In this episode of the Founder Origin Series, Sherry interviews Jason Cohen of WP Engine, about his early days in college and starting companies. And how being a son to two teachers shaped his success.

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Episode Transcript

Rob Walling:

Welcome back and thanks for joining us on this week’s continuation of our Founder Origin Series. This week, Sherry interviews Jason Cohen of WP Engine and A Smart Bear. You might know Jason for having spoken at MicroConf several times. He has one of the, in my opinion, one of the best talks about bootstrapping a start up that I’ve ever heard. And he’s been known to frequently drop tons of start up knowledge on his blog, asmartbear.com.

 

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Sherry Walling:

What’s your total company count at these days? How many have you founded?

Jason Cohen:

Oh, four.

Sherry Walling:

Four. Okay. And what was your first entrepreneurial endeavor, before the formal companies. When you were a kid, did you have a lemonade stand? Were there things that you were concocting to practice your entrepreneurial skills?

Jason Cohen:

Yeah, I had a quote on quote, general store in elementary school with paper and pencils for people who forgot it, and they could buy them for a quarter. But of course, nobody has even a quarter. So it didn’t work.

Sherry Walling:

Did you work on credit? Or trade for jelly beans? How’d you work that out?

Jason Cohen:

It just didn’t work. I think … I don’t know if I’ve always thought I wanted to start a company. But, I definitely have always had projects. That’s absolutely a thread from even very little when I would either write a book, whatever that means in second grade. Or then with the computer, writing very simple programs. There was always projects. And so, I think it’s more like being obsessed with projects and that turning into something, rather than I want a business with a P&L and a balance sheet and employees and how am I going to build that. That sort of came secondarily.

Sherry Walling:

Like you wanted to make something first.

Jason Cohen:

Yeah.

Sherry Walling:

And foremost. What kind of kid were you? How would you describe your personality as a kid?

Jason Cohen:

Well, I was a class clown, but mostly in the disruptive way as opposed to the witty way. So, definitely never liked being told what to do. I mean, not that everyone likes being told what to do, but almost needing to not do whatever it is that we’re supposed to do. Oh, we have homework. Great. I’m going to try to get it done in a quarter of the time and then do something else, even if that’s as