Comparing yourself to other startups? Focus on yourself instead.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
The wrongness of relativism
Articles from A Smart Bear
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Comparing yourself to other startups? Focus on yourself instead.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
This isn't the humble-brag you think it is; The most common origin story is also common to startups that fail. But it's a start.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Competing against big firms? Their revenue streams are their Achilles heel. Learn how smaller startups have a shot.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
When you're brand new, how do you select your first marketing channel?
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Being "undefeated" or "number 1" might be more luck than you know.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Why do smart, driven founders fail, despite having great ideas and execution? This model offers an answer, and a path to increase the chance of success.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
You redesign your entire website, customers and employees say it's better, but none of the metrics change… Does design even matter?
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Oh you secretive devil! The last thing you need is anyone finding out about your startup. Like competitors. Or customers.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
This is the reason that startups succeed despite their many weaknesses. And it's a reason to build a startup in the first place.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
The two main business modalities are more different than you expect. When you hit PMF, it's a culture-shift to switch from one to the other.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
It is true that small changes can have enormous effects? Or is this just what optimization consultants want us to believe?
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
How to find potential customers to interview before you have a product, a website, or even a name.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Low on cash but need marketing results? Here are four specific things you can do to grow on a budget.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Brittleness is when the company fails because just one component breaks. Learn some strategies for fixing Brittle Points.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Our emotional baggage and experience make us unique, but also serve as blinders.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Erica Douglass sold her company for $1M, yet still struggles with self-worth; why driven people can't escape Impostor Syndrome.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Half of your "successful" A/B tests are false-positives. This is why, and how to fix it.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Applying Pascal's Wager: Humility wins, arrogance loses.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Is it LTV? Retention? NRR? Magic Number? Rule of 40? Or: Do you need to un-ask the question.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
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 Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
A contrarian look at logical "fallacies" that maybe aren't so illogical after all.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
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.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Startups fail at biz dev because their proposals don't make sense to bigger companies. Here's how to adjust your approach.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
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 Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
A short pep talk I delivered to kick off a Three-Day Startup challenge event. And overwhelming confirmation that the lesson is correct.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Discover how to leverage the wisdom of the crowds, but also when to avoid it, as it can easily lead you astray.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Humans have always tried to live forever. Maybe you can, but not in the way you imagine.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
People love and forgive humans, not corporations. Expose your humanity to earn loyal, happy customers, even when you mess up.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
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.
A Smart Bear
• Jason Cohen
Mid-sized companies: Small enough to have small budgets, big enough for bureaucratic nightmares.