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

I have been following Mr. Jarvis for over a year now, and we have exchanged email a few times. In the world of digital business gurus, he is a refreshing voice. Most gurus dangle the potential of becoming insanely rich and/or only have to work four hours a week as a promise to sell courses, books, software, and services. Jarvis is the antidote to these snake oil sales people. He is personal and sincere.When we first started emailing, he told me about the book and how he was working with a traditional publisher which meant it was going to take at least a year longer than if he self-published. I don't think that the delay added any value to the book...and I am interested to see whether the publishing deal translates into greater visibility and sales. I hope so since the author is a good person and more importantly these are important ideas that are not usually given much attention.Having waited a year for the book, though, I was disappointed. The ideas are important, and Jarvis does a good job of providing data and examples to support his point of view. Unfortunately, many of the stories he uses are of companies that are not companies of one. They may share some of his values about building relationships with customers and quality over growth, but they are not examples that support the larger argument about a company of one.There are examples of companies that do follow this model, and it is a missed opportunity to not talk more about those in greater depth. For example, he talks about a design firm that is a network of designers. It would be great to understand better how they operate, what systems they have in place, and how others could follow from than example.Jarvis talks about his accountant and lawyer, but I know from his other writings that he works with a team of other contractors. Yet the book does not really go into those details. Overall, the book is NOT a how to manual. It is what I would describe as a manifesto that articulates a particular vision and set of values, but it could do that much better. I wonder how much the publisher and editor influenced the direction of the book in this way, because it was not as strong as his weekly newsletters.My personal belief is that the future of business will be very large companies and lots of companies of one that form networks to solve problems. This book is a first step in articulating some of the values and reasons for this future. Interesting omissions, though, are the idea of the long tail and 1,000 true fans that are foundational to the shift from mass marketing and production to micro marketing and production that leverage personalization versus scale.Maybe the book would have been better as two books. One on the company of one and the other on relationship marketing. While these are related ideas and both reflect how Jarvis operates his own company, they are also separate. This would allow discussion of how companies like Basecamp operate to develop relationships with customers and how companies of one can operate their businesses.Despite my frustrations with the execution of the book, it is still a valuable read and important.

This is an excellent book for serious entrepreneurs who what to build a financially success business that can make a difference in the world doing what it is you love doing.

I guess I expected at least some of the chapters to be on business structure and more about shaping your own company of one. Instead, it's pretty much about having the correct mindset and reiterates that fact throughout the chapters I've read so far. At least it's not full of simply motivational quotes.

A good read, well explained.

This book explores a very pragmatic approach to starting and running a business. If you read only one book before embarking on your business adventure, make sure it’s this book.It outlines a philosophy which serves as the foundation for what follows. Then it supports the tenets of that philosophy with examples of success and cautionary tales. Finally, it provides concrete steps to take to build your business around the philosophy.Also, if you’re a fan of Cal Newport’s work (Deep Work, Digital Minimals etc.) then you’ll love this book.

>5% of this book is unique, but if you read or do personal development or business audio book regularly, worth a listen

Took my time reading this one. It’s definitely a business model that I can get with. I’ll be reading this one again and again to remind myself that my company has options and I determine what those are.

The fallacy of bigger is better is busted in this easy read. The book will help change your thinking about keeping your business small and focused. I would have liked to see more tactical elements, but that’s not the premise. The premise was to show that a company of one is not only possible, but potentially preferable. If you’re thinking about doing your own thing, read the book.

Se usa para delimitar la proyección de la compañía que empredí hace 7 años

I love this book, it really gives you all the reasons for staying a small but still yet to become a business people will go to. This is a book that every entrepreneur should have on the bookshelf.

Como empreendedora, este foi um dos melhores livros que li. Super inspirador e uma perspectiva completamente diferente. Recomendo

I loved Company of One. It gave me a new perspective on how to think my one-man business and how to deal with pressure to scale clients, revenue, and employees all the time. I highly recommend for people who work well on their own, already have a good deal of clients and it's looking for a next step or even better the right next step.

This book has so many valuable information about being a company of one. I particularly like that after the end of each chapter there’s questions to think about that Paul has written down for readers to reflect. I have taken so much value from this book personally and it’s really changed my perspective on running my business. I love this book for that.I purchased the kindle version of this and love it, so easy to read and add notes to and highlight! I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested or running a business already. If you’re looking for an alternative way to run a business, this is the best book to read in my opinion. It’s based off research and real life people/businesses as examples to back up what Paul says in the book.