Start Here: Building a better onboarding experience

Not every decision deserves a long deliberation. In this episode, co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson look back on 25 years of running 37signals, the handful of decisions that were truly irreversible, and why keeping a loose grip on most business calls has served them better than any spreadsheet ever could.Key Takeaways00:11 – The single one-way door decision at 37signals05:49 – Why most decisions barely take five minutes to make08:05 – How the sum of right choices matters more than any single one13:51 – Recognizing when the business stops moving forward16:41 – Letting go of decisions that didn't pan outLinks 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

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

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

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

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

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

Customer feedback is valuable, but not all of it deserves a spot on your to-do list. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson revisit a chapter from their book REWORK, sharing how 37signals filters feedback, why roadmaps can do more harm than good, and what happens when companies let fear drive their product decisions.Key Takeaways00:40 – Why writing down every customer request can work against you03:08 – Handling feedback on the technical and open source side07:37 – Why 37signals doesn't really use time specific roadmaps09:54 – How vague promises set customers up for disappointment13:33 – Avoiding promised feature regret16:10 – Don't let the fear of losing customers steer your decisions19:29 – Resisting the pressure to just "do something”Links 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

AI didn't just speed up the development of Basecamp 5, it changed how it was built. This week, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson break down how much of a role AI played in building their latest product, where it shines, and how 37signals had to adjust its process to keep their code base clean.Key Takeaways00:11 – How much of a role AI played in building Basecamp 509:55 – Where the intelligence technology truly excels14:42 – The new challenge of saying no when features become easier to build16:19 – Why a leaner product roadmap still matters18:32 – Staying "easy to use" while competitors focus on AI features20:44 – Why AI deserves both the hype and the skepticism25:12 – Token spend, productivity, and staying profitableLinks and ResourcesAI Agents welcome in BasecampRecord 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

Basecamp 5 is out in the world! In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson sit down with host Kimberly Rhodes to talk about some of the details of the launch and the big decisions that went into it. They discuss what went smoothly, what only a live rollout could reveal, and the response from current customers.Key Takeaways00:34 – How this launch compared to previous Basecamp versions03:50 – Setting (and moving) the launch date06:45 – How the mobile apps equaled a point of no return13:07 – Going live is when things get real16:31 – The decision to move all customers to Basecamp 5 at once19:52 – Handling the customers who push back hardest21:11 – How a great support team makes or breaks a major product transitionLinks and ResourcesSee where Basecamp is being used right now – basecamp.com/liveIf Your Product Is Great, It Doesn't Need to Be Good by Paul BuchheitRecord 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

With the launch of Basecamp 5 approaching, 37signals co-founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson discuss what happens inside their company when it enters “launch mode.” They talk about temporarily shifting priorities, the difference between routine operations and launch periods, and why putting lower-priority tasks on hold is often necessary to make meaningful progress. Plus, Jason and David share their favorite aspects of the newest version of Basecamp.Key Takeaways00:00 – Introduction00:10 – Pausing processes and the power of “not now”03:41 – Moving quickly and deciding to just build it08:38 – Pressing pause on routines to stay focused on the goal11:20 – Staying flexible while working through the chaos13:54 – What life after launch will look like20:54 – Jason and David share their favorite Basecamp 5 updatesLinks 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