Writing a Pitch
If you’ve been following the REWORK podcast, you’re undoubtedly acquainted with the concept of Shape Up, a cornerstone of 37signals’ approach to product development.
Are You an Underdog? We want to hear from you!
In this episode of REWORK, host Kimberly Rhodes sits down with 37signals founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson to hear about the company’s fondness for underdogs – small businesses that are scrappy, do more with less, and use creativity over big budgets.
Software Has Bugs
Bugs are an inevitable part of complex software and aiming for complete bug-free perfection is not only unrealistic, but it hinders progress and product delivery.
Rescuing A Project In Progress
Knowing when you’re in over your head and recognizing when a project has gone off the rails are crucial aspects of successful project management.
The Google Graveyard
Unlike some tech giants that have notoriously pulled the plug on beloved products (remember Google’s sudden discontinuation of Google Reader?), 37signals takes a vastly different approach with their pledge to support ALL of their products for the life of the internet.
Be Careful Who You Listen To
In today’s fast-paced information-saturated world, advice is abundant, but it can be difficult to determine which sources are truly reliable.
Leaving the Cloud: The Finale
You’ve no doubt heard the 37signals team talking about leaving the cloud. Well, now the transition is complete!
Two-Person Teams: Listener Questions
This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, join host Kimberly Rhodes to answer listener questions from the recent episode about Two-Person Teams. They tackle topics ranging from two-person team collaboration techniques to their innovative approach to team cooldown...
When to Jump into AI
When should small business owners start paying attention to AI? Is immediate action necessary, or are we already behind?
Buckets of Time
Time is a valuable resource that often leaves us longing for more hours to conquer our ever-expanding to-do lists. The relentless stream of emails, meetings, and responsibilities can easily hijack our concentration, reminding us that while we have 24 hours at our disposal, we don’t have 24 hours of...
Twitter is Still Up
It’s been more than seven months since Elon Musk purchased Twitter. Since then, a reported 80% of the company has been let go, reducing their staff from just under 8,000 employees to around 1,500.
It's Time to Care About Costs
In a time when many companies are disregarding profitability and spending recklessly, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson have taken a different approach at 37signals. They believe that caring about costs is a timely concern and a fundamental principle for running a successful small business.
Two Person Teams
If you’ve been following along with the podcast, you’ve heard the mention of two-person teams and how 37signals makes the most of its software features and productivity with just two people working together—one programmer and one designer.
Listener Questions Part 3
On the previous episode of the REWORK podcast, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, joined host Kimberly Rhodes to answer listener questions and share their insights on various topics such as project ownership, attracting talent, and building a successful team.
Listener Questions Part 2
On last week’s REWORK podcast, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, joined host Kimberly Rhodes to answer listener questions about their approach to design, decision-making, and more.
Listener Questions / AMA
In this episode of REWORK, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, join host Kimberly Rhodes to answer questions posed by REWORK listeners.
Taking a Sabbatical as a Business Owner
In this episode of REWORK, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, join host Kimberly Rhodes to discuss the power of taking sabbaticals as business owners.
Leaving the Cloud Part 2
In October 2022, 37signals announced they would transition off cloud services in a post titled “Why We’re Leaving the Cloud.”
The Power of Time Off
Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, advocate for taking extended breaks from work, as outlined in their book "It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work." While this practice is relatively common in many parts of the world, it’s less common in North America.
The Challenges of Remote Work
Remote work has become increasingly popular in recent years, offering several benefits, such as increased flexibility and the ability to work anywhere globally.
Hire Great Writers
Writing is crucial for communication and collaboration in both remote and in-person organizations.
Hire Managers of One
“Everyone should manage themselves” has been a core principle at 37signals from day one and has continued to be key as the company has expanded.
What's in a Name
37signals has undergone some name changes since its inception over 20 years ago: starting as 37signals in 1999, then changing to Basecamp in 2014, before switching back to 37signals in 2022.
8's Enough 40's Plenty
Are you working over 40 hours a week while putting your personal life on hold?
Pick A Fight
If you follow Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the co-founders of 37signals, anywhere online, you know they aren’t afraid to speak their minds and stand up for what they believe in.
Tales from the Front Lines
“When dealing with customers, especially those that are angry, there are always two tokens on the table. One is the token for it just doesn’t matter. It’s not a big deal. And the other token is it’s the end of the world. We pick one, and the customer picks the other.”—Chase Clemons
Put Everyone on the Front Lines
What is your method of connecting with your customers? Does your product or service make sense to them, and do you understand how they see it?
Year in Review: Growing as a Company
With the year ending, it’s a good time to reflect on how far you’ve come in the past year as a company.
Sound Like You
A small business has many benefits, like being able to move quickly, stay flexible and pivot when needed, something big businesses can’t do as easily.
Let Your Customers Outgrow You
Customer relationships don’t have to last forever. Keeping your hands wrapped around every customer will only lead to trying to evolve into something you’re not is the death knell for your business.
Your Estimates Suck
“Getting out of estimates and getting into appetites and budgets is the single most important thing that we have instituted.”— David Heinemeier Hansson
Come Small, Come All
There’s a lot of talk in the tech world about getting bigger, growing as fast as you can, and getting investor money so you can scale quickly.
Out-Teach Your Competition
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonThroughout its tenure, 37signals has consistently grown without spending much on marketing.
Small BusinessCompany Meet-Up: Amsterdam Edition
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonMeetups offer remote companies an opportunity to gather away from the day-to-day for more in-depth conversations that foster deeper relationships for the team and bigger leaps for the company.
Small BusinessDecisions are Temporary
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonCo-founders of 37signals, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss decision making within an organization. Small businesses have the advantage of being nimble and able to change course quickly, so there’s no reason to get caught up in the “what ifs.”
Small Business, DHH and Jason FriedLeaving the Cloud
with David Heinemeier Hansson and Eron NicholsonCloud services have been used by tech companies for many years, but it’s not the only way. Hear why 37signals is making the decision to go in another direction.
Big TechDon't be a Hero
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonYou’ve been working on a thing for days, weeks, maybe months and you’re still nowhere near finishing. Our natural instinct is to say, “I’ve already put this much time and energy into it, might as well finish.” Well, most of the time this is wrong. You’re not getting that time back either way and...
REWORK RevisitedQuick Wins
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonBuilding and maintaining momentum is one of the most underrated things you can do when building products. Keep moving forward by shipping work early and often. The longer something takes, the less likely it is you’ll finish it. At 37signals, we work in six-week cycles, but even six weeks is a long...
REWORK RevisitedGood Enough is Fine
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonAt 37signals, we tend to solve problems by finding a “judo solution.” The simplest, easiest, cheapest solution that gets you 90% of the way there. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be great. It just has to be good enough. Part of this is reframing and simplifying the problem itself....
REWORK RevisitedMeetings are Toxic (Season 2)
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonMeetings are the worst type of interruption. A one-hour meeting with five people is actually five hours of productivity lost. They’re also horrible at conveying information. So, why do so many companies jump to meetings as the first option. Next time try writing something up, jumping on a a...
REWORK RevisitedBubble Up
with Michelle HarjaniA close look at how we develop features at 37signals. Designer Michelle Harjani walks Shaun through the entire process of making the Bubble Up Feature in HEY.
Basecamp Behind the Scenes, HEYInterruption is the Enemy of Productivity
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonHaving a calendar peppered with meetings or other commitments is horrible for productivity. Most people need at least a few hours or even days of completely uninterrupted alone time in order to do their best work. On this episode Jason and David give some strategies for creating the empty space you...
REWORK RevisitedReasons to Quit
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonAre you doing work that matters or are you just doing what you think you should be doing? Sinking too much time into something that you should have quit working on weeks ago is an easy trap to fall into. Avoid it by asking yourself some simple questions:
REWORK RevisitedIllusions of Agreement
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonSimply describing your pitch can cause the illusion of agreement. Everyone may have a completely different idea of what you’re talking about. Try sketching it out, hum the melody you want to create, or, better yet, start building the thing. Removing these levels of abstraction ensures everyone is on...
REWORK RevisitedLaunch Now
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonIf you had to launch your thing in just two weeks what would you cut out? Put off anything you don’t absolutely need for launch. You can always build that stuff later when you have more information. It’s best to just get it out there!
REWORK RevisitedSell Your By-products (Season 2)
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonHenry Ford turned wood scraps from Model T production into charcoal. That company is now called Kingsford and it’s the leading manufacturer of charcoal in America. 37signals was a small web design firm before it started selling the project management tool it made to communicate with clients. That’s...
REWORK RevisitedTone is in Your Fingers
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonAny photographer will tell you it doesn’t really matter what camera you use if you know how to take a good picture. So often, businesses obsess over getting a fancy office, the best software or breakroom snacks, when they really should be focusing on getting customers and making money. It doesn’t...
REWORK RevisitedFocus on What Won't Change
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonA lot of companies focus on chasing hot trends or new technology. That’s all fine and good, but the core of your business should be built around the things that people will always want. In the case of Basecamp, that means speed, simplicity, and great customer service. For a company like Amazon, it...
REWORK RevisitedThrow Less at the Problem
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonWhen things aren’t working, it’s human nature to throw more at the problem. More money, more people, more time. However, this usually ends up making the problem bigger. So, do less! Reframe the problem in such a way that it can be solved with fewer people, less money, and without endlessly pushing...
REWORK RevisitedBe a Curator
with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonEveryone has more ideas than they can realistically fit in a product. A good museum doesn’t just throw everything in its collection up on the walls. There’s a curation process. Someone says, “no.” It’s in making these edits that the real product comes out, so embrace it!
REWORK Revisited