Carlee Wolfe Performance, Change and Culture Coach

I have worked with several small organizations who are at very similar stages of growth. I would recommend working with a business consultant or strategist who can help you determine your overall go-forward business strategy. Assess where you have opportunities to invest, where to streamline, what the market looks like for each of your businesses, etc. With a full understanding of where you want to go and how you are operating today, you and this consultant can make some very meaningful decisions. Happy to discuss further if you would like to hear more examples or expand on the conversation. All the best!

From a cultural perspective, I can provide a few thoughts

Pros
-You can get some of the immediate work done that you mentioned without risking a bad, quick hire
-A consultant might be able to provide you with a current state analysis, helping to determine key factors of your hire (type of work needed, experience, etc.)
-If you trust this consultants options, they can support you during the interview process to check for industry skills/knowledge

Cons
-Potential on-boarding and support time of someone who will not be with you in the long-term
-Potential bad culture fit giving your current employees a bad taste for what the role can do for the organization
-Poor optics of investing money in an outside resource in a small organization

I hope this helps a little. Good luck!