What Jason Cohen Has Learned From Starting Two Unicorns
“Jason Cohen founded not one but two billion dollar businesses,” shares Sam Thompson a Minneapolis business broker and the president of M&A firm Transitions In Business. In this episode he talks about spotting burnout before it’s obvious, evaluating your exit options and making sure you thank your employees when you sell.”
Jason Cohen is the founder of both SmartBear and WP Engine, both companies that have achieved a valuation of more than $1 billion, making them “unicorns” in the parlance of Silicon Valley. This is our first installment in a series we’re referring to as Legends of the Deal, which will chronicle the life lessons of extraordinary achievers in the world of value building. In this episode, you’ll discover how to:
- Decide when to sell using the Rich vs. King framework.
- Distinguish between your company’s values and its purpose (and why you need one more than the other).
- Spot burnout before it’s obvious.
- Evaluate all of your exit options.
- Sell some of your shares in a secondary while still keeping control.
- Get past your “freedom line.”
- Leverage the box game to evaluate probabilities.
- Protect your payout and avoid getting sued when sharing the proceeds of your exit.
- Thank your employees when you sell.
- Know when to hire a CEO (even when it means taking a demotion).
- Work in flow state and find your ideal role inside your company.