In their book REWORK, 37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson write about the power of saying no. This week on the podcast, they revisit that idea, diving into the hidden costs of saying yes and the burden of commitments that often come with it. They also discuss how saying no preserves simplicity and helps maintain focus.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:45 – Saying yes often comes with regret
• 03:00 – Yes feels good until it’s time to fulfill the commitment
• 07:58 – Adding features to products often results in layered complications
• 14:53 – Saying no is more difficult when you have the capacity to say yes
• 19:51 – The courage to say no creates space for simplicity
• 29:30 – The best way to say to no to customer requests

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

Twice a year, 37signals brings the entire team together for a company meet-up. In this week’s episode of The REWORK Podcast, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson reflect on how these meet-ups began and how they've evolved over time. They also discuss how they prepare for the meet-ups and the importance of the venue selection.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:50 - Jason shares the early history of 37signals' meet-ups
• 02:18 - Why in-person conferences build deeper connections than online meetings
• 06:57 - How the location and architecture of meeting spaces can elevate the experience
• 15:30 - Weighing the financial cost of a meet-up against the value it delivers
• 18:48 - Memories from the company's Atlanta gathering
• 22:17 - An inside look at the meet-up agenda

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

37signals’ co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson explore the many benefits of having full control over their business. They talk about the importance of taking measured profits and running an efficient operation, which allows freedom to create without constraints. This approach gives them room for trial and error and plenty of flexibility for expanded opportunities.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:41 - The launch of Writebook confirmed 37signals' achievement of optionality
• 03:19 - Ideas and decisions don’t have to be perfect when a company is run efficiently
• 09:26 - 37signals history with buyout offers
• 11:22 - When it was tempting to consider venture capital offers
• 18:03 - Finding fulfillment in doing what you love rather than creating solely for profit

Links and Resources:

“Achieving Optionality” HEY World post by Jason Fried

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

It's been reported that up to 75% of the population has a fear of public speaking. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, recount some of their previous speaking engagements and share a few tips for building the skill. They discuss the styles of successful speakers and their thoughts on being over prepared.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:47 - Jason recalls his first speaking gig
• 02:30 - David shares his preferred style of delivering a talk
• 06:48 - Preparing for talks, podcasts, and Q&A sessions
• 08:15 - Preparing for keynote speeches and speaking with authenticity
• 13:05 - Examples of great public speakers who are authentically themselves on stage
• 14:43 - Being comfortable improvising a bit on stage

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

37signals' co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss their unique approach of operating without full-time managers. They reflect on the company's experience with full-time managers and share why they've moved to a flatter organization.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:54 - The before and after of 37signals' experience with full-time managers
• 08:34 - The founders thoughts on being directly involved in the business
• 10:36 - Why the company's management hierarchy works best for the founders
• 17:17 - 37signals' career ladder doesn't necessarily mean people leadership
• 20:03 - What company size makes sense for having more management layers

Links and Resources:

• HEY World post – We once more have no full-time managers at 37signals
• 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

This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founders of 37signals, examine why it's advantageous to keep things simple — in both products and business. They challenge the idea that complex or bespoke tools are the best way to go and lean into not overcomplicating things.

Key Takeaways:

• 00:34 - The power of keeping things simple
• 10:55 - Why small businesses don't need to act like big businesses
• 12:04 - The beauty of embracing what you don’t know when starting something new
• 18:01 - Building products with depth versus surface area
• 23:09 - Knowing when to listen to customers for product input and ideas

Links and Resources:

Merchants of Complexity Post by David Heinemeier Hansson

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

37signals works in 6-week cycles, which begin with a Kickoff and wrap up with a Heartbeat. In this week’s REWORK podcast, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down the purpose and benefits of the Kickoff and Heartbeat documents and share tips for implementing this process across an organization.

Key Takeaways

• 00:40 - When 37signals started using Kickoffs and Heartbeats
• 02:13 - Details of the Kickoff write-up process
• 07:34 - How much input Jason and David have in the Kickoff
• 13:43 - What Kickoffs & Heartbeats look like for departments with ongoing work
• 17:37 - The Heartbeats as an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the work of individual employees and team
• 22:50 - The benefits of writing up work summaries for institutional history

Links and Resources

Shape Up

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

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