About the book
Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson and Matthew Linderman set down the principles their company 37signals follows in business, design, programming and marketing. The book is a collection of ideas rather than a technical manual or design tutorial, and it argues for simplicity, contrarian choices and unconventional ways of building software. The authors credit the same process with launching Basecamp, Campfire, Writeboard, Backpack and Ta-da List, plus the open-source framework Ruby on Rails, within two years, using no outside funding, no debt and a team of seven spread across seven time zones. Its intended readers are anyone working on a web application, from founders and designers to programmers, executives and marketers.
Anoop Anthony, co-founder and CTO of Sapaad, praised its bite-sized chapters and terse, practical advice on running a product software company. Gary Bury, co-founder of Timetastic, says he keeps going back to it and recommending it to others.
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This book has 4 recommendations
Gary Bury (Co-Founder/Timetastic)
I find it difficult to say I have a favorite business book, there is no perfect book in my opinion, each has its own elements to take away, and each will inevitably have elements that don’t apply to you or you disagree with. Getting Real by 37Signals is undoubtedly a book I refer back to and recommend to others. [...] was an important book for me, the ideas were defying conventional wisdom and teaching. I’m not a fan of large multi national businesses and the focus on corporate transactions, so to read something that aligned with my small business beliefs and focused on simplicity was gratifying. It was the kind of book that I read thinking, ‘yes, this is what I’ve been thinking all along, but never been able to vocalise’.
Joan Boixados (Founder/everydayCheck)
As a developer and bootstrapper I must recommend Getting Real by the guys at 37signals. It’s a compilation of articles on how to create a successful web applications by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried. Straight to the point, matching the bootstrapping culture they preach and apply. I deeply admire what they have accomplished and their message really resonates with my values.
Vincenzo Ruggiero (CEO/Prospect.io)
Question: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path?
Answer: Rework, Getting real and Remote - The combo from Fried and DHH.
Anoop Anthony (CTO & Co-Founder/Sapaad)
Written by the creators of Basecamp (formerly 37 signals), it is refreshingly bull-shit free for a business book. Each chapter is bite-sized — a little nugget of wisdom — usually a paragraph or two and often bracingly insightful. The book addresses the practical challenges of running and growing a product-based software company, and the advice is sometimes terse and brutal. (see 'Start with No", "Have an Enemy", "Always hire a writer," etc.). First published in 2006, Getting Real espoused a fiercely opinionated, common-sense approach to building a software company, rejecting traditional business tropes, offering a new paradigm for a new kind of business. Not only did Fried and Hansson practice what they preached, they were successful too. I'd still recommend this to a young software entrepreneur getting into the crowded technology space today.
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See more books recommended by
Gary Bury, Joan Boixados, Vincenzo Ruggiero, Anoop Anthony
See more books written by
Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Matthew Linderman
Often recommended alongside
- Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (2 shared recommenders)