BoS Conference USA Online: Pre-Work

Conference Pre-Work

To get the most out of BoS, we recommend you complete the following pre-work. None of it is compulsory – but we think it will set you up well so you participate in the event with a good understanding of some of the concepts being discussed.

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1 – Interview with Jason Fried (Founder/CEO, Basecamp & Hey)

Pre-work for Session: Launching A New Breakout Product – Jason Fried

https://businessofsoftware.wistia.com/medias/r7pgeitnx6?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640

This short interview with Jason gives some context to the story of Basecamp, Hey, and Jason’s role in the company. During Jason’s session we’ll be diving into more specific detail – so knowledge of his context will be very important.

Please note: DHH will no longer be joining for this session, just Jason.

Watch time: 16 minutes


2 – How To Make Complex Products Obviously Awesome

Pre-work for Session: Stop Selling Your Product, Start Selling Your Point Of View – April Dunford

This short video will help get you in the right frame of mind for April’s talk.

Watch time: 2 minutes

https://businessofsoftware.wistia.com/medias/34ws3h9ui2?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640

April gave this talk at BoS USA 2019. This year, April is bringing a brand new talk to BoS Online, but some knowledge of her work in Positioning will help you get the most from her talk. Plus – this is a truly excellent talk, and worth seeing in its own right.

Watch time: 54 minutes


3 – A Jobs-To-Be-Done Primer

Pre-work for Session: Demand-Side Sales 101 – Bob Moesta

https://businessofsoftware.wistia.com/medias/z5fupy87qz?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640

Bob Moesta is one of the key proponents of JTBD. In his talk this year, Bob will be applying JTBD theory to sales, sharing how understanding how people buy will help you sell better. Some knowledge of Jobs-To-Be-Done will be helpful, and this talk from BoS USA 2013 explains it fantastically.

Watch time: 57 minutes


4 – I’m Leaving Sleeping Giants, But Not Because I Want To

Pre-work for Session: Acceptable Use Policies & How To Enforce Them – Nandini Jammi

https://medium.com/@nandoodles/im-leaving-sleeping-giants-but-not-because-i-want-to-d9c4f488642

This article by Nandini and blog post from Hotjar will provide some interesting context ahead of Nandini’s talk about enforcing Acceptable Use Case policies.

Read time: 11 minutes, 5 minutes


5 – The Second Most Important Metric For Every Company

Pre-work for Session: Metrics That Matter – Matt Lerner

https://medium.com/@gokulrajaram/the-second-most-important-metric-for-every-company-df958ff8c5ec

Matt Lerner will be speaking at BoS Conference USA Online about choosing the right metrics to follow. This short article will start you thinking about the topic Matt will be sharing about

Read time: 3 minutes