How do you find potential customers to interview before you have a product, a website, or even a name?
Low on cash but need marketing results? Here are four specific things you can do to grow on a budget.
Brittleness is when the company fails because just one component breaks. Learn some strategies for fixing Brittle Points.
Our emotional baggage and experience make us unique, but also serve as blinders.
Erica Douglass sold her company for $1M, yet still struggles with self-worth; why driven people can't escape Impostor Syndrome.
Half of your "successful" A/B tests are false-positives. This is why, and how to fix it.
Applying Pascal's Wager: Humility wins, arrogance loses.
Is it LTV? Retention? NRR? Magic Number? Rule of 40? Or: Do you need to un-ask the question.
Tech support isn't just troubleshooting; it's the face of your company. Which means it's your brand, your positioning, and when it's excellent, it is sales.
A contrarian look at logical "fallacies" that maybe aren't so illogical after all.
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.
Startups fail at biz dev because their proposals don't make sense to bigger companies. Here's how to adjust your approach.
Not "enabling constraints", not "weaknesses", not even "strengths". The concept of a "Pivot Point" grapples with the same reality, but more constructive and useful.
A short pep talk I delivered to kick off a Three-Day Startup challenge event. And overwhelming confirmation that the lesson is correct.
Discover how to leverage the wisdom of the crowds, but also when to avoid it, as it can easily lead you astray.
Humans have always tried to live forever. Maybe you can, but not in the way you imagine.
People love and forgive humans, not corporations. Expose your humanity to earn loyal, happy customers, even when you mess up.
You're not profitable if you couldn't afford someone else to do your job. $1000/mo isn't profitable. Fix your definition of "profitable," and build a truly profitable business.
Mid-sized companies: Small enough to have small budgets, big enough for bureaucratic nightmares.
When to prioritize individual autonomy, and when to standardize for global optimization.
People love to say that getting "1% better per day" makes you 37x better after a year, but this obviously makes no sense. But 2x better is possible.
It's lazy writing. It's boring and undifferentiated. Say something meaningful, specific, evocative, so your website wins, and you can be proud of it.
"You're so lucky." That's true. There's also decades of sacrifice, emotional turmoil, long hours, perseverance. So… is it lucky?
Dozens of founders have used this technique to transform the cash-flow of their businesses. Now it's your turn.
Procrastination can be a useful tool. You can't do everything. So don't.
I remember "disruptive" when it was called a "paradigm shift." You should be worrying more about making something people want to buy, and less about disrupting everything.
Resolve decision-making conflicts by selecting the right approach: Make a bold choice, synthesize a new solution, or find the balance.
We're told "be yourself" to seek happiness and success. But what if "being yourself" also means striving to become better? What is "yourself?"
On average, you're halfway to your final destination. How, then, do we not only double from here, but 10x?
Is it good to be "first?" It seems so -- what's the point of being a copycat? While "first" sounds impressive, in reality it's often not an advantage.
Stop talking past each other. Translate between the three "languages" of customer desires, product features, and business goals.
Software doesn't scale through architecture and automation alone. New, more difficult problems appear that didn't exist before, causing new downstream consequences.
Is "customer service" a genuine service? Or is it a shield so that most people at your company never have to speak to one of those pesky customers?
A simple workshop that evaluates new business ideas relative to your existing strengths -- the key to expanding without overreaching.
Luck always plays a role in startups, but there are ways to better capture upside and mitigate downside.
Even at wildly successful startups, the first few years are gut-wrenching, uncertain, on the brink of collapse, where pessimism is realism, and yet optimism is required.
In America we're trained that all copying is bad; of course plagiarism is, but perhaps we're throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
How to tell the difference between a truly great startup idea, and people saying "Sure, sounds good" when they really mean "No, I'm not buying."
Why do startups typically fail? It turns out that "avoiding those things" is already a plan for success.
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?
How do you know when to stop, versus when to push through? You don't, not even in hindsight. But these guiding questions can help.
We humans are terrible at discerning patterns from randomness, and in marketing data we unwittingly find "insights" that are actually noise. Here's how to fix that.
The typical dynamics between startups and incumbents do not apply in AI as they did in previous technology revolutions like mobile and the Internet. Ignore this at your peril.
A startup can beat a large, successful incumbent, if it does things the incumbent can not or will not do. Here are those things.
A/B testing tools often lie about whether something is "statistically significant." Here's an extremely simple, mathematically sound formula to compute it for yourself.
It's easy to explain why any given business will fail. So what? But neither is it wise to totally ignore the critics.
Why "expected value" doesn't work; here's a better framework for making long-term investments in your career, startup, and life.
What if your company could have only one single advantage over the competition? This exercise will make your positioning and strategy stronger.
Some things appear to be mistakes, but in fact should be celebrated as the expected outcomes of great decisions.
How do you assess forecasts, when the forecast is only a probability? It's not just about accuracy. Let's dive into the math.
Targeting your "Ideal Customer Profile" (ICP) is the best way to differentiate and win sales, but does it limit your target market?
Customers ask for ROI calculations to justify purchasing your software, but it still doesn't convince them. Here's what to do instead.
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.
Hiring even one person creates a lot less profit than you'd think, and launching a product rarely works out. Here are some tips for consulting companies.
If we happened to evolve with nine fingers, we would have "Top 9" lists. So, a "Top 10" list probably doesn't have the correct number of things.
Everyone wants change, but doesn't want to change. Though inevitable, change is uncomfortable and exhausting. Manage it with kindness.
Traditional fairytale structure fits naturally in our brains, and thus can guide strategic problem-analysis, and a plan that everyone understands.
Blogger with tens of thousands of subscribers launches a new venture… and gets only 2 signups. Not the advantage you thought it was.
What marks the moment when you become a "real" company?
Companies that achieve Product/Market Fit -- both self-funded and VC-funded -- exhibit the same prototypical metrics curves and subjective experiences.
Reflecting on selling Smart Bear in 2007, offering insights for entrepreneurs facing similar decisions.
Some of the most enticing, important metrics are impossible to measure, even after the fact. Here's how to identify and avoid this trap.
"Building in public" is popular: How fun when strangers cheer you on! But isn't competitive advantage ruined when competitors know your growth rate and steal your source code?
Is everyone working very hard, all the time, and yet accomplishing 1/10th of what it seems they should? Maybe this is why.
"Focus" requires saying "no" to most things, but there's a way to do it that allows you to say "yes" exactly when it matters most.
These forces make larger companies slower and more difficult to execute, but also more effective when harnessed and leveraged.
What is it like to reach the pinnacle of success? Is that where you attain happiness and fulfillment? Or are those found right here, right now.
Language shapes our perception of setbacks. Use words other than "failure" to describe situations and to suggest the next step.
"MVP" implies a selfish process, abusing customers so you can "learn." Instead, make the first version SLC: Simple, Loveable, and Complete.
An objectively "worse" strategy can win, if it leverages something unique or unexpected. Startups can use this concept to beat incumbents.
Most high-performing people experience Impostor Syndrome. I did too. When you understand the cause, you can defeat it.
Most so-called "strategies" are vague, wishful thinking, written once and never seen again. Don't do that. These are the characteristics of great strategy.
Many founders experience a profound and prolonged sadness after selling their company. But "not selling" might be worse. Maybe my story will help you.
Being "in control" is impossible, perhaps not even desirable. Being "in command" is ideal: honest, introspective, agile, aware, and proactive.
Beware of advice that tries to change who you are. True wisdom guides you to a better version of yourself.
A novel system for selecting and presenting product KPIs, satisfying not only the product team, but also stakeholders, executives, and customers.
Advice from "successful entrepreneurs" might be unreliable due to Survivor Bias. What's real, and what's random?
Don't use phrases like "unlikely" or "almost certainly." Here's real-world data showing why not, and what to do instead.
Discounting is the typical sales technique, but refusing to discount can lead to a much better business, even in the Enterprise.
Leveraging strengths -- not "fixing weaknesses" -- is how to win. Better when differentiated. Best when durable. Here's how to create leverage.
Fast, or Best? Choose your decision-making goal wisely, especially if you're a natural perfectionist.
This simple method positions your product to be more valuable, especially against competitors who aim to disrupt you, or you them.
Everything about a startup changes over time. The few things that don't, are its essence. The voyage is meaningless, unless you decide what those things are.
This fresh take on "Willingness-to-Pay" analyzes three types of customer motivation, leading to superior strategies for growth that also better the world.
No you can't "have it all." You can have two things, but not three.
A business always takes more money than you expect, even when you take this fact into account. Here's why.
A startup is a crucible -- a fiery place that tests your limits, not by probing them but by violently exceeding them, all of the time. It's worth it.
You can charge much more than you think, if you reposition your value-proposition. Here's how.
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.
Many startups fail despite identifying a real problem and building a product that solves that problem. This explains why, so you can avoid their fate.
Decisions should usually be made quickly, to accelerate action and learning. But sometimes it really is smarter to take your time. Here's how to decide.
Pricing is inextricably linked to brand, product, and purchasing decisions. It cannot be "figured out later," because it determines your business model today.
We dramatically, repeatedly fail to predict the future. Does that mean "strategy" is senseless? No, it means you need these techniques to navigate a volatile world.
What creates a fulfilling existence? Exploration leads to a framework I've used for years for myself and the people around me. I hope it helps you too.
A simple but effective system, used to vet what is now a Unicorn, for generating insights about how your potential customers think, what they need, and what they'll buy.
The vaunted "single-threaded, ordered list" confuses "prioritization" with "work-planning," and forces comparisons of the un-comparable. Here's the solution.
This complete work-prioritization framework builds on the simplistic "Rocks, Pebbles, Sand" analogy, adding the details you need in the real world.
Binstack is a technique for selecting the "single most impactful" solution when there are multiple, incomparable dimensions to evaluate.
Traditional rubrics fail to reveal the best answers, or how to explain those answers to others. After explaining why, the following system solves both failures.
We invented this strategic exercise at WP Engine -- engaging both Marketing and Product, generating actions for both sides that make products more desirable and competitive.
Meetings are most productive when we create something that none of us could have created alone. Here are several ways to use meeting time wisely.
Industries commoditize over time, delivering similar products at similar prices resulting in low profit. Moats are the antedote; your strategy must create some.
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.
This admonition recurs in myriad books, frameworks, and topics, across decades of time. When something is so consistent, it must be wisdom.
We know, "no idea is a bad idea," but brainstorming is often unsuccessful. These prompts actually work. They could even lead to a unique business model.
Even Facebook and Slack did not grow "exponentially," as frequently described. Here is the correct model that you can use to understand and affect growth.
A lesson all pilots know: How you must use multiple dials, employing different sources of energy, to report identical data, because some of it is always lying.
A simple, decentralized, scalable, constant-memory mechanism for independent replicas to record events in time, preserving the "happened-before" relation in almost all cases.