Founder stories
$100K ARRin 8 years
4 milestones
4th bootstrapped company to $1M+, "A Smart Bear" blog built massive authority
Founder
Jason Cohen
Co-Founders•Technical•USA
Commitment
Full-timeExperience
ExperiencedProduct
Managed WordPress hosting platform.
Type
SaaSIndustry
Developer ToolsModel
SubscriptionMarketing Strategy
How Jason acquired customers
Primary Channel
SEO / Content
Also Used
CommunitiesWord of Mouth
Tech Stack
Tools used to build WP Engine
PHPMySQLAWSStripe
The Full Story
WP Engine is my 4th bootstrapped company to hit $1M+. My "A Smart Bear" blog built massive authority that attracted customers and investors.
Serial Entrepreneurship
This is my 4th company to $1M+. Each one taught lessons for the next.
Thought Leadership
"A Smart Bear" blog positioned me as an authority. When I launched WP Engine, that authority converted to customers.
Blog to Billion
The blog attracted customers, partners, and eventually investors. Now WP Engine is valued at $1B+.
- Bootstrapped companies to $1M+: 4
- WP Engine valuation: $1B+
Key Takeaways
1
Thought leadership blogging attracts customers
2
Serial entrepreneurs benefit from documenting
3
Authority compounds across ventures
4
Blogs can lead to billion-dollar outcomes
Originally published onA Smart Bear Blog
Inspired by Jason's journey? Generate a business idea in the Developer Tools space using AI and real founder data.
Milestone Journey
Jason achieved 4 milestones on the path to $100K ARR
First Customer
14 days
July 2010
85% faster
vs avg 3 months+1 month to next milestone
$1K MRR
$1,000
2 months
September 2010
82% faster
vs avg 11 months+4 months to next milestone
$10K MRR
$10,000
6 months
January 2011
72% faster
vs avg 1 year+8 years to next milestone
$100K ARR
$1,000,000,000
8 years
July 2018
Avg: 3 years
8 years
Total journey time
4
Milestones achieved
Jason's Path to $100K ARRPremium
The journey, decisions, and context behind this milestone
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