Scratch Your Own Itch

11/02/21 • 31 min

2 Listeners

Basecamp was originally designed as a way to manage 37signals' client work and its success can be credited to the fact that it was designed to scratch a very specific itch by the people with that were itching. Now, we're not saying that building something for others is necessarily a bad way to go about things, but building for your own needs has huge advantages.

Show Notes

06:15 - "The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don't mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don't think of original ideas, and they don't bring much culture into their products." - Steve Jobs in Triumph of the Nerds (PBS)
12:53 - Hotwire
13:57 - Not invented here (Wikipedia)
14:26 - Mary Kay Ash (Wikipedia)
18:12 - Second-system effect (Wikipedia)
21:35 - Minimum viable product (Wikipedia)
21:42 - Making sense of MVP - Henrik Kniberg
23:55 - The Homer (Simpsons Wiki)

Show Notes

06:15 - "The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don't mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don't think of original ideas, and they don't bring much culture into their products." - Steve Jobs in Triumph of the Nerds (PBS)
12:53 - Hotwire
13:57 - Not invented here (Wikipedia)
14:26 - Mary Kay Ash (Wikipedia)
18:12 - Second-system effect (Wikipedia)
21:35 - Minimum viable product (Wikipedia)
21:42 - Making sense of MVP - Henrik Kniberg
23:55 - The Homer (Simpsons Wiki)

Previous Episode

Make a Dent in the Universe

This week we discuss the importance of doing meaningful work. At least meaningful to you. What you do is your legacy, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to change the world. You just need to be doing something that changes YOUR world.

Show Notes

03:28 - Bullshit Jobs: A Theory - David Graeber (Bookshop.org)
04:37 - Drudge Report
04:38 - craigslist
05:01 - Flip Video (Wikipedia)
05:29 - iPod touch
07:46 - Rails
08:55 - Ta-da List
11:45 - Stoicism (Wikipedia)
13:47 - Aol.
16:44 - stripe
17:31 - Braintree
18:07 - shopify
19:01 - Paul Graham
19:36 - Viaweb (Wikipedia)
20:34 - Squarespace
21:21 - Stratechery

Next Episode

Start Making Something (Season 2)

This week Jason and David discuss the essay titled "Start Making Something." It's only when you start building something the real insights come. Until then, all you have is just an idea. We also talk about Stanley Kubrick films and Jason introduces groundbreaking concepts like perforated pizza and "The Mysterious Cat."

Show Notes

06:04 - Getting Real
17:22 - Collections
20:44 - Stanley Kubrick (IMDb)
20:57 - 2001: A Space Odyssey (IMDb)
21:10 - Music Box Theater
22:10 - The Shining (IMDb)
22:24 - The reason why Stephen King hated Stanley Kubrick film 'The Shining' (Far Out)

REWORK - Scratch Your Own Itch

Transcript

Jason: [00:00:00] I got to write something about this. The difference between like hardcore construction and a three year old pounding on your door, there is no difference. It's the same sound.
[00:00:09] Broken By Design by Clipart plays.
Shaun: [00:00:11] Welcome to Rework, a podcast by Basecamp about the better way to work and run your business. I'm your host, Shaun Hildner.
[00:00:17] This week, we're talking about scratching your own itch. When you build a product for yourself, to