Skip to content

Business beyond profit

March 18, 2026 · 25 min

Show notes

Profit matters, but it’s not the whole story. In this episode, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson talk about building a company around independence instead of endless growth. They reflect on finding the right size for a business, keeping costs low to preserve freedom, and choosing a long, sustainable run over chasing scale at any cost.

Key Takeaways

  • 00:10 – Finding your “orbit” when you don’t need to keep pushing for more
  • 03:39 – Letting go of the idea that growth has to be endless
  • 09:05 – Choosing independence instead of outside pressure
  • 17:48 – Keeping costs low so you have room to try things your way
  • 19:57 – Why steady can beat getting bigger

Links and Resources

All episodes of REWORK

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.