Small Business Trends

Join me tomorrow, July 22, 2010, for another interview in the HP Input/Output series. Jason Fried, founder of software company 37 Signals, will be interviewed.

As with other interviews in this series, HP has asked me to live tweet the interview and they are also looking for questions from this community that you wish to ask Jason Fried. I have already collected some questions (listed at the bottom of this post). If you have questions, please leave a comment or tweet it to me on Twitter @Smallbiztrends.  Meanwhile, here are the details about this event:

Who: Jason Fried, Founder/CEO of 37 Signals

What: Live Web interview as Fried discusses:  “The New Workplace in the New Normal”.

The modern workplace is evolving – everything from the physical layout, management practices and the tech-driven tools that are now indispensable to keeping your workforce happy and most importantly, productive. Jason Fried is the founder of a web design company 37 Signals. While his main product is software, he is perhaps just as well known for his perspective on the optimal workplace. He’s been very vocal about the inefficiencies of the typical workplace (like it’s designed to allow for distractions) and has quite a few commonsense ways to fix it. However, those ideas were originally intended for small and medium businesses – what would he suggest to enterprise level businesses?

When: Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 2pm EST (New York time)

Where: Background information prior to the event can be found here. On the day of the event, go here for the live interview:  http://inputcreatesoutput.com

Twitter hashtag: Discuss on Twitter by using or searching for the hashtag:  #HPIO

Questions already submitted by members of the Small Business Trends community:

• Marty Lamers of Articulayers asks: “Fried said in an Inc interview:  ‘I have about 15,000 followers on Twitter — some are loyal customers, some are people who hate me. I don’t know 99 percent of them, but many of them are waiting for an opportunity to say “you suck.”‘ I wonder if since that interview he has leveraged Twitter or Facebook in any meaningful way for business or work?”
• Shashi Bellamkonda, Social Media Swami asks: “How did their [37 Signals'] perception of user experience match what the users did after they launched their tools?”
• Travis Campbell of Marketing Professor asks: ” In this economy, how important is cashflow management to the survival of a startup company compared to 5-10 years ago — and in what ways are companies being too protective with cashflow?”
• Paul Chaney, the Social Media Handyman asks: “Now that you’re no longer at Coudal Partners, where do you hang your hat?”
• Joel Libava, the Franchise King asks: “What suggestions do you have for new entrepreneurs who want to get their businesses to the next level?”
• Pamela O’Hara, Co-Founder of BatchBlue Software asks: “Do you hug the competition, a la The Small Business Web motto of “hug it out!” under the theory that collaborating with other software companies will help your own (rising tides lift all boats)?”
• Melinda Emerson, author of “Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months” asks: “How does Jason Fried feel about some of his long-time blog readers saying his book Rework was a rehash of the blog — and how should a  blogger/author balance that?”
• @PrettyLittleCEO asks (from Twitter): “how do u build legacy and passion among new employees?”
• @SiliconCaribe asks (from Twitter): “Jason,would u speak to the Caribbean Tech community at the next Kingston Beta in person or by skype video this August?”
• @RandySpangler asks from Twitter: “Q for Jason: How does he avoid ‘creeping elegance’? How does he draw the line on the feature set 4 applications?”
• Anita Campbell, of Small Business Trends (that’s me!) asks: “If you had one piece of no-nonsense advice for small business owners/managers about using technology to get more efficient operations, what would that advice be?”

Go ahead — add YOUR question for Jason Fried, Founder of 37 Signals, in a comment below.  I can’t guarantee that there will be time for every question to be asked.  But I will certainly see that all questions get passed along.

About the Author

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Anita Campbell is the Founder of Small Business Trends which has been following trends in small businesses since 2003. She is host of the weekly Small Business Trends Radio Show, with over 400 interviews logged; and owner of BizSugar, a social media site for small businesses.