Quit measuring employee engagement

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It’s time to break our addiction to metrics — starting with employee engagement. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” I think this statement is bullshit. While I have utmost respect for Peter Drucker, whom I believe the quote is attributed to, I take issue with this statement’s over-the-top, rampant usage in the business world. Whether… keep reading

How to start

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Quite a few years ago I found myself in a situation where I wanted to start my own business. I was sick of working at the places I was working at, and I wanted to get out on my own. Problem was… I had no idea what that was. I didn’t have any obvious breakout… keep reading

The Business Cycle, Part 1

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Illustration by Nate Otto Worksman Cycles is the oldest American bicycle manufacturer that still makes its products in the U.S. Founded in New York in 1898, Worksman has outlasted the demise of American cycle manufacturing by focusing on a niche category: heavy duty tricycles that factory workers use for hauling equipment and getting around industrial plants.… keep reading

Paranoia won’t save you in the end

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Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, implanted paranoia as a virtuous neurosis in a generation of managers with his famous quote: “Only the paranoid survives”. Since then, it’s been an article of faith amongst much of the business world that you should be working in constant fear and suspicion of the competition, or you… keep reading

Building products

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What’s it going to take to get traction? “Make something people want.” “Minimum viable products.” “Talk to users and build features.” These are all common phrases used amongst those of us who are focused on building products. But I recently had a great reminder… It’s amazing how much of a phenomenon American Girl is. If… keep reading

Paying customers, not paying Facebook, Google, or Twitter.

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Our new Basecamp Referral Program splits $100 between existing customers and new customers rather than putting it in the pocket of those that track your every move online. Last year we experimented with running ads on Facebook, Google, and Twitter. All-in we spent 6 figures on the experiment. And then we stopped. But what stopped us… keep reading

Launch: Our Knowledge Center! 📚

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I’ve always believed that getting to know your company better requires more than using a piece of software alone. Yes, Know Your Company has been helpful to thousands of people all over the world… But if you want to foster a sustainable culture of feedback within your team, you have to change how you do… keep reading

11 ways to get feedback from your most introverted employee

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I’m an introvert. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them this (I do a lot of public speaking for an introvert 😳), but I am an introvert through-and-through. When I need to recharge, I seek alone time as opposed to being around a group people. As an introvert, I also tend to avoid… keep reading

New in Basecamp 3 for iOS 3.4.1

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You know that with the Android app getting updated so recently, that an update to the iOS app was not far behind. In fact, the iOS team (Jason Z, Tara, Dylan and Zach) launched the latest version last week! It’s got a sweet set of new features I’m excited to share with you. Hey! Who… keep reading

“Write drunk; edit sober”

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A quote often (and probably inaccurately) attributed to Ernest Hemingway. And if you take the quote too literally, you’ll miss the power of what it teaches. We have at least two sides when it comes to creating something. On one, we see endless possibility. We can create anything our minds conjure. The muses are everywhere.… keep reading