Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business

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If your startup were to be funded by venture capital instead, you’d be a slave to their requests. Rejecting massive upfront funding grants you more independence. A company of one doesn’t grow progressively larger or require constant work. But this isn’t necessarily on principle. Instead, rejecting traditional growth mechanisms can get you the following benefits: Where you could lean on what makes your business or product quirky or different to garner attention in the market Keep your product launches simple and for a singular audience. Niche down and solve a very specific problem.

We tend to connect success with large corporations and formal dress code, but since the internet took over, and people can now work from everywhere they want. Dreaming about starting the new Goldman Sachs is no longer necessary. We can have a small portfolio, work from home, wear sneakers and jeans and be successful, and more importantly, happy. Like the author, Paul Jarvis. Lesson #2: Start By Helping One Customer Solving problems by throwing “more” also means more complexity, more costs, more responsibilities, and typically more expenses. “More” is generally the easiest answer, but not the smartest one. Tom runs the "Marketoonist" business with his wife. Sometimes they hire freelancers as they need, but that's the limit he imposes for the expansion of the business. The difference between a company of one and a small business—as you’re about to see—is fairly simple: small business like to grow, and companies of one don’t. Finally, build your lifestyle around your company of one, optimising for both profit and your own happiness.Staying small on purpose can be a solution, though. If you’re one small unit, you can be more efficient and more durable. And this type of thinking can be your long-term strategy. Good place to start is offering people free advice without trying to push your service. Builds relationships but also teaches you about your target audience.

This means listening to, communicating with, and helping the existing people who are already paying attention and buying from you, working to improve your products and get better results for them, who in turn will continue to buy from you. One person doesn’t have to run a company of one. You could start up a company of one with your partner, your closest friends, or your most brilliant colleagues. The only feature that it must have is that it needs to be kept small. The Benefits of a Company of One What if the real key to a richer and more fulfilling career was not to create and scale a new start-up, but rather, to be able to work for yourself, determine your own hours, and become a (highly profitable) and sustainable company of one? Suppose the better—and smarter—solution is simply to remain small? This book explains how to do just that. Company of One is a refreshingly new approach centered on staying small and avoiding growth, for any size business. Not as a freelancer who only gets paid on a per piece basis, and not as an entrepreneurial start-up that wants to scale as soon as possible, but as a small business that is deliberately committed to staying that way. By staying small, one can have freedom to pursue more meaningful pleasures in life, and avoid the headaches that result from dealing with employees, long meetings, or worrying about expansion. Company of One introduces this unique business strategy and explains how to make it work for you, including how to generate cash flow on an ongoing basis. Paul Jarvis left the corporate world when he realized that working in a high-pressure, high profile world was not his idea of success. Instead, he now works for himself out of his home on a small, lush island off of Vancouver, and lives a much more rewarding and productive life. He no longer has to contend with an environment that constantly demands more productivity, more output, and more growth. In Company of One, Jarvis explains how you can find the right pathway to do the same, including planning how to set up your shop, determining your desired revenues, dealing with unexpected crises, keeping your key clients happy, and of course, doing all of this on your own. Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis – eBook Details But what if there was an easier way? What if it was possible to side-hustle your way into a full-time personal business? How would it feel to own a company that gave you the time and financial freedom to do what you love?Remember: the goal is to build the life you’ve always dreamed about, and not the company you won’t stop working for. Strong word of mouth creates trust by proxy: when a friend recommends a product that is worth buying, you pay attention because you trust your friend; some of that trust is then passed on to the product they’re recommending.