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A review by cwl
Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis
3.0
Growth, business, technology. Three things I’m very interested in, and perhaps very in tune with because it's what I do. More specifically though, the interest in how a company can be anti-growth and still prosper.
But, beyond the dictates of business, there is something that those of us are aware of - something Jarvis calls “conventional rules.” Some of these rules include the idea that as long as a business exists, it has to grow. I’ve always know there was another way.
This is the “fetishization of wanting more” that Jarvis rails against.
The eagerness at which Jarvis dismisses the freelance way of life (over making products) is almost immediately off-putting. The solid idea of a company built small and agile seems at least possible as a freelancer but Jarvis makes a point that they’re selling time.
I’m very sympathetic to this message as I’m the prototypical “company of one.”
“If you want a piece of content for your business to generate a billion views, you probably don’t understand the purpose of that content or whom it was really created for.”
Lots of unpopular messaging there. It makes sense though. Communications ought to be effective and that probably does run counter to internet popularity.
Throughout, a number of stories are relayed about how companies make the "One" idea work. Jarvis also includes a number of quotes like this one, pushing the idea that everyone need to be savvy to the the new tech.
“Every company is now a technology company” - a quote from Anil Dash.
Much of this feels dated, and the book is unfortunately bloated with repetitive titular mentions and concepts. I felt Jarvis could have pared this down by 50-100 pages and come out with more compelling prose.
But, beyond the dictates of business, there is something that those of us are aware of - something Jarvis calls “conventional rules.” Some of these rules include the idea that as long as a business exists, it has to grow. I’ve always know there was another way.
This is the “fetishization of wanting more” that Jarvis rails against.
The eagerness at which Jarvis dismisses the freelance way of life (over making products) is almost immediately off-putting. The solid idea of a company built small and agile seems at least possible as a freelancer but Jarvis makes a point that they’re selling time.
I’m very sympathetic to this message as I’m the prototypical “company of one.”
“If you want a piece of content for your business to generate a billion views, you probably don’t understand the purpose of that content or whom it was really created for.”
Lots of unpopular messaging there. It makes sense though. Communications ought to be effective and that probably does run counter to internet popularity.
Throughout, a number of stories are relayed about how companies make the "One" idea work. Jarvis also includes a number of quotes like this one, pushing the idea that everyone need to be savvy to the the new tech.
“Every company is now a technology company” - a quote from Anil Dash.
Much of this feels dated, and the book is unfortunately bloated with repetitive titular mentions and concepts. I felt Jarvis could have pared this down by 50-100 pages and come out with more compelling prose.