Companies of one instead focus on stability, simplicity, independence, and long-term resilience and rely on starting small and becoming as profitable as possible, without the need for outside investment. Companies of one, with their focus on what can be done in the here and now, not what can be done with investment, can also be started without an i

For example, I don’t communicate with others — no meetings, calls, interviews, or social media — on Mondays and Fridays so I can write (words or code); I do most of my calls on Thursdays.

Staying small doesn’t have to be a stepping-stone to something else, or the result of a business failure — rather, it can be an end goal or a smart long-term strategy. The point of being a company of one is to become better in ways that don’t incur the typical setbacks of growth.

Where companies of one can use their focus on betterment over growth in marketing is by focusing on a specific niche instead of a massive market. Trust is more easily established within a smaller customer base because it’s easier to stand out as an expert or to gather referrals that hold weight from other industry experts in that niche.

In studying how trust is built between companies and consumers, Urban has found that there are three aspects of trust: confidence (“I believe what you say”), competence (“I believe you have the skills to do what you say”), and benevolence (“I believe you’re acting on my behalf”).

By using stories and metaphors, high expectations, and even facial expressions, anyone can employ and gain charisma to inspire others.

Work on things like sales funnels and automation when it no longer makes sense to personalize your interactions with your customers in surprising and delightful ways.

Determining what is enough is different for everyone. Enough is the antithesis of growth. Enough is the true north of building a company of one, and the opposite of the current paradigm promoting entrepreneurship, growth-hacking, and a startup culture.

The first strategy is to make fewer and better commitments to customers. A business that believes it should “underpromise and overdeliver” sometimes fails to even simply deliver on par with expectations.