In this episode, Andrea LaRowe, Head of People Operations at 37signals, joins host Kimberly Rhodes to answer questions about the company's HR practices. They discuss the company's management structure and performance evaluations and what the company looks for when hiring. Andrea also shares what's involved in the All Hands meeting and tips for planning a company meet-up.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:42 - Meet Andrea
• 02:19 - 37signals' managerial structure and one-on-one process
• 06:15 - 360 evaluations and annual employee reviews
• 09:38 - What job applicants can do to stand out
• 12:45 - All-hands meetings
• 17:21 - Company meetups
• 21:57 - Hiring employees using the ‘manager of one’ concept

Links and Resources:

Jobs at 37signals

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

Once software products

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

In this podcast episode, Kimberly Rhodes talks with Jason Fried, CEO and co-founder of 37signals, about the process of naming products. He discusses practical considerations like domain availability, trademarks, and logo design.

Key Takeaways:

00:28 - The process of naming a product

03:05 - Researching domain names and trademarks

07:14 - The style of a product name

10:04 - The journey from the working title to the official title

13:11 - Designing and updating branding logos

20:48 - Gathering input on the name

Links and Resources:

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

Once | Campfire

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

In this episode, Kimberly Rhodes hosts a discussion with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the co-founders of 37signals, about their newest product. And the best news? It will be free and simple to use.

Key Takeaways:

00:26 - The next Once product

02:52 - The excitement of easily sharing free information in book form online

07:02 - Simplified publishing software that you completely control

12:12 - Starting a new product from scratch creates an open space for new ideas

15:55 - The various authors and enthusiasts that may want to use the new product

22:10 - Making the case on why this product is free

25:27 - Q&A from X (Twitter)

Links and Resources:

ONCE.com
Jason Fried on Twitter / X and LinkedIn
David Heinemeier Hansson on Twitter / X and LinkedIn
The 37signals Employee Handbook
Books by 37signals
Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com
HEY World | HEY
The REWORK podcast
The Rework Podcast on YouTube
The 37signals Dev Blog
37signals on YouTube
@37signals on X

REWORK's host Kimberly Rhodes discusses the unique marketing approach of 37signals with its co-founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. They talk about how their process is simply sharing their perspectives and products, instead of traditional advertising. They champion genuine interaction over transactional posts and content.

Key Takeaways:

00:37 - What Founder-Led Marketing means for 37signals

02:43 - The journey to finding the authentic voice of the brand

09:24 - Why paid advertising doesn’t always work as intended

16:50 - The love/hate relationship of posting content

27:19 - There are different decorums for different platforms

Links and Resources:

Saddleback Leather Company

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

In this podcast episode, REWORK host Kimberly Rhodes talks with David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founder of 37signals and CTO,  about his personal shift from using Apple products to exploring Linux and Windows platforms. He discusses the expanded platform integration at 37signals, which now includes all three operating systems.

Key Takeaways:

00:21 - The last straw with Apple

06:34 - Discovering Microsoft’s recent improvements and support of developers

10:30 - Linux and Windows work well together

13:27 - The user-friendly and upgradeable Framework laptop

17:45 - Transitioning 37signals to a multi-platform development team

22:58 - David’s recommended computing and operating systems

Links and Resources:

Steve Ballmer: Developers!

The Ikea Effect

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

In this episode, REWORK host Kimberly Rhodes, talks with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, about the importance of stepping out of the day-to-day operations as a founder. Giving employees room to call the shots can spark new ideas and get things done faster. It also inspires people to think beyond just following orders.

Key Takeaways:

00:34 - The result of holding your grip too tight in your organization

 02:36 - Find the middle ground between projects you should be directly involved in and those that can be managed by others

08:38 - Giving employees the freedom to make decisions can lead to increased productivity and better ideas

10:20 - Stepping in when it's necessary to realign urgency or quality

12:54 - Not all opinions weigh the same

15:28 - Trying to be involved in every task or decision reduces the organization's effectiveness

22:48 - Intent prompts people to think independently instead of just following a set of instructions, as described in the book Turn the Ship Around.

Links and Resources:

Staying Out of It Blog Post by Jason Fried

Turn The Ship Around book

Blue Ocean Strategy book

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

Elaine Richards, 37signals' Chief Operating Officer, shakes things up by flipping the script on host, Kimberly Rhodes. They discuss the behind-the-scenes work of producing the REWORK podcast and selecting topics that resonate with the audience. They even dive into Kimberly's background in podcasting and how the podcast has changed over time. 

Key Takeaways:

01:41 - It all started for Kimberly with an event industry podcast

05:19 - The process of creating and reviewing the final product

10:41 - Expanding episodes from audio-only to adding video

12:00 - Creating the video set 

14:01 - Broadening podcast content beyond the REWORK essays

19:15 - Not all episode ideas make it to air

20:58 - Evaluating the podcast stats

22:22 - The most popular REWORK Podcast themes and episodes

Podcasting Tools we use:

Podcast Recording – SquadCast
Podcast Hosting – Buzzsprout
Transcripts and Captions – Rev
Social Clips – Opus Clip

Episode Mentions:

David Heinemeier Hansson’s HEY World blog

Jason Fried’s HEY World blog

This Week In Weddings Podcast

Summer Fridays

Leaving The Cloud

How We Work: Fewer Meetings, More Check-Ins

Software Has Bugs

Ask the Founders: Live Q&A with Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

A Matter of Ambition - Part 2

Additional Links & Resources:

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

In this episode of Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, continue their discussion on ambition, focusing on generating ideas and the process of deciding which projects to pursue. They talk about the importance of experimentation, and how they decide which products to maintain or discontinue.

Key Takeaways:

00:38 - Experimenting and seeing what works in the market

03:07 - The more you build, the more ideas you generate

09:00 - Determining when a product is commercially viable

13:18 - The downfalls of overanalyzing a product before it’s built

17:31 - Balancing ambition with realistic timelines

Links and Resources:

https://killedbygoogle.com/

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

In this episode of Rework, host Kimberly Rhodes alongside 37signals co-founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, talk about the company's renewed sense of ambition and excitement for upcoming projects. They highlight the importance of keeping things fresh, while emphasizing the balance between ambition and practicality.

Key Takeaways:

00:41 - The source of the company’s ambition explained

02:18 - Sticking to fundamentals and simplicity can still have a major impact

06:09 - A hefty price tag on software doesn’t mean it’s good

11:29 - How 37signals structures teams for new product development

18:17 - Uncertainty can serve as adventure the exact path to success is not known

22:32 - A change in priorities is often necessary to fuel ambition

24:59 - The motivation is to make products better

Links and Resources:

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X

In this episode, host Kimberly Rhodes chats with 37signals' cofounders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson about the company's Summer Fridays policy, which grants employees a four-day workweek from May to September. While the perk encourages work-life balance and a feeling of seasonality, there are drawbacks to consider, like reduced productivity.

Key Takeaways:

00:46 - 37signals' Summer Friday policy and why it was initially introduced

03:09 - The trade-offs the company makes with summer hours

10:12 - The challenge with summer hours in the pursuit of more ambitious goals

13:09 - How the company balances coverage for always-on teams, like customer support

16:17 - The effect on team projects that require collaboration


Links and Resources:

Samsung shifts to emergency mode with 6-day work week for executives

The Hawthorne Effect

Books by 37signals

Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com

HEY World | HEY

The REWORK podcast

The Rework Podcast on YouTube

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

@37signals on X