This week on the REWORK podcast, 37signals co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson answer another round listener questions. Jason and David talk about the ups and downs of their long-running business partnership and friendship, tackle a critical question about Basecamp, and share their thoughts on starting a new company. Plus, they reveal the inspiration behind their Campfire software.

Key Takeaways

00:34 – How Jason and David's partnership has stood the test of time

09:21 – A listener's opinion on Basecamp's shortcomings

14:56 – Advice for building a new company from the ground up.

25:35 – Creating products out of a need versus seeing a business opportunity

Links and Resources

Is group chat making you sweat?

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, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, return from a summer hiatus to answer a new set of listener questions. They dive into topics like the role of A.I. in writing and their updated thoughts on staying Facebook-free. REWORK host, Kimberly Rhodes also gets in a question of her own.

Key Takeaways

00:38 - Emphasizing the importance of using your own voice in writing rather than relying on AI

05:50 - Discussing how targeted advertising can be beneficial for some but not for everyone

08:50 - One disagreement with a company or person shouldn't lead to complete condemnation

19:28 - David shares his reflections on taking a summer break from X (formerly Twitter)

Links & Resources

Google pulls Dear Sydney ad

Google - Dear Sydney Ad

ONCE.com

Jobs at 37signals

Books by 37signals

HEY World

The REWORK Podcast

The 37signals Dev Blog

37signals on YouTube

37signals on X

In their book REWORK, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson write about the benefits of building products and services that you use yourself. "The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or service is to make something you want to use." In this episode, originally aired November 2, 2021, Jason and David sit down with Shaun Hildner to discuss creating products that scratch your own itch.

Key Takeaways

• 00:43 – The origins of Basecamp and how it fulfilled an internal need
• 04:38 – Building to solve your own problems vs. someone else's
• 06:27 – The evolution of HEY and how it was created to solve their own frustrations with email
• 09:50 – How building for yourself leads to better quality control 
• 14:25 – The problem with creating MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) and building based on customer feedback alone

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 37signals Dev Blog
• 37signals on YouTube
• @37signals on X

In this episode of the Rework podcast, host Kimberly Rhodes chats with Eron Nicholson from 37signals' operations team. He shares insight on his role and the department's various functions. The conversation covers details on the ops team structure, system reliability, global expansion projects and more.

Key Takeaways

• 00:38 - Meet Eron
• 02:17 - The structure of the “ops” team
• 05:15 - On-call coverage and schedule
• 08:40 - Managing data center outages
• 13:25 - Balancing project cycles with system administration
• 16:56 - A sneak peek into the Amsterdam project

Links & Resources

• 37signals developers blog
• Optimizing Site Performance via Anycast Routing
• Jobs at 37signals
• ONCE.com
• Books by 37signals
• HEY World
• The REWORK Podcast
• The REWORK Podcast on YouTube
• The 37signals Dev Blog
• 37signals on YouTube
• 37signals on X

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

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