Jason Fried challenges your thinking on fundraising, goals, growth, and more

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

December 17, 2023

Duration

1h 49m

Channel

Lenny's Podcast

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Jason Fried is the co-founder and CEO of 37signals, the maker of Basecamp and HEY. 37signals is a very different kind of company. With fewer than 80 employees, they have over 100,000 customers, generate tens of millions of dollars in profit each year, and have no investors, board, or any plans to ever raise money or sell the company. In our conversation, we explore a path many tech founders never consider—bootstrapping. We discuss:

• Why he and his team prioritize profit above all else
• The unexpected challenges with raising venture capital
• The “Shape Up” framework for building products
• Why, and how, to foster a gut-driven culture
• Jason’s thoughts on why work should not feel like war
• Advice for starting a bootstrapped business
• The philosophy behind Once, 37signals’s new line of software products

— Brought to you by Coda—Meet the evolution of docs: https://coda.io/lenny | Sidebar—Accelerate your career by surrounding yourself with extraordinary peers: https://www.sidebar.com/lenny?utm_source=lennys&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=waitlist&utm_content=accelerate | Wix Studio—The web creation platform built for agencies: https://www.wix.com/studio?utm_source=Lennyspodcast&utm_medium=Podcastad&utm_campaign=SL Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/jason-fried-challenges-your-thinking Where to find Jason Fried:

• X: https://twitter.com/jasonfried
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-fried/
• Email: jason@hey.com

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Jason’s background (03:49) The success of 37signals (06:46) When raising money makes sense (09:58) The power of small teams (13:55) Defining success and goals (17:08) Playing “infinite games” in life (20:11) Starting a business vs. staying in business (22:13) Lessons from 25 years in business (27:28) Venture scale vs. bootstrapping (30:30) Choosing the right path for your business (33:19) The “Shape Up” framework (37:59) The drawback of promises (39:56) Adopting a new way of working (41:36) The two-week cooldown (43:53) Trusting intuition and gut (46:41) Creating a gut-driven culture (49:44) What Jason looks for in new hires (56:19) Advice on making changes and adapting (01:00:06) What Jason has changed his mind about (01:02:33) Planning in 6-week stretches and figuring it out as you go (01:06:43) Being proud of the work you do (01:09:05) Jason’s thoughts on why work should not feel like war (01:11:31) Advice for starting a bootstrapped business (01:14:33) You must be at peace with the worst that can happen (01:15:42) The benefits of bootstrapping (01:19:11) The value of constraints in business (01:22:00) Jason’s philosophy: “Just keep making great shit” (01:23:19) Once, 37signals’s new line of software products (01:26:33) The philosophy behind Once (01:35:47) Closing thoughts (01:37:23) Lightning round Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Jason Fried

  guest

• Lenny Rachitsky

  host

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lenny's Podcast, featuring Jason Fried and Lenny Rachitsky, Jason Fried challenges your thinking on fundraising, goals, growth, and more explores jason Fried argues profits, constraints, and independence beat hyper-growth Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of 37signals (Basecamp, HEY), explains why he believes most startups should avoid venture capital, stay small, and obsess over profitability rather than growth. He contrasts his 24-year, always-profitable, investor-free company with typical VC-backed software businesses that prioritize scale, headcount, and revenue over margins and sustainability.

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