’re buying leadership and experience, not just labor.

The limitation? It’s still one person. So if your needs span multiple functions or require more capacity, you may eventually want to scale up — but for many businesses, this model offers a good balance of expertise, accountability, and flexibility.

When to Opt for a HubSpot Agency Partner

Agency partners can be a great option for a range of reasons.  If your project requires a mix of skill sets — strategy, design, development, content — or if you’re looking to offload a large body of work, a multi-person agency partner might be the best fit.

Agency Partners can bring in a full team, move quickly, and often provide end-to-end project management. You’re not relying on a single person’s availability or expertise. You’re hiring a system.

This is especially useful when you have a big, complex initiative — launching a new product, building out a full CRM implementation, revamping a large website, or running a complex marketing program.

It does come with a cost. You’re paying for the work, the process, and the overhead.  In many cases it’s well worth it, but important to understand.  And depending on the agency, your experience may vary based on which team/members are assigned.

For companies with budget and scope, an agency partner can be a powerful option.

How to Decide Between an FTE, Contractor, Consultant, or Agency

There are a lot of options available — asking the right questions can point you in the right direction:

• Is this a core, ongoing need? → Consider a full-time hire.
• Is this a clearly scoped project or short-term task? → A contractor might be best.
• Do you want specialized strategy and execution, but still need flexibility? → A consultant could be the sweet spot.
• Are you looking for a team that can take on something big, complex or cross-functional? → That’s where a partner agency shines.

At Profoundly, we make it easy to access each of these types of help — whether you’re looking for a specialized contractor, a trusted consultant, or a proven agency partner. You can connect directly, compare options, and get started quickly with the right expert for your needs.

If you're looking to make a full-time hire, we recommend working with our friends at HubSearch — they specialize in placing top-tier, full-time HubSpot professionals and can help you find the right long-term fit.

Still not sure which direction to go? Reach out to a sourcing expert at Profoundly and we’ll help you figure it out. No pressure — just good advice.

Growing is hard enough – getting help shouldn’t be!