Jason Cohen
@asmartbear.com
Keyword, buzzword, half-truth, adjective, hey look at me! (founder of two unicorns: http://WPEngine.com, http://SmartBear.com). Writing for 18 years at: https://longform.asmartbear.com
Some products make sense only in booming economies and industries (e.g. high-cost growth; luxury). Some make sense mostly in recessions and tight markets (e.g. saving 50% cost, even if the result is 30% worse). (1/2)
More or less
You must select between three pricing strategies, and fully commit to their implications.
longform.asmartbear.com
You know “RGB” is how computer displays form color, and you might know that we have R, G, and B receptors in our eyes, so you might assume that’s how it works. Nope. Here’s what actually happens:
Color Wheels are wrong? How color vision actually works
Artists say all colors are a mixture of red, yellow, and blue. But physics and TV screens and printers disagree. How does color really work?
longform.asmartbear.com
Many questions in business policy can be resolved thusly: Round off towards generosity. Karma often works with customers, employees, suppliers, and partners. Not always, but then you’ll know who the real awful people are, and that’s useful too.
What screams “Early Adopter” or “Passionate customer” more: 1. We’re the leading provider of … 2. Hi, I'm Jason, and I built this tool to … Act like who you actually are, to win customers you’re supposed to have.
You’re a little company, now act like one
You’re afraid that looking like being a small company means you’ll lose sales. It’s actually the opposite -- you’re alienating your best customers.
longform.asmartbear.com
Customers zone out during sales calls. This is a massive signal for you. Some sales people can notice it while they're talking -- that's excellent. If you can't -- which is understandable -- record it so you can see it later. It will be really obvious when you’re watching for it. (1/3)
Ever feel like quitting your startup because it's emotionally draining? Been there lots of times during Smart Bear. It's not about being invincible; it's about living through the tough parts.
When you want to quit because it’s just not worth it
Are you crying in the shower because you can’t handle it anymore? Beyond Impostor Syndrome: Complete melt-down? Well, at least you’re in good company.
longform.asmartbear.com
Q: “If the buyer and the user are two different people, with different desires, which one is my ICP?” A: The 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 target is the buyer; the 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 ICP is the user. It’s for them and they also influence the buyer.
So often, min, max, and average are not meaningful. Maybe even median. Worse, they might be misleading. Look at the whole distribution whenever you can. The 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 of the curve is usually much more important.
New role: When to hire externally vs promote from within? When the new role demands specialist experience / knowledge, you generally want to import it now, rather than spending two years hoping someone “with potential” can get there. (1/5)
In B2B mid-market and larger, often the user isn’t the buyer. The sales process is complex. This is why even PLG companies end up with a sales organization. But the ICP is the user. Don’t forget it.
Selling to Carol: Why targeting an ICP brings 10x more customers than you expected
Targeting your “Ideal Customer Profile” (ICP) is the best way to differentiate and win sales, but does it limit your target market?
longform.asmartbear.com
No one is watching, no one is thinking of you. (Of course not literally “no one”, but approximately, especially compared to the size of your market, or compared to the number who 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 see you in the next 10 years.)
The path to success is never without seemingly impossible obstacles, lots of missteps and back-tracks, and luck. How much of it is “luck,” if it’s a result of lots of activity as well? How can you set yourself up for more “luck?”
Capturing luck with “or” instead of “and”
Luck always plays a role in startups, but there are ways to better capture upside and mitigate downside.
longform.asmartbear.com
Eminent thinkers, even Nobel laureates, often resist pivoting from long-held beliefs despite mounting contradictory evidence. It’s hard for anyone to be rational and open to change, even when that’s the job. You 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 to do this in startups… do you have the courage?
“I don’t want to work more than 40 hrs/week. I don’t want a calendar. I don’t want to learn outside my current expertise. I don’t want to be uncomfortable.” “What 𝘥𝘰 you want?” “Success in a space with a 90% failure rate.”
How to hire smarter: An “interview” is a medium, and not always the best one. What are other mediums? Doing work together, having them prepare answers ahead of time, calling references (but with the right questions).
The part of "perfectionist" that causes you to do your best work, care about details, have pride in work, is what makes you great; don't lose it. But the part that means you don't ship, or don't realize 20% must be perfect, not 100%, means you'll never have a business.
Impostor Syndrome: Why I felt like a fraud, and how I overcame it
Most high-performing people experience Impostor Syndrome. I did too. When you understand the cause, you can defeat it.
longform.asmartbear.com
Practice gets boring. Some find the joy in the repetition. Some find the joy in slow, halting, but eventual progress. Some love the future vision of mastery. Pick whatever works for you, so you keep at it.
Your product doesn't always have to replace an incumbent to win. See how David sells without having to “beat” Goliath in my own story of an adventure at a hospital 20 years ago:
When customers buy your competitor’s product… and then buy yours
Little, unknown companies with silly names can sell to enterprises who have already spent millions.
longform.asmartbear.com
Since I’ll be doing more episodes of Smart Bear Live, like the one just done with the great @dmytrokrasun.com, I’ve created a podcast as well as the YouTube channel. It should be everywhere: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.. Weee!
Smart Bear Live
Jason Cohen (“A Smart Bear” online) and often a rotating bad-ass co-host get brutally honest with founders of real companies, who have real puzzles and struggles. Like business therapy, we cut to the heart of issues, then build back up with ideas, options, strategies, and decisions.
smartbearlive.com
After you’ve developed a personal brand, be careful not to do projects/deals that destroy it. The question is: Will doing this deal enhance the brand I already have? More impressive, or wider, or at least perfectly genuine and true? If no, that's the beginning of the end.
Plan sprints with work in this order: 1. Time-critical tasks 2. Advance the big strategic Rock. 3. Maybe a Pebble. 4. Some sand (without much debate). Here’s what that means, and handling the error conditions:
Rocks, Pebbles, Sand: How to implement in practice
This complete work-prioritization framework builds on the simplistic “Rocks, Pebbles, Sand” analogy, adding the details you need in the real world.
longform.asmartbear.com
I don't believe in magic unicorns who are excellent in all areas of product management. Even if they existed, there’s not enough hours in a week to do everything. So let’s stop this hypocrisy.
The “Great” Product Manager, a.k.a. the Impossible Product Manager
According to the Internet, being a Product Manager is impossible. Can you ever measure up? No. But don’t worry, there’s a better answer.
longform.asmartbear.com
Since I’ll be doing more episodes of Smart Bear Live, like the one just done with the great @dmytrokrasun.com, I’ve created a podcast as well as the YouTube channel. It should be everywhere: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.. Weee!
Smart Bear Live
Jason Cohen (“A Smart Bear” online) and often a rotating bad-ass co-host get brutally honest with founders of real companies, who have real puzzles and struggles. Like business therapy, we cut to the heart of issues, then build back up with ideas, options, strategies, and decisions.
smartbearlive.com
Everyone says “focus” and “prioritize.” Step 7 of the following roadmap explains exactly how to do that. This is the difference between success and messing around with a project.
The roadmap to Product/Market Fit (PMF)… maybe
This eight-step process brought WP Engine from an idea to a Unicorn. While there are other roads to Product/Market Fit, consider copying some of these ideas.
longform.asmartbear.com
New Podcast! Since I’ll be doing more episodes of Smart Bear Live, like the one just done with the great @dmytrokrasun.com, I’ve created a podcast as well as the YouTube channel. It should be everywhere: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.. Weee!
Act as if everyone reads 20 words per email. No matter how long it is, they will read only 20 words. And you don’t pick which 20, because they skip around. Compose accordingly.
No one is watching. You have almost no “followers,” and Twitter isn’t showing your stuff to most of them anyway. So, never be scared of publishing. 99.999% of your readers are in the future, reading future things. So get going, so you can get to those!
