A few weeks ago I had the chance to go hear Jason Fried, founder of 37signals, speak at the Illinois ITA. His company authored the book “Getting Real” and created the project collaboration software tool “Basecamp.” I have a lot of respect for Jason, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see him and hear some of his ideas first-hand.
Here is a list of some of the things Jason said that really resonated with me:
- Solve a real-life problem – if you’re having a problem, a lot of other people are probably having the same problem
- Out-teach vs. out-spend – when you can teach people and get them excited, they’ll do more for your marketing than any other marketing activity
- Don’t worry about an exit strategy
- Planning and roadmaps are overrated
- Be downmarket – when you’re a small company, simplicity can be key
- Target the user, not the buyer
- Do a few things well and then get out of the way
- Be a hammer, not a Swiss Army knife
- The interface is important, make it great
- You don’t have to be bigger to be better
- Clarity, not simplicity
- Build an audience, not a customer
- Sell it first, make it free later
- Have a point of view
- Have half a product, not a half-ass product
I also found a really good video of Jason doing a talk in Boston if you want to enjoy some of his ideas on your own.
