REWORK

Competing with giants, the end of SaaS & other listener questions

Fresh listener questions are on the table this week. Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson tackle whether small builders can realistically compete with industry heavyweights, what the AI agent wave actually means for the future of SaaS, and whether mixing your personal social presence with your business is a smart move or a mistake.Key Takeaways00:11 – Competing in a market dominated by big players04:40 – Is AI really the end of SaaS as we know it?15:52 – When it makes sense to build versus buy17:43 – Personal social accounts and promoting your businessLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastWatch The REWORK podcast on YouTubeBasecamp is the no-nonsense project management system. Sign up for free at Basecamp.comHEY is a fresh take on email. Sign up for a 30-day free trial at HEY.comFizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Sign up for free at fizzy.doBooks by 37signalsJason Fried on XDavid Heinemeier Hansson on X

Rapid Fire Q&A with Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

No prep, no filters, just questions. Host Kimberly Rhodes puts Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson on the spot with a fresh round of rapid fire questions covering everything from recent reads and AI discoveries to memorable customer service moments and what they've started or stopped doing to make work better.Key Takeaways00:10 – Recent books worth reading02:13 – Something surprisingly good about AI right now08:36 – A standout customer service experience12:36 – Something started or stopped that made work or life better14:21 – A favorite part of a typical work weekLinks and ResourcesSomething Deeply Hidden by Sean CarrollThe Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil HoweRecord a video question for the podcastWatch The REWORK podcast on YouTubeBasecamp is the no-nonsense project management system. Sign up for free at Basecamp.comHEY is a fresh take on email. Sign up for a 30-day free trial at HEY.comFizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Sign up for free at fizzy.doBooks by 37signalsJason Fried on XDavid Heinemeier Hansson on X

We'll do it live

Showing off your product in real time, with real customers, changes everything. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson walk through why 37signals has been hosting live demos and Q&A sessions since the Basecamp 5 launch, what makes the format work, and why being accessible and unafraid of your customers is underrated.Key Takeaways00:10 – How (and why) 37signals is embracing live sessions with customers07:47 – Why showing beats telling when it comes to your own product13:47 – Being open about what you don't know16:16 – Showing work in progress without fear17:42 – Learning to show off what you built with confidence19:56 – People choose who they do business withLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastWatch The REWORK podcast on YouTubeBasecamp is the no-nonsense project management system. Sign up for free at Basecamp.comHEY is a fresh take on email. Sign up for a 30-day free trial at HEY.comFizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Sign up for free at fizzy.doBooks by 37signalsJason Fried on XDavid Heinemeier Hansson on X

What's the worst that could happen?

Many entrepreneurs spend more time worrying about what could go wrong than actually finding out. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson detail how 37signals approaches experimentation, why lowering the stakes on most decisions leads to better ones, and how letting go of outcomes is both a mental discipline and a business strategy.Key Takeaways00:10 – Where the willingness to just try things comes from02:40 – The freedom that comes with not having to cover your bases before every decision08:51 – Nobody can predict how customers will react13:04 – How long do you give something before moving on?18:01 – Things don't always pan out21:29 – Anything you build can roll forward into the next product ideaLinks and ResourcesJeff Bezos explains one-way door decisions and two-way door decisionsRecord a video question for the podcastWatch The REWORK podcast on YouTubeBasecamp is the no-nonsense project management system. Sign up for free at Basecamp.comHEY is a fresh take on email. Sign up for a 30-day free trial at HEY.comFizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Sign up for free at fizzy.doBooks by 37signalsJason Fried on XDavid Heinemeier Hansson on X

Start Here: Building a better onboarding experience

Getting a new customer through the door is one thing, but making sure they understand how things work is another. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down how (and why) 37signals redesigned the onboarding experience with their latest version of Basecamp, why onboarding is one of the easiest things to overlook, and what it looks like when founders stay personally connected to that first impression.Key Takeaways00:09 – What Basecamp's onboarding looked like before, and what changed with Basecamp 504:01 – Why onboarding is one of the hardest things to get right08:33 – Why the people who built it are best suited to showcase it to customers11:07 – Using onboarding to introduce who you are, not just what you builtLinks and ResourcesRecord a video question for the podcastWatch The REWORK podcast on YouTubeBasecamp is the no-nonsense project management system. Sign up for free at Basecamp.comHEY is a fresh take on email. Sign up for a 30-day free trial at HEY.comFizzy is a modern spin on kanban. Sign up for free at fizzy.doBooks by 37signalsJason Fried on XDavid Heinemeier Hansson on X