For quite some time we have tried to follow the example of a small Chicago-based company called 37Signals. While at first glance this little company might seem to be a strange pick but you might be surprised how many companies are adopting their philosophies about how to build a company and a product.

Their ideas may seem a bit counterintuitive at first, but take a minute to hear them out. They suggest that you do less than your competitors. That you make your service with the least number of features necessary. Use that to your advantage. It should be easier to deliver and easier to profit from you target market. That you pay attention to the details, the interface and the customer experience. Build a company that does less, better.

Check out their blog here, their book here and their tools here.

We have tried to “get real” at Architel and in some ways we are succeeding (in other ways we still struggle). We deliver a single part number (part number 001). While other IT support companies will offer hourly service, blocks of time or by-the-project pricing we have stayed focused on our simple all inclusive service. Sometimes we lose deals, but in the end we are more profitable and more successful doing what we do best.
We have made our service simple to sell ~ one flat monthly fee gets you all-you-can-eat support (no extra monthly fees, ever and everything, including projects are always included). We have made it easy for our engineers to deliver (every client is buying the same service, no exceptions). Finally, we have made it easy for our clients to use our service (everything is our job). Take a minute to think about your business, do you do too much?