Jason Fried - web apps, cash flow and pricing

Download the MP3¹

Summary of the interview

1. 37signals has just released a new book, Getting Real², which is for anyone who has built or is considering building a web app
2. They sold just under 5,000 copies in only 3 weeks
3. They keep 100% of the profits as it’s self-published
4. The traditional publishing model works well for 1st time authors, but it’s not great for people who already have an audience
5. The book took about 3 - 6 months to pull all the content together for the book
6. Jason is able to manage so many web apps and projects because all of 37signals products are simple
7. Jason uses Backpack to keep track of his random personal info
8. They’re now trying coupons on their products and have had a significant impact on upgrades
9. Jason gets daily reports on how signups are going
10. Pay attention to cash flow, but don’t obsess
11. Keep an eye on expenses and don’t buy things you don’t need
12. They try to keep their decisions temporary, so the impact is smaller
13. If you keep decisions small, they’re often quicker to fix
14. They try to keep the number of pages low for each product
15. They take inspiration from Apple’s product pages
16. They’ve just finished the API for Basecamp³

URLs in this post:

1. Download the MP3: http://media.libsyn.com/media/carsonsystems/Vitamin_Interview_-_Jason_Fried.mp3
2. Getting Real: http://gettingreal.37signals.com
3. Basecamp: http://www.basecamphq.com