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They've already reached the 1,000 pre-signups and have at least 20+ pro accounts. They made a (very) small fortune in less than 5 hours. If they can give desig

They've already reached the 1,000 pre-signups and have at least 20+ pro accounts. They made a (very) small fortune in less than 5 hours. If they can give designers a decent return and keep clients coming back... wow.

tjogin 17y ago
It didn't require a super-unique idea that needed to be rushed to market before the window of opportunity closed, either. Just another common idea, executed well. (Ok, so they're not quite there yet.)
- doug_m 17y ago
  Not just a well executed idea. Its another situation like StackOverflow where they can tackle chicken and egg situation others can't because of their exposure.
  - 10ren 17y ago
    Not just exposure, but exposure to the right two communities: many designers follow them, and many coders. These groups tend not to hang out (like biz and coder guys don't...). If there aren't any other intersections, it's a unique competitive advantage. Perhaps the trick is also in knowing what you got; and what problems others have got. hmmm... I do wonder if some kind of specific advertising like this was a thought very early on for them when they started dedicating themselves to blogging, speaking to build an audience, as a financial rationalization of what they wanted to do anyway. :-)
    - dpcan 17y ago
      Yes, they will get sign-ups because designers and coders know about them. But if I went to ANY of my web design clients from the last 7 years, I would have to say that maybe 1% or less of them EVER heard of 37Signals. That being said, it looks to me like a bust in the making because if only other designers are looking at your $100 per month "ad", then it's actually working against you.
      - 10ren 17y ago
        I was thinking that coders need designers; but you're saying that, in fact, clients are neither. hmm.. I bet that some coders do need designers (e.g. if the coder was hired first), but it's probably a tiny tiny fraction of all clients.
  - tjogin 17y ago
    That helps them get exposure, but it does not guarantee long-term success. Besides, 37signals weren't born with their readership, they built it.
    - davidw 17y ago
      Nothing guarantees long term success. The point is that part of their competitive advantage is 'being famous'. This doesn't look like a particularly difficult thing to code up, but as stated above, without that initial kick, it would likely not go anywhere.
      - tjogin 17y ago
        Also, I don't think the difficulty of coding something up has any real baring on how well it does.

tjogin 17y ago

It didn't require a super-unique idea that needed to be rushed to market before the window of opportunity closed, either. Just another common idea, executed well. (Ok, so they're not quite there yet.)

doug_m 17y ago
Not just a well executed idea. Its another situation like StackOverflow where they can tackle chicken and egg situation others can't because of their exposure.
- 10ren 17y ago
  Not just exposure, but exposure to the right two communities: many designers follow them, and many coders. These groups tend not to hang out (like biz and coder guys don't...). If there aren't any other intersections, it's a unique competitive advantage. Perhaps the trick is also in knowing what you got; and what problems others have got. hmmm... I do wonder if some kind of specific advertising like this was a thought very early on for them when they started dedicating themselves to blogging, speaking to build an audience, as a financial rationalization of what they wanted to do anyway. :-)
  - dpcan 17y ago
    Yes, they will get sign-ups because designers and coders know about them. But if I went to ANY of my web design clients from the last 7 years, I would have to say that maybe 1% or less of them EVER heard of 37Signals. That being said, it looks to me like a bust in the making because if only other designers are looking at your $100 per month "ad", then it's actually working against you.
    - 10ren 17y ago
      I was thinking that coders need designers; but you're saying that, in fact, clients are neither. hmm.. I bet that some coders do need designers (e.g. if the coder was hired first), but it's probably a tiny tiny fraction of all clients.
- tjogin 17y ago
  That helps them get exposure, but it does not guarantee long-term success. Besides, 37signals weren't born with their readership, they built it.
  - davidw 17y ago
    Nothing guarantees long term success. The point is that part of their competitive advantage is 'being famous'. This doesn't look like a particularly difficult thing to code up, but as stated above, without that initial kick, it would likely not go anywhere.
    - tjogin 17y ago
      Also, I don't think the difficulty of coding something up has any real baring on how well it does.