Basecamp

In 2000, Jason Freed and David Heinemayer Hanson started 37 Signals, a web design company. But they noticed something. Software companies obsessed over venture capital and growth metrics. They wanted profitability instead. They wanted control. So they made a decision venture capitalists would call insane. They said no to outside money. Without investors demanding growth, 37 Signals could stay small. Profitable companies don't need infinite scale. They need efficiency and sustainability. The company stayed under 60 employees. They built project management software called Basecamp. Revenue quietly climbed to 100 million. Never one outside investor. Never a board meeting about growth rates.