"What's your growth plan?"
"Would you be interested in funding?"
"A friend started her business recently and already has a small staff; when do you expect to expand?"
These are just some of the questions I've been asked regarding my business. My answers were, "I don't have a plan." "No." and "I don't." These answers evoked disagreeing facial expressions.
But I have no desire to expand my business. In fact, I plan to keep it a one-person business because that path helps me focus on things that are important to me.
In Company of One, Paul Jarvis writes, "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." He adds: "The point of being a company of one is to become better in ways that don't incur the typical setbacks of growth."
Ditto.
I leave a copy of Company of One on my desk to remind me that I'm not alone, even though it can feel like that when many around me seem to be parading around about growth.
If you have a small company, there's no need to feel the urge to expand just because the status quo tells you so. Keeping your business small, even one-person small, means focusing instead on things that are important to you.
It's not that expanding a company is bad, it's just not the path I have chosen to take. My goal is to do my best work and to help others, all without overhead. Keeping my business small allows me to focus on doing just that.
"Would you be interested in funding?"
"A friend started her business recently and already has a small staff; when do you expect to expand?"
These are just some of the questions I've been asked regarding my business. My answers were, "I don't have a plan." "No." and "I don't." These answers evoked disagreeing facial expressions.
But I have no desire to expand my business. In fact, I plan to keep it a one-person business because that path helps me focus on things that are important to me.
In Company of One, Paul Jarvis writes, "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." He adds: "The point of being a company of one is to become better in ways that don't incur the typical setbacks of growth."
Ditto.
I leave a copy of Company of One on my desk to remind me that I'm not alone, even though it can feel like that when many around me seem to be parading around about growth.
If you have a small company, there's no need to feel the urge to expand just because the status quo tells you so. Keeping your business small, even one-person small, means focusing instead on things that are important to you.
It's not that expanding a company is bad, it's just not the path I have chosen to take. My goal is to do my best work and to help others, all without overhead. Keeping my business small allows me to focus on doing just that.