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Link Copied All Articles Author Moon Sun All Articles Author Subscribe Welcome to : Longform Articles from building two unicorns over two decades, both bootstrapped and funded. Sort By: Popularity Newest ? No articles match the search string. 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. —December 2023 | 6,600 words. Excuse me, is there a problem? 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. —April 2023 | 6,800 words. Extreme brainstorming questions to trigger new, better ideas 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. —March 2022 | 3,700 words. How startups beat incumbents A startup can beat a large, successful incumbent, if it does things the incumbent can not or will not do. Here are those things. —February 2024 | 4,600 words. Finding Fulfillment 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. —December 2022 | 3,600 words. Navigating the unpredictability of everything 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. —March 2023 | 4,700 words. The Elephant in the room: The myth of exponential hypergrowth 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. —March 2022 | 5,500 words. How repositioning a product allows you to 8x its price You can charge much more than you think, if you reposition your value-proposition. Here’s how. —June 2018 | 700 words. 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? —January 2024 | 2,700 words. Product/Market Fit (PMF): Experience & Data Companies that achieve Product/Market Fit – both self-funded and VC-funded – exhibit the same prototypical metrics curves and subjective experiences. —November 2023 | 2,300 words. The Iterative-Hypothesis customer development method 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. —September 2022 | 4,100 words. Willingness-to-pay: Creating permanent competitive advantage, for the right reasons This fresh take on Willingness-to-Pay” analyzes three types of customer motivation, leading to superior strategies for growth that also better the world. —May 2023 | 4,000 words. What makes a strategy great 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. —August 2023 | 5,800 words. Fermi ROI: Fixing the ROI rubric 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. —June 2022 | 4,800 words. Your customers hate MVPs. Make a SLC instead. MVP” implies a selfish process, abusing customers so you can learn.” Instead, make the first version Simple, Loveable, and Complete. —August 2017 | 1,400 words. 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. —July 2022 | 4,100 words. Stubborn Visionaries & Pigheaded Fools 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. —March 2024 | 1,200 words. Rich vs. King in the Real World: Why I sold my company Reflecting on selling Smart Bear in 2007, offering insights for entrepreneurs facing similar decisions. —October 2009 | 1,500 words. The three kinds of leverage that anchor effective strategies Leveraging strengths – not fixing weaknesses” – is how to win. Better when differentiated. Best when durable. Here’s how to create leverage. —June 2023 | 3,300 words. Using the Needs Stack for competitive strategy This simple method positions your product to be more valuable, especially against competitors who aim to disrupt you, or you them. —June 2023 | 3,900 words. Avoid blundering: 80% of a winning strategy Why do startups typically fail? It turns out that avoiding those things” is already a plan for success. —March 2024 | 3,900 words. AI startups require new strategies: This time it’s actually different 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. —March 2024 | 1,900 words. Business Advice Plagued by Survivor Bias Advice from successful entrepreneurs” might be unreliable due to Survivor Bias. What’s real, and what’s random? —August 2009 | 1,600 words. 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. —January 2010 | 1,800 words. You’re a real company when… What marks the moment when you become a real” company? —April 2007 | 700 words. Pricing determines your business model Pricing is inextricably linked to brand, product, and purchasing decisions. It cannot be figured out later,” because it determines your business model today. —November 2014 | 1,200 words. In command Being in control” is impossible, perhaps not even desirable. Being in command” is ideal: honest, introspective, agile, aware, and proactive. —July 2023 | 1,100 words. Never say no,” but rarely say yes.” 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. —April 2011 | 1,500 words. Binstack: Making a maximal multi-dimensional decision Binstack is a technique for selecting the single most impactful” solution when there are multiple, incomparable dimensions to evaluate. —July 2022 | 3,500 words. Selecting the right product metrics (KPIs) A novel system for selecting and presenting product KPIs, satisfying not only the product team, but also stakeholders, executives, and customers. —July 2023 | 2,500 words. Failure to face the truth This admonition recurs in myriad books, frameworks, and topics, across decades of time. When something is so consistent, it must be wisdom. —April 2022 | 1,900 words. The unfortunate math behind consulting companies 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. —February 2011 | 2,000 words. JIT selection from independent streams: An alternative to the big backlog” of work The vaunted single-threaded, ordered list” confuses prioritization” with work-planning,” and forces comparisons of the un-comparable. Here’s the solution. —August 2022 | 2,600 words. 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. —February 2011 | 1,700 words. When should a decision be fast, or slow? 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. —September 2018 | 1,300 words. Distinguishing constructive criticism from bad business advice Beware of advice that tries to change who you are. True wisdom guides you to a better version of yourself. —December 2008 | 1,000 words. Moats: Durable competitive...