Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business

A company of one questions growth first, and then resists it if there’s a better, smarter way forward. Next, let’s look at the four typical traits of all companies of one: resilience, autonomy, speed, and simplicity.

In an interview Sally did with Marie Forleo, she spoke about the tendency of large companies to be the vanilla ice cream of their market — they project a personality that’s universally acceptable, but bland. For a company of one, being vanilla isn’t going to allow you or your work to stand out. Companies of one have to be the pistachio ice cream of

However, what’s difficult to automate is exactly what makes a company of one great: the ability to creatively solve problems in new and unique ways without throwing “more” at the problem.

I’ve always believed that good accountants should save you more money than they charge. This belief may be misguided — I have no studies or data to back it up — but nevertheless, my own accountants definitely do this.

Cal Newport, the best-selling author of So Good They Can’t Ignore You, argues that passion is the side effect of mastery. To Newport, following your passion is fundamentally flawed as a career strategy because it fails to describe how most successful people ended up with compelling careers and can lead to chronic job-shifting and angst when your re

myself am the first to admit that I’m socially awkward and not well spoken in groups — I have a hard time functioning at everything from conferences to parties. What I have done is structure my business around what I’m better at — online teaching and written communication. I’ve turned my introversion into a positive tool, instead of an excuse for i

Alongside a salary and a runway buffer, I truly think companies of one should invest as much money as they can save up in passive investments like index funds. If inflation is approximately 3 percent per year, then you’re losing money on any assets you’ve got that aren’t making at least 3 percent per year in returns.

It can be scary to draw that line in the sand — especially when it’s your business and livelihood. Doing so immediately alienates certain people or entire groups. But taking a stand is important because you become a beacon for those individuals who are your people, your tribe, and your audience.

Other companies set up ROWEs (Results-Only Work Environments), in which employees don’t have set schedules, all meetings are optional, and it’s entirely up to employees how they spend their time working. They can choose to work from home, they can work from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM if it suits them, and they can sculpt their job however they want, as lon