REWORK, our new book on starting, building, and growing — or not growing — a business was released one week ago today. The book is selling out around the country and rocketed to #3 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list. Thanks to everyone who picked up a copy and spread the word.
But there’s this book right ahead of it by this guy named Karl Rove. Heard of him? Turns out his book just came out too. And he’s all over the press (well, part of it) pitching, pitching, and pitching.
We wondered how we could compete with Rove on the bestseller list. We don’t have the luxury of friends in high places. We don’t have national TV exposure. So how could we be Rovian and beat him at his own game? One thing immediately came to mind: An attack ad.
With a wink and a grin, we present the truth about Karl Rove’s “Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight” and 37signals’ REWORK:
Please direct all press/media inquires to Jason Fried at [email protected].
(Special thanks to Steve Delahoyde from Coudal for putting this together so quickly. We presented the idea in rough form late Thursday afternoon, and by Saturday morning we had the finished product uploaded to the Basecamp project. We owe you Steve.)
There are two kinds of companies I really like. One that ignores the competition entirely. And one that picks a fight. Method, and their new laundry detergent line, is a great example of the latter.
The new Method laundry product eschews the standard awkward, heavy, messy jug for a svelte, light, one-handed, easily stored, pump-powered dispenser bottle. It’s so much better.
They claim it works better too, but I’m not concerned about that for this post. Even if it works just the same, the form factor is a huge win.
I’ve run out of laundry detergent so many times because I haven’t felt like lugging home one of those big jugs when I was at the store (I often walk home and one of these jugs weighs nearly as much as everything else I’m buying). I’m always like “I’ll get it another time” and then it’s too late. But the new Method bottle is just like a bottle of water. There’s no barrier to carry.
The pump dispenser is perfect fit for laundry detergent. My pour spout detergent bottles almost always leak, drip, or get dirty from dust and grime that is attracted to the gooey viscous liquid. The pump ends all that. Four pumps for a normal load and you’re good to go.
Yes, there are more important problems in the world than laundry detergent, but I’m still glad Method picked a fight and kicked ass. This is a wonderfully designed product with a form factor has been taken for granted for too long. Good for them.
Ad agency Mullen chose to focus on Zappos’ famous customer service for their new ad campaign. The twist is, behind the puppets and comedy are recordings of actual customer service calls. Mullen’s making of video explains how they basically pranked Zappos to get the audio for the ads. The results are funny, fresh, and true to the experience of calling Zappos. Awesome stuff.
37signals Answers (recently launched) is our first new app built with 37signals ID integration. That means everyone involved is using real names and avatars.
And wow, what a difference it makes. Trading anonymity for accountability has led to radically improved conversations.
I’d point to a specific example but it’s more what’s missing now. A lot less antagonism and a lot more thoughtfulness and general politeness. Great to see.
A perfectionist is someone who finishes the backside of a drawer, which I consider completely unnecessary.
The First of Elvis [Vanity Fair] is an interesting profile of photographer Al Wertheimer’s days of shadowing Elvis Presley in 1956, the year Elvis-mania hit. Wertheimer describes what made Elvis different:
“He dared to move,” says Wertheimer. “Singers just did not move onstage in those days. You stood there like Frank Sinatra or Perry Como, and you sang from the waist up. Elvis broke all the rules. He moved his hips. He charged the microphone. He was introducing something that was just not acceptable to grown-ups and the more conservative groups. I have the William Morris guys getting him into a corner, and they’re giving him advice: ‘Now, Elvis, look, you get up there, you sing your song, but don’t move too much.’ Elvis dutifully listened. He wouldn’t argue with them. But once he got onstage he did what he wanted. And it created such a sensation. Not because you could hear him sing—there was too much screaming going on. The kids loved it. And the kids were the ones who bought the 45s.”
Funny to imagine those experts sitting Elvis down and telling him that he’s got to stop moving onstage. Shows you the problem with blindly following experts: They’re experts on the past. No one is an expert on the future.
Often, people “in the know” try to fit you into a mold of what’s come before. If it’s foreign, strange, or new from how they’re used to working, they’ll tell you it’s wrong. But innovators know to follow the screams, not the William Morris guys.
37signals is going to be at SXSW in full force. We’re showing up eight strong. Jason will be doing a reading from REWORK and a book signing on Saturday at 10AM on the Day Stage. Yours truly will be talking about Why You Aren’t Done Yet on Sunday at 11AM in Ballroom A with a book signing following that.
We hope to meet a ton of customers, readers, and anyone else who wants to chat at SXSW. If you see anyone at the conference with a 37signals badge, please walk up and say hi. And please do bring your copy of REWORK if you want it signed too.
International versions are either out already or coming soon. Check with your local retailer. There’s also an audiobook version read by Mike Chamberlain (listen to a sample).
At the book site, you’ll now find a PDF that includes five essays and illustrations from the book:
And here’s the copy from the inside flap of the book, also a good primer on what you’ll find:
Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you’re looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf.
REWORK shows you a better, faster, easier way to succeed in business. Read it and you’ll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don’t need outside investors, and why you’re better off ignoring the competition.
The truth is you need less than you think. You don’t need to be a workaholic. You don’t need to staff up. You don’t need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don’t even need an office. Those are all just excuses.
What you really need to do is stop talking and start working. This book shows you the way. You’ll learn how to be more productive, how to get exposure without breaking the bank, and tons more counterintuitive ideas that will inspire and provoke you.
With its straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, REWORK is the perfect playbook for anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing it on their own. Hardcore entrepreneurs, small-business owners, people stuck in day jobs they hate, victims of “downsizing,” and artists who don’t want to starve anymore will all find valuable guidance in these pages.
Fried and Hansson are the Henry David Thoreaus of entrepreneurship. They preach doing less and embracing constraints…Written with genuine voice — a sometimes cranky and profane voice at that.
This isn’t just a book about changing your business, it’s about changing how you think about business, and is, perhaps, one of the most important books you’ll read this year. Whether you’re admin or CEO, there are many things to learn, and this book offers some great insight into how we all can waste less time, offer people more value, and accomplish things we’ve not yet imagined.
