A review by meledits
Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis

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.