A recent Newsweek article focused on a small business that is evangelical about small businesses: 37signals. This company makes web-based tools for business efficiency, but that is not what is causing the stir. As Newsweek writer Nick Summers puts it, the co-founders, “…use the company as a pulpit for entrepreneurial evangelism,” calling their message, “a sort of minimalist’s approach to capitalism.” One of the chief tenants is doing a few things well rather than many things adequately.

The 37signals co-founders, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, have put together a manifesto of sorts about how to be profitable as a very small business and are proving that it works. Setting aside what you have previously heard about small business start up and dogged dedication, consider these 10 how-to’s listed in the print version of the Newsweek article:

1. AVOID WORKAHOLICS. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. You need better hours not more hours.
2. HIRE THE BETTER WRITER. Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking.
3. FORGET FORMAL EDUCATION. Too much time in academia brings bad habits, like using big words. Hire accordingly.
4. DRUG DEALERS ARE ON TO SOMETHING. Make your product so addictive that a free taste makes ‘em return with cash in hand.
5. EMULATE CHEFS. The great ones share everything they know. Don’t be afraid to publish your company’s “cookbook.”
6. RETIRE THE TERM ‘ENTREPRENEURS’. It sounds like a members-only club. Anyone should be able to start a business.
7. YOU NEED LESS THAN YOU THINK. Do you need to rent an office or will the garage do for now?
8. PICK A FIGHT. If you think a competitor is bad, say so, and the like-minded will rally to your side.
9. BUILD AN AUDIENCE. Draw people in with a great blog. It beats buying their attention with advertising.
10. BE A CURATOR. A room with all the art in the world is a warehouse. A museum is about what’s left out. What will your product omit?

Of these 10, I was pleased to see that 20% of the message – #2 and #9 – represent the soapbox I have been toting around for years. In this age of digital business images, where the search engine cache can remember forever, it does matter what words you choose. A website writer or blog writer that is experienced in professional content development can not only help you find and build your business, but leave a better legacy as well. If you do not have these skills in house, be deliberate about finding a quality source.

As more and more people create start-up companies, it simply does not make sense to try to compete with the same old-guard methods used by established businesses. The landscape has changed so dramatically that the advantage belongs to the most nimble competitors willing to look at business management with an entirely new agenda.

Tags: 37signals, blog writer, professional content development, website writer