Thinking about reading Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis?

Want to know a bit more about the book before you read a copy for yourself? 

Well, keep on reading as I’m going to let you know what you’ll find inside as well as sharing my thoughts on the book to help you decide whether you should read Company of One for yourself.

This page includes affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Thank you to HayHouse UK who sent a gifted copy of the book to me.

CONTENTS

Prologue

PART I: BEGIN

1. Defining a Company of One
2. Staying Small as an End Goal
3. What’s Required to Lead
4. Growing a Company That Doesn’t Grow

PART II: DEFINE

5. Determining the Right Mind-Set
6. Personality Matters
7. The One Customer
8. Scalable Systems
9. Teach Everything You Know

PART III: MAINTAIN

10. Properly Utilizing Trust and Scale
11. Launching and Iterating in Tiny Steps
12. The Hidden Value of Relationships
13. Start a Company of One – My Story

Afterword: Never Grow Up

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index 

ABOUT THE BOOK ’COMPANY OF ONE’

Company of One was written by Paul Jarvis and published in 2019. Paul is an author, designer and co-founder of Fathom Analytics.

 

INSIDE  ‘COMPANY OF ONE’

The book starts with a prologue where Paul defines what he means by a Company of One. Whilst many people might assume it is about someone who is a solopreneur, freelancer or running a one-man-band that isn’t actually what Paul defines as a Company of One. Yes a Company of One can be a one-person business, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be a larger size company and you can even be a Company of One inside someone else’s business. Instead a Company of One is defined by the mindset. It is about questioning growth and purposefully staying small.

Then, as you can see from the contents, the book is split into  3 main parts: Begin, Define and Maintain.

Begin

Having briefly explained what a Company of One was in the prologue Paul now goes into more detail. He talks about the traits that is shared amongst those who define as a Company of One, as well as talking about why there has been an increase in this mindset in recent years.

He then goes on to talk about how staying small is the end goal, rather than a stepping stone for some. He writes about switching from thinking about growing a business to making a business better. Sometimes that does involve growing, but not always. Instead, the focus can be on efficiency and Paul talks about what it means to lead a business that purposefully stays small. He talks about the common traits amongst leaders who embrace the Compay of One attitude.

Define

In this part of the book Paul explores the idea of passion and purpose. He challenges the ‘follow your passion’ approach to business and instead shares what he believes is most important for success (but definitely not what most people want to hear.

Paul puts a big emphasis on the customer and the importance of keeping your customer happy should be a main aim as a Company of One. In addition, he talks about introducing scalable systems where it is the right thing today. Finally this part of the book ends with a focus on teaching everything you know and if you want to stand out you need to think about what you are sharing and teaching.

Maintain

In this section, Paul talks about trust and the importance that has in enabling you to be successful as a Company of One. He discusses the idea of a minimal viable profit and how the focus from the beginning should be on making profit. He is someone who believes in taking fast action and talks about simple selling and how to launch quickly. It is only once you start selling you are able to know if you have a viable business or not.

Then this part of the book ends with Paul sharing his own story of being a Company of One.

 

QUOTES FROM COMPANY OF ONE THAT I LOVED

“Growth, in the typical business sense, isn’t always a smart strategy if it’s followed blindly.”

 

“A company of one questions growth and stays small on purpose.”

 

“A company of one is simply a business that questions growth.”

 

“Growth isn’t always the most beneficial or financially viable move.”

 

“For a company of one, at any size, simple rules, simple processes, and simple solutions typically win.”

 

“For companies of one, the question is always ‘what can I do make my business better?, instead of what can I do to grow my business larger?'”

 

 “Sometimes the best plan is focused on your current customers’ success, not on chasing leads and growth”

 

“There’s nothing wrong with finding the right size and then focusing on being better. Small can be a long-term plan, not just a stepping stone.”

 

“Companies of one truly need to be able to know and understand a multitude of topics and skills in order to be in control of their work”. 

 

“Where you fall on the spectrum of generalist to specialist could therefore be the most important aspect of your survival as a company of one.”

 

“Starting your own company of one with a focus on profitability right from the start, when you’re at your leanest, is imperative.”

 

“Whilst no one should tell us not to pursue our passions, we can’t feel simply entitled to make money from them”. 

 

“Working for yourself doesn’t necessarily mean working by yourself”

 

“Ideas aren’t a valid currency. Execution is the only valid currency in business.”

 

“Every minute you spend getting set up and started is a minute when you aren’t making money.”

 

‘You don’t learn anything until you launch”

 

“A company of one finds its true north by working towards being better, not bigger.”

 

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM CHARELLE

I had high hopes reading the Company of One and I wasn’t disappointed. As a solopreneur who support solopreneurs and micro business owners (you can check out my services here) when I heard about this book it sounded right up my street. I absolutely love the focus on being better rather than bigger, and really questioning growth and ensuring it supports the overall goals of the business and the business owner.

 

Whilst I didn’t agree with everything Paul said I thought on the whole his recommendations and suggestions are great. Questioning growth, focusing on the customer, ensuring your business supports your life and monitoring profitability from the beginning are all things I talk about so it won’t come as a surprise that I enjoyed this book.

 

 

WHO WOULD I RECOMMEND READS COMPANY OF ONE: WHY STAYING SMALL IS THE NEXT BIG THING FOR BUSINESS BY PAUL JARVIS.

 

Whilst Paul says the books can be read by an employee and an entrepreneur I think this book is most suitable for entrepreneurs, especially those who have a solo, micro or small business. The book will help you really think about really what is the BEST version of your business. You can think about how you want your business to support your life and what is the ultimate experience you want to give your customers or clients. Then it is about making something that supports you, your team if you have it and your customers or clients.

 

If you like the sound of you Company of One by Paul Jarvis you can buy a copy for yourself by clicking here.

 

OTHER BOOKS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN READING

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz (Read my review)

Be a Free Range Human by Marianne Cantwell (Read my review)

Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley (Read my review)

The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris (Read my review)

Chill and Prosper by Denise Duffield-Thomas (Read my review)

YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP I HAVE REVIEWED HERE