Office manager / controller / GM presence in a GC firm strongly predicts marketing engagement; threshold ~$2M revenue

Claim: The presence of a formal non-owner business role in the firm strongly predicts marketing engagement:

• Below ~$2M revenue: role rarely exists; owner does everything.
• $2M–$10M: role often exists in a hybrid form (office manager + bookkeeper).
• Above $10M: dedicated GM and controller roles become standard.

Confidence: Directional.

For Candid — sales-cycle implication: When the buyer is the owner alone, the sales conversation is identity-anchored and the cycle is slow. When the buyer includes an office manager or GM, the conversation can be operationally framed and the cycle is faster. The presence of one of these roles is a leading qualification signal — ask about it early in discovery.

Related: [[rule-match-pitch-to-firm-scale-by-revenue-band]] sets the band-specific pitch posture; [[marketing-engaged-vs-averse-gc-profile-table]] adds it as one of five axes.