🧠 How Founders Are Hiring $80K Talent for $2K a Month
The backstory that started in a factory and ended with a smarter way to scale.
When Sean Agatep and his friends graduated college, they didn’t chase jobs.
They chased experience.
They moved to China, learned manufacturing from the inside, and spent five years in factories figuring out how products really get made.
That adventure led to Vincero, a watch brand that went from a small Kickstarter to an eight-figure company.
But here’s the twist: Vincero only had five employees in the U.S.
Everyone else was global.
And that single decision changed everything.
The Breaking Point
As Vincero grew, Sean was drowning in the details.
Too many orders. Too few people.
Hiring more U.S. staff felt risky and expensive.
Out of desperation, he started looking for talent overseas.
He hired one person in the Philippines. Then another in Latin America.
Each one was sharp, loyal, and capable.
Within months, the company was running smoother, faster, and more profitably.
Sean realized he had found something most founders overlook.
The Lightbulb Moment
Years later, Vincero was doing eight figures a year with one of the leanest teams in the industry.
Sean kept hearing from other founders who were burning out trying to grow.
They didn’t know who to hire, what it should cost, or where to look.
So he built Tidal to solve that exact problem.
What Tidal Does
Tidal helps brands and agencies hire elite global talent in operations, growth, logistics, and analytics.
The team sources candidates from more than ten countries, runs interviews and skills tests, and delivers only the best fits.
Most roles are filled within 30 days.
Every hire comes with a 6-month replacement guarantee.
Region | Typical Monthly Pay | Tidal Fee |
|---|---|---|
Philippines 🇵🇭 | $1,500–$2,000 | $4,800 |
Philippines + LatAm 🇵🇭🇦🇷🇧🇷🇨🇴 | $2,000–$3,000 | $5,600 |
Global 🌍 | $3,000–$4,000 | $6,400 |
That means you can access $80K-level talent for around $2K a month.
Why Founders Trust Sean
“I’ll probably be the only recruiting partner who tells you to hire fewer people first.”
That line tells you everything about Tidal’s approach.
It’s not about selling headcount. It’s about helping founders build stronger, leaner teams.
Brands like Made In, True Classic, Seed Health, Prescient AI, Daasity, and Doss have already used Tidal to scale smarter.
The Takeaway
The best talent in the world isn’t always next door.
It’s in Manila, Bogotá, Lisbon, and São Paulo.
Sean learned that the hard way
Now he’s helping other founders learn it the easy way.
Ps this isn’t sponsored, Sean is a friend and I trust him to do a great job for anyone who reads this newsletter.
-Parker Burr