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tc4mpbell's review against another edition
2.0
An excellent essays-worth of ideas puffed into book-length with case studies and repetition.
Relevant takeaways: Explosive growth isn't the only measure of successful companies. Over-focus on growth makes you fragile. Can stay small, focus on relationships and quality, have a better company and happier life.
Irrelevant rantings: Is this the stock 'business book' format? I dislike this "expand a blog post into a book" thing.
Relevant takeaways: Explosive growth isn't the only measure of successful companies. Over-focus on growth makes you fragile. Can stay small, focus on relationships and quality, have a better company and happier life.
Irrelevant rantings: Is this the stock 'business book' format? I dislike this "expand a blog post into a book" thing.
inkandbooksforever's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
lcarmer's review against another edition
4.0
Good central idea, but too long and repetitive to be given 5 stars.
oddrop's review against another edition
3.0
The core idea is great, but there is a lot of fluff. Should only be read if you are interessted in learning about the benefits of staying small, since the rest of the book is pretty general business principles that sometimes feels like digretions. Luckily the book is short. But it should have been shorter. The first part and the ending are the most interesting as those are the parts he pinpoints the core idea as well as his own experiences. The middle is just an attempt to piece the book together in the aim of getting to an intended page count.
I am reminded of why i do not like reading business books, as the usually seems formulaic and sparse with good ideas. This should have been a podcast episode about 1-2 hours. Or a long blog post, maybe a series. A book format is redundant.
I am reminded of why i do not like reading business books, as the usually seems formulaic and sparse with good ideas. This should have been a podcast episode about 1-2 hours. Or a long blog post, maybe a series. A book format is redundant.
meledits's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately, this book was not what I expected, and I ended up skimming the last half of the book. Paul Jarvis argues that companies do not have to constantly scale, nor have a growth mindset, nor add employees. Individuals can be "companies of one," outsourcing or hiring contractors when they need to, but effectively keeping their companies small and manageable while still being successful. This might make for an easier, happier life, especially balancing work with a personal life. I couldn't agree more with all of this, which is why I bought the book. However, it's pretty clear from the beginning Jarvis is not talking about freelancers like me; he says freelancers—those who receive money for a service—aren't getting paid unless they're working. Instead, he's focusing on people who create products. But I disagree: There are tactics freelancers can use to get paid when not working, such as seeking retainers with anchor clients, subcontracting work, etc. I had hoped this book would be more tactical, but it spends 200 pages going into detail about his initial hypothesis, explaining over and over the "company of one" concept. While the numerous company examples are interesting, they seem to be only about wealthy, large "companies of one," not small business or freelancers. I also found little to no applicable advice. At only 200 pages, the book feels too long and needed an editor. I had hoped this book would provide concrete tips and systems I could put into place today, but I didn't find any takeaways that piqued my interest.
coxtori's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Not much useful here for those of us that have been running a company of one for years...