Business lessons from 37 Signals

It wasn’t too long after I settled into my job as VP of Interactive Media at The Californian in Spring 2006 that I found a raw copy of “Getting Real” stuffed into one of the drawers in my new office.

The book’s official title -- “Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application” -- doesn’t begin to describe its real message: Think differently by questioning traditional tendencies to build big, instead of small. Specifically, build lean-and-mean software that focuses on what’s important instead of flashy but rarely used bells and whistles (Think Google Docs instead of Microsoft Word).

It’s been more than five years since the folks at 37 Signals self-published “Getting Real ” (sample the free web version). The book has since has become a revelation in tech circles, and helped 37 Signals become a leading provider of business-productivity software, most notably, Basecamp. “Getting Real” also gave 37 Signals a reputation as a company with sage insight, which has been shared via product lines, blog posts, conference presentations and a podcast.

That’s all led up to Tuesday, when 37 Signals founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson will release their second book, called “REWORK.” The video above delivers a mood-setting tone, but the explanatory "REWORK" podcast makes it clear Fried and Heinemeier Hansson firmly believe “REWORK” isn’t your typical business book, more "revolutionary" than evolutionary.

Click to read more ...