The company, or you - stability instead of growth

Why do you start your own business? When you think of "success", do you imagine yourself in a relaxed pose, surrounded by fantastic (also relaxed) people, in beautiful natural or architectural circumstances, perhaps with drinks in your hands? Or maybe you imagine a stressed man sleeping several hours a day, even in bed surrounded by several telephones that have the right to snatch him from his longed-for sleep at any moment if something important happened? Which of these visions are you closer to?Which one would you like for yourself?

I think most people would choose the first vision. And yet, the entrepreneur is much more like a zombie than a relaxed James Bond, because because of stress, overwork and taking too much on his head, his life is completely away from the vision that he began to build his company. Dream peace of mind, joy, satisfaction with life - it all puts off forever, because for now you need to focus on further work, growth and increasing scale. And so for many years, endlessly.

It's not the only way. He knows that , author of the book "The company, which is you. As a small company, you can do great things in business . " I know it too, because I have been running a business for several years, which seems to fit in quite well with the assumptions presented in this book. Instead of growth, I focus on the quality of services. Instead of maximizing sales - on positive relationships with those customers who have already trusted me and trust that I would not want to 

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disappoint.But this is nothing special. Many other people also run this type of company; maybe you do it too. The thing is, there are more and more of us, and Paul Jarvis - in my opinion - just described the trend with which more and more entrepreneurs identify .

However, if until now it seemed to you that "growth" is an indispensable concept associated with business, and increasing sales and maximizing profit are the basic responsibilities of every entrepreneur, reading this book can be a refreshing experience for you.

Against startups

Paul Jarvis says his vision of a one-man company is no better than the vision of a growth-based enterprise. They are simply two different approaches to business. However, it cannot be denied that both models are contrasted in a way that does not leave a dry thread on "traditionally" developed enterprises.

Very often startups focus on strategies for 'hacking growth' . They don't always act ethically, but they almost always focus on growing as fast as possible, sometimes "at all costs". They do this because they want to get or satisfy an already existing investor.

Startups very often approach the topic of making profits from investments quite lightly (they claim that they still have time for this), but they have no resistance to buy table football and provide the best "social" for their employees. So on the cost side - they act like big companies. But on the profit side - they often remain on the investor's side. Zero balance .

One-man enterprises (although several or more than a dozen or so companies may also fall into this category) usually cannot afford such an approach. They usually finance themselves, which is why they must start earning money as soon as possible and bringing specific profits.

We encourages you to start with something small, because the micro start will simply be cheaper and simpler. Based on your skills, you can help one client and then another.It does not have to be a thousand recipients at once.

By doing so, you may not immediately make some table football, but instead you'll start building something long-term . Something that will be based on simplicity, independence and which will provide you with long-term stability. Just such a business can be a good idea for your professional rest of your life.

Profit more than growth

But wait, wait ... If blind following growth is mainly blood, sweat and tears, then what alternative do we have? Should we sit down with arms folded and resigned gaze as part of the rebellion against business understood in this way? Of course not. We can create business differently, in our own way, with conviction, commitment, but without pressure .

Instead of a strategy of unrestrained and never-ending growth, we can choose a strategy of being . The goal in this case is not a lack of development, but a desire to generate profit as soon as possible, and then to stabilization. Saying that the point is to start making money on what you know and then make a living from it may sound trivial, but notice that for many startups this is an almost abstract goal.

Startups think about growth, putting profits to some distant "later". But if you do not have external financing, you need to think mainly about earning, and earning not one-time, but long-term. It's a completely different perspective , which also affects the way you should act.

This approach is not about constantly striving for greatness, but about setting a goal (or even a specific level of profit that interests you), and once you achieve it, stick to it. If you earn as much as you need to ensure a peaceful and stress-free life, why fight for more?Whenever there is an opportunity for growth, think about how much it will cost you and whether the price (and it can be even time or "peace of mind") is not too high.

Jarvis gives examples of companies that have rejected investors' proposals - the use of external assistance very often means giving up their independence, or even the vision that guided the project at the start. Sometimes an investor who wants to spend money on your project is no good - sometimes it is the beginning of the end.

How to start?

Paul Jarvis in the book "Company, or you" primarily writes about two types of business - a company based on independently implemented services and on its own products(such as on-line training). He himself went this way - from a web designer to a seller of his own online courses.

Note that each time a customer service is performed (e.g. website creation), it requires a lot of time and work. But you already work on the preparation of a product once, while the product itself (e.g. online course) can be sold many times.

Despite the fact that services are much more time-consuming and non-scalable, this is the right order. The path followed by the author of this book seems optimal, because it allows you to first work with clients , often 1: 1, and then use the experience gained in this way, preparing products that can be sold with less effort and on a larger scale. If you start right away with products, you may not be successful because you will not know your potential customers well enough.

Would it be best to start with passion then? Is it the best to build your business on it?Not necessarily, or at least not a prerequisite. Jarvis says:

Jarvis cites a study by William MacAskill of the University of Oxford. It shows that this commitment to work helps develop passion, not the other way around . Focus first and foremost on what you can do best, where is the closest you are to "expertness", and you can pursue your passion after work. When you create a company, it is more important to use your skills in a way that will allow you to have a stable income. It is possible that in this way you will also discover your passion, but it will be the result of hard work rather than a starting point for business.

Build a customer-focused company

In every company, the most important should be the customer and the quality of products or services that we offer him. But it is clearly visible in a one-man company that this is an absolute "must have". So if you want your business to be profitable, try to give every customer the impression that they are special to you. The more satisfied customers, the better for your company's profits.

However, it is not only about being nice and helpful (but it is also about that). The goal of your company should be to solve problems and achieve the goals of your clients - again maybe a cliché, but in the daily "treadmill" it's easy to forget about it.

The fact that small businesses are easier to take care of individual clients is their great advantage over corporations . People are increasingly choosing small businesses because of their empathy and individual approach , which they cannot count on when they use the services of large companies. Meanwhile, for the smallest, every customer is a person, a personality, not a position in a spreadsheet.

The paradox is that while small businesses would often like to act as large enterprises , large corporations strive for the opposite - for example, focusing on personalization and more personal relationships with clients. The first example on the edge - large breweries are very eager to create kraft beer brands, because it is these craft customers who are ready to pay more than for mass. Being small simply pays off, because small gives more confidence . And credibility is much more valuable today than "ideality."

However, you have to earn your trust. Actually, to be positively assessed by others, you only need to do one thing : make a promise and then keep it . For me, this means not overpriced promises that I could not fulfill.

It happens that the signing of the contract depends on whether I promise something that I do not quite influence. The customer says "I buy, but please promise me ..." Many traders would eagerly take this opportunity. However, I would rather lose a potential customer than risk being later dissatisfied. Jarvis also encourages you to do so - for both ethical and economic reasons.  

Instead of persuading you to buy to quickly record more sales, try to show the customer how your product or service can affect his life. Do not hide negative information . Help the customer make his purchasing decision consciously, with full conviction that he has obtained reliable information and without fear that someone tried to push him something. Trust today is the basis of good and long-term business relationships.

Such behavior in the long run usually brings positive effects and favors obtaining recommendations . Yes, speaking clearly about the pros and cons, you can sell less in the short term, but if someone decides to buy, there is a greater chance that he will be a satisfied and loyal customer. And then he will recommend your products or services to others.

As Paul Jarvis reports, while shopping (and not only) we trust above all the recommendations of friends and family . This is the most effective form of advertising, and at the same time difficult to measure (and therefore ignored by corporations). Some, however, succeed. According to a survey conducted by the creators of the Drip mailing system, word of mouth (the authentic one) is responsible for acquiring 50% of new customers in the service industry .

This means that if you care about customer satisfaction, you won't even have to worry about advertising - that's what your audience will do too. In addition, they will do it more effectively than radio or television.

What is the vision of your business? Is the one where you enjoy your own life, honestly helping customers and earning "enough" money is tempting for you? Or is it not enough? Maybe the idea of ​​continuous growth appeals to you, according to which you still remain a warrior conquering new territories? I believe there are plenty of people for whom such a path will be much more inspiring. But the choice is - of course - yours.