A Tribute Letter ...

Dear Basecamp,

You don’t know me yet, but I’ve been a fan of yours for quite some time. Since before you were known as Basecamp, you were teaching me. You taught me about design. You taught me about creating software, working from home, managing people, and how to be a professional.
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I became a designer the first time I saw that spark that happens when words and pictures are arranged in just the right way to create something beautiful or useful for other people. Then you came along and gave that spark form, structure, and process. You shaped my thinking, influenced my design aesthetic, and modeled what it looks like to be a pro designer on the web.
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There have been other virtual mentors across the industry over the years, but none more impactful than you. Unknowingly, you provided me with the type of “self-taught” education money can’t buy. Your books (yes, I’ve read them all), your podcast, your blog articles, and your software have made me the designer I am today. For that, I’m forever grateful.

What I bring to the table

I realize you don’t hire designers every month. This is a rare opportunity for you to improve your team, your product, and your culture.
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You’re looking for someone who can make an impact from day one. That’s me. 👋
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From the very first day, I will hit the ground running to contribute to Basecamp — by asking hard questions, engaging in product feature discussions, talking to customers, researching issues, writing documentation, and designing solutions ... but most importantly by listening. I’m a big believer in continuous learning and combining that attitude with a willingness to teach and mentor others. I’ve found a great deal of success with that approach. We can learn a lot by listening to others. This quote best sums up my philosophy on learning:

It takes curiosity to learn. It takes courage to unlearn. Learning requires the humility to admit what you don’t know today. Unlearning requires the integrity to admit that you were wrong yesterday. Learning is how you evolve. Unlearning is how you keep up as the world evolves.
— Adam Grant

Even though I have a lot of experience, I don’t want to become complacent and think I have all the answers, continuing to do things the way I’ve always done them. Just in the past year, I’ve learned two new design technologies - Figma and Webflow — just to add more well-roundedness to my skillset, even though I was a long-time Sketch lover. I’ll bring that passion.
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I’ve been fortunate in my career to have the opportunity to join companies as the sole (and usually first) designer and then hire a team, define processes, and establish standards. In my last 3 positions, I’ve built a solid design practice from scratch and transformed the company’s attitude toward design. Basecamp may not need that transformation, but every organization can benefit from the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity necessary to make such a change. I’ll bring that spirit.
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But I don’t do this alone. I’ve had the privilege of working with a number of really smart and  talented individuals. For me, it’s all about people. People use software to help them work or accomplish things in their daily life. I consider it my job is to use my abilities, and the abilities of my team, to help those people. I’ll bring that mindset.

ARE WE A FIT?

After years of building teams and managing people (up, down and across) I welcome an individual contributor role where I can roll up my sleeves, do the work and make those sparks of magic for our customers.
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I’d love for that to happen at Basecamp. If you agree, I’ll have yet another reason to be a fan. If not, please accept this letter as proof of my undying devotion and eternal thanks.
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Best Regards,

P.S.
As a sort of memento, I have kept printouts of some of your past work, namely Why Should I Hire 37 Signals and the Contingency Design Whitepaper. They must be 16-18 years old by now. I keep them because they remind me of the excitement of my early days as a designer.