In today's Brain Storm! Business Podcast, we will discuss an online book by 37Signals called Getting Real and how to apply some of their concepts to our own businesses.

My Argentinian programmer who is working on the Commercial Creation Center suggested that I read this book. I think he was trying to tell me something. I am always tempted to add more things to my software. This book tells me less is more - as long as it meets the customers' needs.

Simplify and Focus is the first order of business.

Don't plan on doing everything - plan on doing one thing very well. "Underdo your competition" is a unique statement, but they make a very good case for it, as we will discuss.

What exactly IS your problem?

Once upon a time, most of us started our business because there was a need - either we had a need, or someone else around us had a need. I don't mean just a need for money. We found something that met a need, became passionate about it, and built a business around it. It might be programming, nutritional supplements, multimedia, online marketing, but whatever it was, it convinced you that it was a viable the answer to some problem.

Are you still focused on solving that problem?

There is a saying among Christians: If you feel far away from God, you're the one that moved. If you feel displaced or far away from where you started in your business, maybe you have moved. Maybe you need to revisit the original problem and restructure your business products and services so they are back in alignment with the problem.

I love this one: Have An Enemy.

37 Signals designed a project management software. The software everyone else connected with PM was MS Project. So they decided that Basecamp, their software, would be the ANTI-Project. It would not be anything like it in its complexity or it methodology. Building upon that nemesis, they created a Writeboard that had 100,000 installations in 3 months. I don't mind those numbers.

So, where can you simplify your products and services so that they can once again solve that initial problem? And what competitor in your industry can you find as an example of what you are NOT trying to do?

My Commercial Creation Center's screen recorder is an ANTI-Camtasia (a tool I dearly love, but is way too complicated for every day people). The same with our audio recorder and mixer. It is an ANTI-SoundForge or Audacity, or even my beloved WavePad. Less options (and things to confuse the user), simpler and easier interface, and an end product that can be used just as well for most of their purposes.

Let me know what you think about today's brainstorming session, and if you realized some areas where you could improve. Until next week...

Penny Haynes, Online Community Magazines with the Commercial Creation Center