You're drowning. But is itactually time to make the hire?

Whether a specific role you're considering is a real go right now. You mark six signals 0/1/2 — fully-loaded cost coverage, runway after the hire, the role's revenue case, whether the work is documented enough to hand off, the founder time it frees, and whether your W-2-vs-1099 intent fits the work — and it returns HIRE NOW, BRIDGE WITH A CONTRACTOR, or NOT YET, with the one thing to fix first. Score several roles and it rolls them up so you know which to sequence. It grades a hiring decision, never a person.

Because two signals are gates. If reliable revenue can't cover the fully-loaded cost (salary + payroll taxes + benefits, not just the headline salary) for a couple of months, or the work is still entirely in your head, the verdict is NOT YET no matter how high the score. The most common first-hire mistake is hiring on exhaustion and then not making payroll; the second is hiring before the work is documented, so you pay a salary and still do the job. The shipped 'drowning founder' Ops-assistant sample scores 76 and still reads NOT YET — everything's strong except coverage.

It's the honest middle. When you're busy enough and the role has a real case, but coverage is tight or runway thins, a full-time W-2 hire is premature — and a contractor is the safe first step. You get the help without committing to payroll you can't comfortably carry, and you can convert later when coverage is solid. The kit flags this band so you don't either over-commit or keep drowning.

It scores whether your classification intent fits the work, and flags the misclassification trap — but it is not a legal determination. Worker classification turns on the economic reality of the relationship (the control you exert, whether the work is core and ongoing, whether the person is genuinely in business for themselves), not on the label. A 1099 agreement does not make someone a contractor. The federal test has been in flux — the DOL proposed a new rule in 2026 that wasn't final as of mid-2026, and state rules (and the IRS) differ — so the kit keeps the signal classification-test-agnostic and tells you to confirm the actual call with a CPA or counsel.

Neither — it's deterministic and offline. You enter your own 0/1/2 marks on what you actually know about coverage, runway, and the role; it computes the verdict and connects to nothing. The same logic runs in the workbook, the Python engine, and the on-page demo, so all three agree to the number. Bring your fully-loaded cost figure from your own books (a CPA can confirm the loaded multiplier); the kit doesn't invent it.

No. It's a decision aid that helps you pressure-test a hire before you make it — it doesn't tell you what you can afford, certify a classification, or replace your CPA or attorney. Use it to find the gap that would make a hire premature, and confirm the affordability and classification specifics with your own advisors.