8 Valuable Lessons I Learned From Basecamp
It’s no secret that I am a big Basecamp fan.
I am not talking about the product only here. It’s about the culture, the company and even the technology(I am talking to you RubyOnRails).
I have learned few lessons from them over the years. I thought it might be a good idea to share them.
So Here I am!
Lesson #1: Remote Work Is awesome
I didn’t start working remotely until I was a college freshman in the first quarter of 2013. It was around the time I began contributing to open source projects.
Remote: office not required hit the market on October 29th, 2013. It was an instant success.
I didn’t read the book until 2015. I knew about it thanks to this interview with DHH.
Jason Fried also gave a ted talk on why work doesn’t happen at the office.
I haven’t looked back ever since.
I won’t dig deeper into the subject since it’s not the purpose of this article. But if there is one thing I would tell you, it would be:
I highly recommend reading the book. It’s an eye opener.
Whether you are a student, a business owner, a salary-man or practically anyone who can read, there is definitely something for you there.
Lesson #2: Bigger Is Not Necessarily better
Since I started hanging out with entrepreneurs and attending related conventions, I have heard buzz words like growth, scalability, expansion, unicorn and the list goes on.
Against all odds, I am building a startup myself and I am going steadily with no external funding so far.
Basecamp has stayed small for 18 years. It wasn’t easy to fight temptations.
At present, the company has about 50 employees distributed in 32 cities worldwide and has been profitable for 17 years so far.
Lesson #3: Work Can wait
Working during weekends is pretty much routine in the bay area.
2017 started out strong me. I flew to Silicon Valley. And while the trip changed my life positively in so many ways, it had some rough edges too. I hit my burnout limit.
Dealing with the aftermath of that burnout was one of the worst things I have ever been through(yes I have seen worse). I had to learn the hard way that productivity is not about how long you work but how efficiently you use your time.
I ran into this work can wait mantra while I was exploring the settings of my Basecamp student account.
Jason fried works 40 hours weekly minus special occasions(tight deadlines, unexpected turn of events).
Lesson #4 : Do Fewer Things Every day
In August, I started writing on Medium again.
In less than 3 months, I had published 21 stories. I thought I could keep that momentum.
School didn’t agree with me. Yes! I am a software engineering student, an entrepreneur and a Medium writer.
I asked the only person capable in my opinion, Jason for help.
His response was quite surprising (at least for me). I didn’t know it was that simple. My mind took me to every productivity tip I could think of.
Long story short, it works!
Lesson #5: Writing Is essential
Among my gang — which is basically composed of software developers as well as entrepreneurs — I am the only one who writes on Medium.
It’s needless to say how Medium can turn your life around.
In a previous article, I mentioned Jason’s opinion on the importance of writing:
“Our top hiring criteria — in addition to having the skills to do the job — is, are you a great writer? You have to be a great writer to work here, in every single position, because the majority of our communication is written, primarily because a lot of us work remotely but also because writing is quieter. And we like long-form writing where people really think through an idea and present it.” Jason Fried
Signal Versus Noise is one of the most famous Medium publication. It may be surprising but they didn’t hire any content marketer. The basecamp staff and friends write there.
Both Jason and David spend a lot of time writing. Heck, they have published some hot best sellers.
Lesson #6: Boring Equals profitable
Basecamp has generated millions in revenues off a project management software as a service product.
I know what you are all thinking.
It’s boring!
We hear amazing stories on a daily basis about the hottest new startups. The ones trying to be the next Facebook or Google. Venture Capital firms keep throwing crazy irrational valuations to doomed businesses.
Did you know that for every unicorn that sees the light, countless ponies die?
Basecamp is not trying to change the world. Basecamp is solving a serious problem. Basecamp is helping businesses do great work.
That’s all! No more no less.
Reconsider is one of my favorite pieces on the matter. A must read!
Lesson #7: Be Human While Doing business
Customer Support is underrated.
Most businesses invest little to no money in this department. I have nightmares dealing with other businesses especially in Tunisia.
Basecamp is rocking this department. They understand the importance of a great customer experience.
Last year, my English teacher asked us to make a research about customer acquisition strategies followed by a case study from our favorite company.
I didn’t think twice. I picked Basecamp. Instead of just googling for information, I made a smarter move and reached out to the Basecamp support team asking for webinars.
Within five minutes or less, I received a response. Emails kept going back and forth between me and Jayne.
A funny thing happened actually. I was crafting a response when I accidentally hit the reply button. I was nervous and sent another email apologizing.
She was cool and gave me enough information about the subject.
I ended up getting an A for that school project 😃
Thanks Jayne!
Lesson #8: Minimalism Is a Value proposition
I have used tons of project management software as a part of my school curriculum.
I hated them all!
They were bloated with features that I barely used. The first time I tried Basecamp, I was blown away.
It’s easy.
It’s simple.
It just works!
In a competitive environment , it’s tempting to go along the flow and keep adding features to your product.
If you think about it, minimalism goes beyond products.Whenever you are about to add or buy something new ask the question:
Can I live without this?
If the answer was yes too many times, you had better drop it and look for something else.
Lesson #0: What’s Basecamp?
Basecamp may not be as big or as famous as the tech giants we worship every single second. But none can deny its existence or its important contribution to the tech and business scene.
Basecamp is not a company.
Basecamp is a movement to build profitable businesses away from Silicon Valley’s bubble.
