The Unicorn Hire Trap 🦄

January 27th, 2026

My client Eli and I have been working through his 90-day audit and roadmap – identifying what he should delegate next as he scales his coaching business.

Before completing his Intake Questionnaire, I encouraged him to review the Replacement Ladder framework in Buy Back Your Time and reflect on it in relation to his business. The framework lists these roles as the ones to tackle first, in this intentional order:

Admin (inbox + calendar management)
Delivery (client onboarding and support)
Marketing (campaign management and engagement)

When his questionnaire came back, he’d written: “I think I need a combo of rungs 1, 2, AND 3.”

The instinct to find one person who can do everything? It’s completely understandable. It feels efficient. It feels cost-effective.

What’s interesting is that the idea of more than one junior-level hire hadn’t occurred to him as an option. This allowed me to introduce what I call “The Unicorn Hire Trap,” and explore why specialists often deliver better results at a lower total cost than one person stretched across multiple skill sets.

Here’s what we’re doing instead:

We’re being strategic about NOT rushing into that trap.

My team member Emily is providing interim Coordinator support for foundational priority tasks while we document processes and create SOPs. We’re preparing for specialized hires in Q2 because we know that having the right specialists set up for success will serve Eli’s business far better than one overwhelmed generalist trying to be three people.

This isn’t just Eli’s story.

I recently received this LinkedIn message from someone looking to hire:

“I got to thinking about you because I am looking for a junior/entry-level support person who is creative and a strong communicator to help with ghostwriting, building decks and material for workshops and website writing. I have the content, just need some help with piecing it together, designing on brand, etc. My husband has his own business and needs similar support, so this could be a shared resource. I know you are more senior and experienced, but I thought you might be able to recommend people in your circle.”

Let me break down what’s actually being requested here.

This person is asking ONE junior/entry-level hire to:

Ghostwrite
Design presentations/decks
Develop workshop materials
Write website copy
Execute visual/brand design work
Split their capacity between two separate businesses

That’s not one role. That’s at least 3 distinct specialist positions:

Copywriter (ghostwriting, website copy that converts, brand voice development)
Content Writer (workshop materials, educational content, long-form articles)
Designer (presentation/deck building, visual design, on-brand execution)

Here’s the hidden assumption that reveals the real problem:

“I have the content, just need help piecing it together.”

This suggests they need someone with strategic thinking skills, which directly contradicts “junior/entry level.”

Piecing together existing content into coherent, compelling materials isn’t administrative work. It requires understanding narrative flow, audience psychology, strategic positioning, and how different pieces work together as a system. That’s the work of an experienced copywriter or content strategist, not an entry-level generalist.

The skill set mismatch:

Writing and design are fundamentally different crafts requiring different training, tools, and aptitudes. Expecting one junior person to excel at both is like expecting your accountant to also be your lawyer because they’re both “good with numbers and details.”

A talented writer may have zero design skills. An excellent designer may struggle with copy. Finding someone genuinely skilled at both? That’s not entry-level. That’s a senior creative professional who commands senior-level compensation.

The cost math:

Hiring one generalist to do specialist work typically results in:

Mediocre output across all areas (jack of all trades, master of none)
Longer turnaround times (learning curves for unfamiliar tasks)
Higher effective hourly cost (a specialist completes in 2 hours what a generalist takes 6 hours to do poorly)
Burnout and turnover (because the role was never realistic)

What actually works:

One of my clients, Alice, faced a similar hiring decision. We had two excellent VA candidates, and rather than trying to force one person into a role that required distinctly different skill sets, she hired both, each focusing on their strengths.

Amy handles operations and project coordination. Kyla manages marketing and promotion.

This approach set everyone up for success. Amy wasn’t stressed trying to learn marketing. Kyla wasn’t frustrated doing operational work that doesn’t energize her. Alice gets exceptional work in both areas. And the combined investment?

Often similar to what she would have paid one senior-level generalist, with far better results.

What I’ve learned from 15+ years of hiring and team building

This pattern of hiring, role clarity, and team dynamics isn’t theoretical for me.

From moving 13 interns through my job skills program and networking event (eventConnect) in the early 2010s, to my role as Director of People and Development at Redstone Agency, where I led sourcing and recruiting for entry-level through Director positions – I’ve seen what happens when roles are clearly defined versus when they’re muddled.

At one point, my previous business (Vibe High VA) had up to 12 freelancers working simultaneously, all requiring sourcing, qualification, interviewing, onboarding, and training. I’ve also coached multiple coaches and consultants on managing their working relationships with their EAs and VAs.

I know what it looks like when someone is set up to succeed in their role, and I know the warning signs when a role has been designed to fail from the start.

If you’ve been cycling through admins, wondering why “no one can just figure it out,” the problem might not be the people you’re hiring – it might be the role itself.

(Related: I wrote about this exact pattern in a previous blog: “Client Q: How Do I Stop Hiring and Firing Admins?” If this resonates, that blog dives deeper into the systemic issues that create this cycle.)

If you’re navigating any of these challenges with your existing team or wondering about your next hire:

Misaligned responsibilities (you hired a generalist but need a specialist)
Performance issues stemming from unclear role definition
Uncertainty about what to delegate next

I’d love to talk through what’s happening and brainstorm solutions together.

This is exactly the kind of strategic, human-centred work I do as a Fractional Chief of Staff – helping you see the patterns you’re too close to notice, creating clarity around roles and responsibilities, and setting your team (and you) up for sustainable success.

Talk soon,
Moriah

P.S. Thinking about your next hire and not sure where to start? Email me here and tell me what you’re considering – I’m happy to share some initial thoughts on whether you’re looking at one role or three.