A Smart Bear

http://blog.asmartbear.com/

A Smart Bear logoStartups + Marketing + Geekery. From someone who's been there: Jason Cohen, founder of Smart Bear Software.

Rude Q&A

http://blog.asmartbear.com/devils-advocate.html

You need more than a "devil's advocate," you need ruthless abuse.

Here's how to dole it out to yourself so that normal sales calls and company pitches seem easy by comparison.

06:16

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A Tradeshow Checklist, born of experience

http://blog.asmartbear.com/tradeshow-tips-checklist.html

Tradeshows are a combination of high-level strategy and low-level minutiae, so a checklist comes in handy.

Here's a bunch of advice learned the hard way -- through making mistakes and seeing what worked.

17:21

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Why I feel like a fraud

http://blog.asmartbear.com/self-doubt-fraud.html

I felt like a fraud during the early days of Smart Bear, and in many ways I still feel like one today.

It turns out this is a common phenomenon among entrepreneurs and others. If you have these emotions, this might provide some solace.

07:58

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A tour of my Wordpress plugins

http://blog.asmartbear.com/wordpress-plugins.html

I get asked all the time which Wordpress plugin I use for this thing or that.

Here's a complete list of how I've customized my blog, and why.

07:49

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Uncommon Interview: Bob Walsh, Digital Entrepreneur

http://blog.asmartbear.com/bob-walsh-digital-entrepreneur-startuptodo.html

Startup expert, mentor, and writer Bob Walsh talks about what's most important for success, the role of social media at a new startup, productivity for startup founders, and why his new tool for startup founders is useful.

12:25

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Painful, Surreal, and Surprisingly Effective: The Personal Checklist

http://blog.asmartbear.com/personal-checklist.html

Tired of articles instructing you to break down large projects into smaller, more annoying and less interesting tasks?

The technique I'm about to tell you about is weird, and not in a good way. More like a painful, aggravating way. I know, I did it myself.

But it really does work. You'll measurably improve your productivity.

06:31

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Startup Therapy: Ten questions to ask yourself every month

http://blog.asmartbear.com/startup-business-plan.html

Therapists don't tell you what to do. Rather, they ask probing questions that get you to discover for yourself what is true for you, your situation, and what you want.

Similarly, these ten questions will force you to make the important decisions about your business. Ask them of yourself every month instead of writing a useless business plan.

13:11

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Don't write a business plan

http://blog.asmartbear.com/business-plan.html

As they say, businesses don't plan to fail, they fail to plan! Who could argue with such a clever turn of phrase?

Me. Business plans are always wrong, and they're not even very helpful when you're raising money.

08:30

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How I got 6000 RSS subscribers in 12 months

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog-subscribers.html

Is it repeatable?

Yes and no. Here's what I did; it's up to you to decide how much of it applies to you.

18:14

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Really give thanks this time

http://blog.asmartbear.com/give-thanks-on-thanksgiving.html

On Thanksgiving we give thanks,
but to whom?

I guess it's nice to be reflective at least once a year. But what good is it, casting our thanks into the void?

So this year, let's give thanks to people.

01:54

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New empirical data for SEO and social media marketing strategies

http://blog.asmartbear.com/seo-social-media-marketing-strategy.html

Strategies for social media and SEO are so... squishy.

Recently, however, I've come across several sources of empirical, experimentally-sound data sources that tell us how to be awesome at both SEO and social media.

10:29

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Hiring Employee #1

http://blog.asmartbear.com/startup-hiring-advice.html

If you want another pair of hands to screw things up, the question is how to acquire resumes, how to pair them down, and how to identify someone who is going to work well in your company.

Here's a load of advice. Includes my favorite articles from around the Internet as well as my own advice that you might not have heard before.

14:03

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Rich vs. King in the Real World: Why I sold my company

http://blog.asmartbear.com/rich-vs-king-sold-company.html

I sold my company, Smart Bear, in December of 2007. I haven't talked about it at all on this blog, and it's time I spill my guts about the whole affair.

Now that almost two years have passed, I can relate exactly why "selling my baby" was right for me. Hopefully this thought process is interesting to you and possibly useful in the happy event that you're faced with the same choice, but the truth is I just need to get this off my chest.

10:08

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Ask your startup questions on OnStartups Answers

http://blog.asmartbear.com/startup-question-answers-onstartups.html

I'm giddy about this new project!

Dharmesh Shah of OnStartups started a new website for entrepreneurs, and he graciously invited me to co-moderate the site.

03:50

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Response: Sacrifice your health for your startup

http://blog.asmartbear.com/sacrifice-health-startup.html

A lot has been said in response to Jason's post about sacrificing your health for your startup. Some think his position is excessive; some say it depends on your goals. Can you run a lifestyle business that doesn't require so much personal sacrifice?

I did. I started Fork In The Road, a wee little healthy dinner delivery business. I actively chose to stay small and was profitable and happy for years. So what about sacrifice? Here's my story.

09:14

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Find what's blocking sales with under a day of work

http://blog.asmartbear.com/more-sales-customer-feedback.html

It's unfair of me to say "find out what's stopping sales" and then not tell you how to go about it.

So here are eleven ways to collect empirical data about why people are checking out your product but not buying it, most of which can be implemented in less than a day.

17:55

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Why I switched to Wordpress

http://blog.asmartbear.com/switch-to-wordpress.html

A few people were wondering why I switched blogging platforms from Squarespace to Wordpress.

07:36

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Put down the compiler until you learn why they're not buying

http://blog.asmartbear.com/put-down-the-compiler-until-you-learn-why-theyre-not-buying.html

I'm involved with several little companies right now. They all have the same problem, and they're all avoiding the clearest, fastest path to fixing it.

Their problem is: We don't have nearly enough sales.

08:44

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Uncommon Interview: Balsamiq Studios

http://blog.asmartbear.com/balsamiq-studios-uncommon-interview.html

I hate most interviews, and I think everyone else does too. They're rarely actionable or insightful. You want to learn and get specific ideas from interesting, thoughtful people, not read a biography.

This interview is different.

I'm starting the Uncommon Interview: Five questions that solicit deep answers with actionable advice, examples, and insight. Answers in paragraphs, not one-liners. Depth, not breadth. (Leave a comment and tell me if you want more of these.)

17:56

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If Kindergarten were like Social Media Marketing

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/if-kindergarten-were-like-social-media-marketing.html

What if we ran kindergarten classes with the same rules as social media marketing?

03:09

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You're a little company, now act like one

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/youre-a-little-company-now-act-like-one.html

I talk to a lot of companies that are still hunting for customer #1, or a few sales have been made but the ball isn't rolling yet.

Most of them are making the same mistake: Their public persona is exactly wrong.

07:36

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Business Advice Plagued by Survivor Bias

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/business-advice-plagued-by-survivor-bias.html

Do you read business blogs where the author has failed three times without success?

No, because you want to learn from success, not hear about "lessons learned" from a guy who hasn't yet learned those lessons himself.

10:12

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90-minute podcast on creative marketing

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/90-minute-podcast-on-creative-marketing.html

Everyone says "be remarkable" is the best marketing advice.

01:20

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Tips for increasing software conversions, parts 1 & 2

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/tips-for-increasing-software-conversions-parts-1-2.html

I've been guest-posting over at the Avangate blog on the subject of increasing sales conversions for software sold over the web.

This five-part series covers downloading, installers, follow-up, and user interface design.

01:41

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Darwinian explanation and advice for "Going Viral"

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/darwinian-explanation-and-advice-for-going-viral.html

Everyone wants to "go viral" these days. A viral video, blog post, news announcement, who cares so long as it's viral!

I still can't stand the phrase, personally. "Dude, we're going viral tonight." Sounds like a one-night stand without protection.

Some of my articles have "gone viral," so I'd like to offer up my own perspective about how to make something viral: The Darwinian Theory of Going Viral.

09:10

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Why business blogs should focus on cheerleaders, not lead-generation

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/why-business-blogs-should-focus-on-cheerleaders-not-lead-gen.html

It's not clear that company blogs are a good idea, despite arguments for social media generally.

I'll give you the bad news first, dispelling some common myths about what corporate blogs can achieve, but then I'll show you how a corporate blog can significantly increase revenue, even without 10,000 RSS subscribers.

08:22

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Get 5 seats of Code Reviewer for $5

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/get-5-seats-of-code-reviewer-for-5.html

I've never posted commercial crap about "special offers" or other thinly-veiled advertisements, but considering this one is from my own company, and considering it is really is pretty awesome, I wanted to share.

02:02

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Sacrifice your health for your startup

http://blog.asmartbear.com/blog/sacrifice-your-health-for-your-startup.html

The Internet is full of good advice about how to lead a healthy, balanced work/home life.

If you don't have your health and your family, nothing else matters. On your deathbed will you wish you had worked longer hours or been a better parent? Will you wish you had spent more time Twittering or more time exercising, extending your life by five years?

Compelling. And yet, in my experience this attitude is not the path to success in small business.

07:08

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