A Smart Bear

What is the value of one hour of a startup founder's time? Startup founders undervalue their time. Here's why you should act like it's $1000/hr, and how it changes the decisions you make. https://lon…

RICE and other confidence-based frameworks are mostly noise. Here's how to make decisions without pretending to know the unknowable.

Worrying makes things worse. Replace worry with preparation and strategic planning.

If you don't hire people better than you, the organization gets bigger, not better. But how do you hire for something you don't understand?

Maybe not so much with the "optimization" In the quest for optimization, A/B tests, metrics, and funnels, we're in danger of losing the fun and value of creative work. https://longform.asmartbear.com…

Real strategy means choosing between two good options and accepting all the consequences--even the painful ones you don't like.

A compass tells you which way is north, not whether you should be heading north. So what is the map to startup success?

Do less, to create the space to be great.

Scaling by "delegation" isn't good enough Delegation doesn't scale your business. What does: Creating a team that is better than the current team. Including you. https://longform.asmartbear.com/deleg…

Mission, vision, purpose, BHAG. Are they useful north stars, or academic nonsense?

When being an "expert" is harmful Expertise hinders learning. Learn from these examples, so that you leverage your expertise, but aren't blinded by it. Insights come from curiosity, not certainty. ht…

Your target market isn't demographic How to define your actual target market, which probably isn't traditional demographics and firmographics. https://longform.asmartbear.com/target-market/

Yes, but who said they'd actually BUY the damn thing? Have a great idea? Prove it by finding ten customers ready to hand over cash. Everything else is avoiding the truth. https://longform.asmartbear.…

Your company will stop growing sooner than you think. The "Max MRR" metric predicts revenue plateaus based on churn and new revenue.

Want to write better? Swap generic words for specifics to make your text clear, powerful, engaging, and even funny.

Because time is zero-sum, prioritization is mandatory. This is an index of purpose-built prioritization frameworks, and an overarching one to optimize your life.

Bootstrapped and unsure about CPC? Use the rule of ARPU/25.

You must select between three pricing strategies, and fully commit to their implications.

Rude Q&A: The constructive devil's advocate Nothing clarifies things quite like a hyperactive, all-knowing, all-seeing, real asshole of a devil's advocate beating the living crap out of you. https://…

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. https://longform.asmartbear.com/bu…