Quotes from Jason Fried

A hot dog stand isn't a hot dog stand without the hot dogs. You can take away the onions, the relish, the mustard, etc. Some people may not like your toppings-less dogs, but you'd still have a hot dog stand. But you simply cannot have a hot dog stand without any hot dogs.

When you just copy and paste, you miss that. You just repurpose the last layer instead of understanding all the layers underneath.

If you're successful, people will try to copy what you do. It's just a fact of life. But there's a great way to protect yourself from copycats: Make you part of your product or service. Inject what's unique about the way you think into what you sell. Decommoditize your product. Make it something no one else can offer.

Release yourself from the 9am-to-5pm mentality. It might take a bit of time and practice to get the hang of working asynchronously with your team, but soon you'll see that it's the work—not the clock—that matters.

The best cultures derive from actions people actually take, not the ones they write about in a mission statement.

You need an environment where everyone feels safe enough to be honest when things get tough. You need to know how far you can push someone. You need to know what people really mean when they say something. So hire slowly. It's the only way to avoid winding up at a cocktail party of strangers.

So do less. Your project won't suffer nearly as much as you fear. In fact, there's a good chance it'll end up even better. You'll be forced to make tough calls and sort out what truly matters.

If you think a competitor sucks, say so. When you do that, you'll find that others who agree with you will rally to your side. Being the anti-______ is a great way to differentiate yourself and attract followers.

In the end, it's not worth paying much attention to the competition anyway. Why not? Because worrying about the competition quickly turns into an obsession.

But after that, the curve flattens out. There's surprisingly little difference between a candidate with six months of experience and one with six years. The real difference comes from the individual's dedication, personality, and intelligence.

For 37signals, things like speed, simplicity, ease of use, and clarity are our focus. Those are timeless desires. People aren't going to wake up in ten years and say, "Man, I wish software was harder to use." They won't say, "I wish this application was slower.

Ben Saunders explicaba que durante su travesía en solitario por el Polo Norte (treinta y un maratones seguidos, setenta y dos días) la «gran decisión» se le presentaba como algo tan imponente que en su día a día se limitaba a decisiones del tipo: «Llegar a aquel trozo de hielo que está a unos metros».

You don't have to live with a decision forever. If you make a mistake, you can correct it later.

But you're probably not manufacturing anything. That can make it tough to spot your by-products. People at a lumber company see their waste. They can't ignore sawdust. But you don't see yours. Maybe you don't even think you produce any by-products. But that's myopic.

Having an enemy gives you a great story to tell customers, too. Taking a stand always stands out. People get stoked by conflict. They take sides. Passions are ignited. And that's a good way to get people to take notice.

Rockstar environments develop out of trust, autonomy, and responsibility. They're a result of giving people the privacy, workspace, and tools they deserve. Great environments show respect for the people who do the work and how they do it.

If I'd listened to customers, I'd have given them a faster horse. —HENRY FORD

You may feel out of your element at times. You might even feel like you suck. That's all right. You can hire your way out of that feeling or you can learn your way out of it. Try learning first. What you give up in initial execution will be repaid many times over by the wisdom you gain.

The new luxury is to shed the shackles of deferred living—to pursue your passions now, while you're still working. What's the point in wasting time daydreaming about how great it'll be when you finally quit?

Evolution doesn't linger on past failures, it's always building upon what worked. So should you.

The message should come from the top. The highest-ranking person available should take control in a forceful way. Spread the message far and wide. Use whatever megaphone you have. Don't try to sweep it under the rug. "No comment" is not an option. Apologize the way a real person would and explain what happened in detail. Honestly be concerned about the fate of your customers—then prove it.

Sometimes abandoning what you're working on is the right move, even if you've already put in a lot of effort. Don't throw good time after bad work.

Similarly, if you lose someone, don't replace him immediately. See how long you can get by without that person and that position.

When good enough gets the job done, go for it. It's way better than wasting resources or, even worse, doing nothing because you can't afford the complex solution. And remember, you can usually turn good enough into great later.