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A review by mokagio
Company of One: Why Staying Small Is the Next Big Thing for Business by Paul Jarvis
5.0
In Company of One [a:Paul Jarvis|3141749|Paul Jarvis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1386946606p2/3141749.jpg] challenges the mainstream belief that for a company to be successful it has to grow and keep growing. Companies that question growth, whether made up of a single person like Paul's business, or by many employees like some of the ones profiled in the book, have strategic advantages compared to huge enterprises. No only they can be profitable, but actually thrive in the marketplace.
By focusing on serving existing users rather than investing in advertisement and paid acquisition, for example, a company of one can develop stronger relationship with its customers, retaining them and increasing their lifetime value. Moreover, happy customers can become the biggest advocates for a service or product. This removes the need for advertisement and paid acquisition, enabling even more focus on serving the existing customers, which creates a virtuous cycle of success and profitability.
Small companies have an advantage big ones don't have, they can show the real people behind the business and create an emotional connection with their customers. Moreover, being small means less overhead, which makes it easier to become profitable.
A key strategy to resist the need for growth is to create systems and automation to get more done in less time. This requires ingenuity and creativity, which I find intellectually stimulating.
Another powerful idea is that you don't need to run a company to be a company of one, you can be one within your own organization. Be the person who can get the job done with less resources, that introduces automation and processes to be more effective, that care about the relationship with the customers.
The book is written in an easy to read conversational tone. It never bores with tangents or repetition aimed only to hit the words count.
I appreciate how well researched the book is. While the idea of the company of one is based on Paul Jarvis' experience running his own business the majority of the examples and cases in point of the book are from a variety of businesses embodying its principles.
I'd recommend Company of One to every business owner, to people considering starting their on businesses, and to anyone who's happy working as an employee but longs for a more impactful and rewarding way of working.
By focusing on serving existing users rather than investing in advertisement and paid acquisition, for example, a company of one can develop stronger relationship with its customers, retaining them and increasing their lifetime value. Moreover, happy customers can become the biggest advocates for a service or product. This removes the need for advertisement and paid acquisition, enabling even more focus on serving the existing customers, which creates a virtuous cycle of success and profitability.
Small companies have an advantage big ones don't have, they can show the real people behind the business and create an emotional connection with their customers. Moreover, being small means less overhead, which makes it easier to become profitable.
A key strategy to resist the need for growth is to create systems and automation to get more done in less time. This requires ingenuity and creativity, which I find intellectually stimulating.
Another powerful idea is that you don't need to run a company to be a company of one, you can be one within your own organization. Be the person who can get the job done with less resources, that introduces automation and processes to be more effective, that care about the relationship with the customers.
The book is written in an easy to read conversational tone. It never bores with tangents or repetition aimed only to hit the words count.
I appreciate how well researched the book is. While the idea of the company of one is based on Paul Jarvis' experience running his own business the majority of the examples and cases in point of the book are from a variety of businesses embodying its principles.
I'd recommend Company of One to every business owner, to people considering starting their on businesses, and to anyone who's happy working as an employee but longs for a more impactful and rewarding way of working.