This is obvious, but it doesn't really contradict good startup advice...to me, it seems as if many independent observers assume that doing a startup is synonymo

This is obvious, but it doesn't really contradict good startup advice...to me, it seems as if many independent observers assume that doing a startup is synonymous with doing nothing except sleeping and working. There are times in a startup's life when this is necessary, but even then it isn't sufficient: everyone needs to work all the time on the details that matter because there is too much work to be done and not enough time to do it. I guess 37signals's stories are popular because the apparently pose a counterpoint to the standard Silicon Valley startup culture, but in fact they are only pointing out obvious things that most successful startup founders already live by: you can't work non-stop for two years without a lot of positive feedback on the way (and for five years maybe not at all), breaks with no work are necessary, perfectionists can get derailed if not careful, etc. An undertone in other 37signals stories is that you can create wealth slower but with more certainty than most startups are trying to do, and that people shouldn't try so hard to create a successful startup..but I can't see that these views are mutually exclusive. To each his own. Both these kinds of companies are important to technological development.