What if the real key to a richer and more fulfilling career was not to create and scale a new start-up, but rather, to be able to work for yourself, determine your own hours, and become a (highly profitable) and sustainable company of one? Suppose the better - and smarter - solution is simply to remain small? This book explains how to do just that.

Company of One is a refreshingly new approach centered on staying small and avoiding growth, for any size business. Not as a freelancer who only gets paid on a per piece basis, and not as an entrepreneurial start-up that wants to scale as soon as possible, but as a small business that is deliberately committed to staying that way. By staying small, one can have freedom to pursue more meaningful pleasures in life and avoid the headaches that result from dealing with employees, long meetings, or worrying about expansion. Company of One introduces this unique business strategy and explains how to make it work for you, including how to generate cash flow on an ongoing basis.

Paul Jarvis left the corporate world when he realized that working in a high-pressure, high profile world was not his idea of success. Instead, he now works for himself out of his home on a small, lush island off of Vancouver, and lives a much more rewarding and productive life. He no longer has to contend with an environment that constantly demands more productivity, more output, and more growth.

In Company of One, Jarvis explains how you can find the right pathway to do the same, including planning how to set up your shop, determining your desired revenues, dealing with unexpected crises, keeping your key clients happy, and of course, doing all of this on your own.

Listening Length

7 hours and 32 minutes
Author

Paul Jarvis
Narrator

Paul Jarvis
Audible release date

January 15, 2019
Language

English
Publisher

Audible Studios
ASIN

B07KFNRRTS
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	7 hours and 32 minutes
Author	Paul Jarvis
Narrator	Paul Jarvis
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	January 15, 2019
Publisher	Audible Studios
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07KFNRRTS
Best Sellers Rank	#9,115 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #9 in Home-Based Businesses #25 in Small Businesses #65 in Entrepreneurship (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

1,409 global ratings

5 star		67%
4 star		21%
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2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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King Javanna

Inspiring

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

I hadn't really thought about being a company of one.but a massive giant like Apple or Grace Kennedy (Jamaican Company). Paul has opened my eyes to the possibilities of operating a company of one.

I really appreciated this book because I have a hard time explaining to people why I offer my services through a company rather than as a sole proprietor or as a freelancer. Now that I've read this I'll better be able to express my choices.

I also will be focusing on my customers and my customer service to ensure I keep my clients for years and their referrals .

Helpful

Important perspective on business success

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

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.

68 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 15, 2022

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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.

2 people found this helpful

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Eric Jones

building a small business the right way

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 2, 2022

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I really enjoyed the insights gained from this book. I started my own IT consulting firm and ran into the exact issues called out in the book. You truly have to find the reason as to why you want to a business owner because it’s a thankless job at times. Work a read for anyone just starting out in business.

One person found this helpful

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Kenneth B.

Applies to more than just online companies

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 4, 2022

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I think the insights the author brings, while aimed at tech start ups, apply to traditional businesses as well.

Helpful

Jon Henshaw

A paradoxical approach to business that will improve your health and profitability

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2019

Verified Purchase

I'm not an avid reader of books that target business leaders and entrepreneurs. They usually push for motivational techniques that only fit the personality of the author and recommend office culture changes that again, just fit the nature of the author. They also have the same business aspirations in regards to growth, profitability, and what it means to be successful. There's no wonder why people who are looking for a new way to approach their business while maintaining some semblance of well-being keep buying these books, because none of them have been able to provide what they really want and need. They are all rehashed concepts with different inspirational quotes and a reflection of how the person writing it might go about it.

Paul Jarvis' book is something different entirely. He flips the idea of 'bigger is better' on its head. He also makes a compelling case that you can personally make more money by staying small, versus trying to grow your company at all costs. The book in its entirety is a compelling case for how you can scale your business, delight your customers, and make more money while staying small and enjoying the experience instead shaving years off your life from unnecessary stress.

I cannot express enough how much this book resonated with me. As a life-long entrepreneur, the ideas in this book have reshaped how I'm approaching my new business. For many people, Jarvis' ideas are an antithetical approach to how they've been told to run a business. Paradoxically, by staying smaller and rethinking how you grow and interact with your customers, you will end up with much more than you expected.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mike Maloni

People who want to be "comfortable" and later with people with greater ambitions.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 19, 2022

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I liked how it taught us how to scale by maintaining good relations with your customers.

Helpful

Worth the $12 - but not $13

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 18, 2022

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

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

D. Stewart

Don't bother if you are already a company of one

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book doesn't seem to know what it wants to be; a guide finding the courage to leave your current job, or a guide to what to do once you have left.

As a long-time company of one, this book didn't give me anything new whatsoever, and no real concrete advice I could use. Midway through I felt sure it wasn't going to provide, but I finished it anyway.

It's a valiant attempt, but more hype than substance.

Save yourself the time and get the value you need on a forum like Indie Hackers instead.

12 people found this helpful

Rutherbooks

Repetitive. And repetitive. And repetitive.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

If you're just out of business school, this is probably useful. If you've been around the block - even just once - it doesn't say very much, over and over. Like most business books, there's a 2,500 word essay hiding in 250 pages.

15 people found this helpful

Clare Barry

A must-read for anyone starting out out aspiring to leave that day job they hate

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 30, 2019

Verified Purchase

Paul Jarvis has a clear writing style and his book includes many valuable case studies to reinforce his idea that staying small with intention is the way to go for many of us with small businesses or aspirations to build a different life and way of working. It is easy to get sucked into the idea that bigger is better. I like how the book reminds us to get clear on motivations and being realistic about what comes with scaling a small business. Paul is clear on what is enough for him and his enthusiasm for companies of one is contagious. Company of One is an easy read and an important one.

13 people found this helpful

Justine Zamora

Amazing Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

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.

One person found this helpful

Dan

Doesn't have much to say

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

The companies that Jarvis is discussing in this book aren't necessarily companies consisting of one person, he has just used that as an umbrella term for companies that choose to stay small, keep overheads to a minimum, work smarter rather than harder, and not chase unsustainable growth. But it can also apply within large organisations; it's a mindset apparently. It's a clunky conceit that doesn't really work. Lean might have been a better way of describing these entities if the term hadn't been loaded with meaning by previous authors.

The book is not badly written and Jarvis refers to lots of real world examples to back up his points but those points are the same ones recapitulated for 220 pages. This isn't an instruction manual for doing more with less. There are some allusions to the ideas in Eric Ries' The Lean Startup but I found this book too obvious and lacking in any new insight.

One person found this helpful

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