Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

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

656 snips

Dec 17, 2023

Jason Fried, co-founder and CEO of 37signals, shares his unconventional approach to business. He emphasizes profit over venture capital, advocating for a bootstrapped path that prioritizes authenticity and sustainable growth. Fried introduces the innovative 'Shape Up' framework for project management, encouraging intuition in decision-making. He discusses the benefits of creative execution, flexible product strategies, and the importance of enjoying work without the stress of conventional pressures. His insights challenge the norms of tech entrepreneurship.

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ANECDOTE

37signals' Success

37signals has been profitable for 24 years, earning double-digit million-dollar profits annually.
They have 100,000+ paying customers and about 75 employees, prioritizing profit and a small, efficient team.

INSIGHT

Venture Capital's Drawbacks

Software businesses often unnecessarily seek venture capital despite low startup costs.
This pursuit of hypergrowth can be detrimental, limiting options for sustainable success.

INSIGHT

Small Teams, Big Impact

37signals prioritizes efficiency and small teams over growth, unlike competitors with larger workforces.
They offer simple pricing, a single codebase, and limit feature teams to two people with six-week deadlines.

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Hell Yeah or No

What's Worth Doing

Derek Sivers

This book by Derek Sivers is a collection of short, concise chapters offering practical wisdom on decision-making, prioritization, and living a fulfilling life. The central philosophy is that one should only commit to things that elicit a 'hell yeah' response, and say 'no' to everything else. This approach helps in avoiding burnout and ensuring time and energy are dedicated to the most important and exciting activities. The book covers themes such as what’s worth doing, fixing faulty thinking, and making things happen, providing numerous mental models and life lessons to apply in daily life.

Several short sentences about writing

Verlyn Klinkenborg

Finite and infinite games

James P. Carse

In this book, James P. Carse distinguishes between finite and infinite games. Finite games are instrumental activities with clear rules, boundaries, and winners, such as sports, politics, and wars. Infinite games, on the other hand, are authentic interactions that aim to continue the play, changing rules and boundaries as needed. Carse explores how these concepts apply to various aspects of life, including culture, religion, sexuality, and self-discovery. He argues that finite games offer wealth, status, and power, while infinite games provide something more subtle and grander, such as true freedom and endless possibility. The book offers insights into how approaching life as either a finite or infinite game affects one's choices, satisfaction, and success[2][4][5].

It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work

David Heinemeier Hansson

Jason Fried

Poor Charlie's Almanack

The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

Charles T. Munger

Peter D. Kaufman

Originally published in 2005, Poor Charlie's Almanack is a collection of eleven talks delivered by Charles T. Munger between 1986 and 2007. Edited by Peter D. Kaufman, this book draws on Munger's extensive knowledge across various fields to provide a framework for rational and rigorous approaches to life, learning, and decision-making. It is renowned for its sharp wit and rhetorical flair, making it an essential read for investors, entrepreneurs, and anyone seeking to enhance their wisdom and critical thinking skills.

Home-Made

Contemporary Russian Folk Artifacts

Vladimir Arkhipov

This book showcases over 220 handmade objects from Soviet and post-Soviet Russia, highlighting the ingenuity and resourcefulness of ordinary people in creating functional items from available materials. It includes stories of the makers and the context behind each artifact, offering a glimpse into the daily lives and challenges faced during that era.