There is a way to bring your customers together in a meaningful way. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, host Kimberly Rhodes welcomes 37signals' Support Team members Merissa Dawson and Ashley Bowe to discuss how the Basecamp Community came to life. They describe how they've connected with Basecamp customers and how they've connected customers with each other. They also offer a few tips for anyone looking to start their own community of customers and company enthusiasts.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:40 – Meet Merissa and Ashley from Basecamp Support
• 01:54 – The Basecamp Community origin story
• 05:03 – The Community as a place for sharing and collaboration
• 07:20 – The 37signals team role within the Community
• 09:08 – Starting a community without fear of failure
• 13:27 – Tips for starting your own community of users and fans

Links and Resources:

• Join the Basecamp Community
• "Launch: 37signals Answers" from Signal v. Noise
• How Decent Espresso uses multiple tools in a single Basecamp project
• Books by 37signals
• 30-day free trial of HEY
• 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

Customer support is more than just a department — it’s a core feature of any great product. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, Kimberly Rhodes chats with Chase Clemons, Head of Customer Support at 37signals, about the company's view of support as a product feature. They discuss 37signals' approach to helping customers, the value of ongoing training, and how AI can fit into support strategy without sacrificing the personal connection.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:37 – Chase Clemons, Head of Support at 37signals
• 02:12 – Customer Support is a feature, not a cost center.
• 04:09 – Support should focus on the customer experience
• 06:36 – Using case studies to train your support team
• 07:49 – Team members are trusted to use good judgment
• 09:58 – Maintaining a friendly, conversational tone with customers
• 11:27 – Measuring success in Customer Support
• 14:12 – AI vs. the human element in Support
• 17:25 – Encourage customers to reach out

Links and Resources:

• Books by 37signals
• 30-day free trial of HEY
• 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

Wondering when it’s the right time to grow your team? In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals' co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson chat about their “hire when it hurts” approach as described in their book REWORK. They cover why you shouldn’t rush into bringing someone on board, how to know when there's a critical business need, and how to seize the moment when the right people show up.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:38 – Try tackling projects with the team you already have before hiring
• 02:43 – Some roles don’t call for a full-time position
• 07:33 – Knowing the difference between an actual staffing shortage vs. just being busy
• 09:48 – A workload spike doesn’t always mean it’s time to expand
• 12:33 – Snagging available talent early if you’re already planning to hire soon
• 15:35 – One open position can become multiple hires when the talent pool is just right

Links and Resources:

• Books by 37signals
• 30-day free trial of HEY
• 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

How does 37signals decide when software is ready to ship? In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss the company's Seven Shipping Principles. They dive into when a product update is good enough to ship and the importance of making updates to solve actual problems.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:11 – We only ship good work.
• 03:36 – The problem with MVPs
• 04:41 – We ship when we're confident.
• 10:08 – We own the issues after we ship.
• 13:41 – We don’t ship if it isn’t right.
• 17:11 –  Making sure your solution tackles a real problem
• 20:00 – We ship to our appetite.

Links and Resources:

• “Seven Shipping Principles” from the 37signals website
• Books by 37signals
• 30-day free trial of HEY
• 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 (originally aired February 1, 2022), 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson sit down with Shaun Hildner to discuss the consequences of building a business solely with the intention to sell. They share their perspective on building a business for the long haul versus for an exit.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:46 – Building a company to sell can encourage mediocre output
• 07:14 – Taking shortcuts is a reflection of one's character
• 09:41 – Why it's better to have a commitment strategy than an exit strategy
• 11:21 – Not all businesses should become unicorns
• 14:58 – What the founders would do if they had to begin again

Links and Resources:

• Books by 37signals
• Sign up for a 30-day free trial at Basecamp.com
• The REWORK podcast
• The Rework Podcast on YouTube
• The 37signals Dev Blog
• 37signals on YouTube
• @37signals on X

Bigger isn't always better. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share the drawbacks of chasing high-profile, enterprise deals. The two founders explain why they prefer their business model that's built around serving smaller clients. 

Key Takeaways:

• 00:35 – The biggest clients can quickly become the biggest burden and the biggest risk
• 07:10 – The hidden costs of “whale-sized” clients
• 12:35 – Things to consider when defining your ideal client
• 17:02 – Knowing what types of clients you'll enjoy working with
• 19:53 – How venture capital funding can make a difference when choosing your ideal clients

Links and Resources:

• "Don't have a biggest customer" from Jason Fried's HEY World
• "A Static Business is a Healthy Business" from Jason Fried's HEY World
• Books by 37signals
• 30-day free trial of HEY
• 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

As the year winds down, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson join host Kimberly Rhodes to talk about the company's end-of-year routine. They explain their process for the last few weeks of the year that aren't part of a formal six-week cycle, and they share what they gain from this transitional period of "wandering."

Key Takeaways:

• 00:43 – The informal end of year process
• 05:24 – Self-directed work, bug fixes, and tying up loose ends
• 08:22 – Using the downtime for forward thinking and planning
• 12:43 – Viewing the year end as a shift to the next chapter rather than a fresh start

Links and Resources:

30-day free trial of HEY

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

Before introducing a new product feature, it’s essential to first understand the problem you're trying to fix. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson share a recent experience designing a new feature in HEY. During the process, the team pivoted and changed direction, resulting in a better design.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:44 – The original product design plan and what changed along the way
• 02:31 – The difference between specifying the outcome and diagnosing the actual problem
• 06:27 – The design meeting where the team got to the root of the problem
• 08:32 – Why executive involvement early in the process adds value
• 13:39 – Pivoting on an original idea while maintaining the original appetite
• 16:04 – Creativity often comes when you've hit a roadblock
• 20:07 – The power of Power Through New 

Links and Resources:

30-day free trial of HEY

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

Remaining profitable in business is a simple equation — sales revenue exceeding operating costs. In this episode of The REWORK Podcast, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson explain why controlling costs should be a bigger focus than what your competition is doing. They share some simple strategies for analyzing costs and share why operating without a formal office space might be worth considering.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:37 – Why you should stop worrying about what everyone else is doing
• 02:26 – Focusing on the things within your control
• 06:58 – Analyzing your business' cash cows, dogs, and shooting stars
• 11:21 – Budgeting doesn’t always mean being frugal
• 12:24 – Weighing cost against value
• 16:16 – What the company gained by letting go of a physical office space
• 18:31 – Aesthetics of a well-run, profitable business
• 21:06 – The biggest expenses entrepreneurs often overlook

Links and Resources:

"You only compete with one thing" from Jason Fried's HEY World

"Our cloud-exit savings will now top ten million over five years" from David Heinemeier Hansson's HEY World

37signals' meet-up expenses

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

Every week, we invite listeners to send in their questions for 37signals’ co-founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. In this episode, they tackle a fresh set of asks, covering topics from managing multiple product lines, the company’s bonus structure, and their thoughts on incorporating AI into their tools.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:37 – How 37signals' looks at AI and using AI while exiting the cloud
• 03:47 – How to prioritize work when managing multiple product lines
• 11:33 – Deciding what problems to tackle first
• 18:49 – The company's take on equity and the structure of their profit-sharing plan

Links and Resources:

37signals' Employee Handbook

Basecamp classes with live Q&A

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