On March 30th, we’ll reveal insights from almost 300 companies and 15,000 employees in a hands-on, in-depth workshop… Over the past three years as the CEO of Know Your Company, I’ve heard numerous business owners say a version of this to me: “Claire, I dig your software and the methodology behind it… but is there… keep reading
My daughter sucks at drawing. It’s not her fault. She’s two. But you can tell she’s getting frustrated her skill doesn’t match what she wants to accomplish. Yesterday, she wanted me to color alongside her. She ordered me to color inside the lines. She wanted to see how it was done, and then wasn’t happy… keep reading
Illustration by Nate Otto In 1989, Deborah Maris Lader had recently moved to Chicago and was looking for a studio where she could make prints and meet other artists. She couldn’t find a place like that, so she opened her own: the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative. Deborah also took the unconventional step of setting up the print… keep reading
Stop using a key, start pressing a button When you’re building a new product, you’re often thinking about all the new things people are going to be able to do with it. Now they can do this, now they can do that. Exciting! But there’s a better question to ask: What are people going to stop… keep reading
There is no higher God in Silicon Valley than growth. No sacrifice too big for its craving altar. As long as you keep your curve exponential, all your sins will be forgotten at the exit. It’s through this exponential lens that eating the world becomes not just a motto for software at large, but a… keep reading
You may think you’re competing with competitors, but you’re often competing with something, not someone. One dollar bid, now two, now two, will ya’ give me two? Two dollar bid, now three, now three, will ya’ give me three? I was recently talking to a guy who’s in the business of helping car dealers move used cars… keep reading
You wouldn’t use a race horse to drag a cart It’s no more sensible to talk about a single category of programmers than it is a single category of writers. Yes, an intimacy with the language is (usually) shared amongst writers, but otherwise journalists and poets don’t have a whole lot in common as part of… keep reading
Hunter Ashmore asks: “Out of academic curiosity, I’d love to hear your thoughts on funding growth… Is there a scenario where you would need external funding to address a growth opportunity, potentially resulting in short-term non-profitability?” For 17 years the answer to this question has been no. And as far as I can see moving… keep reading
I keep the Basecamp 3 desktop app open all day. I used to keep Basecamp open in the browser, but would sometimes accidentally close that tab and would miss a Ping or @ mention. The support team depends on communication, so now Basecamp 3 is my most used app after my web browser. Our account… keep reading
We’re outspoken about running a profitable company in an industry that so often eschews profits for potential. So why? People ask us why all the time. Why choose profit? So I thought I’d detail some of the reasons why we designed Basecamp, our company, to be profitable as quickly and consistently as possible. And 17… keep reading