Paul Jarvis Quotes

“Alex Beauchamp, former head of content at Airbnb, said that she never wants any content she works on to 'go viral'. She doesn’t want to ever be on the hook for making that happen.

Moreover, going viral is often what happens with a business that, not understanding who its intended audience is, tries to appeal to pretty much everyone. If you want a piece of content for your business to generate a billion views, you probably don’t understand the purpose of that content or whom it was really created for.

Engagement and connection with your niche are more important and far less costly to generate.”

“Begin to think about:

Whether you are paying attention to your existing customers or to just your potential customers.

Whether you could make your business better (however you define that) instead of just making it bigger.

Whether your business really needs scale to succeed.

Where the upper bound to that scale might be, the place where profit and enjoyment have diminishing returns.”

“Companies of one are becoming more popular because people want more control and autonomy in their lives, especially when it comes to their careers.

This is why so many people are choosing this path: being a company of one lets you control your own life and your job.”

“Economies of scale can sometimes be required for success in certain markets and for some products, but often they aren’t required and it is ego, not a strong business strategy, that is forcing growth where growth isn’t necessary.”

“For companies of one, the question is always what can I do to make my business better?, instead of what can I do to grow my business larger?”

“From an evolutionary point of view it is explainable why we wanted to gather more and more: with more food, more water, more protection against predators, we may be less likely to die.

But today, growth feeds our ego and social standing.”

“Growth isn't always the most beneficial or financially viable move.”

“Guy Kawasaki, the well-known marketing specialist and venture capitalist, also thinks that we shouldn’t be afraid of polarization. Large companies search for the 'Holy Grail' of products that appeal to every demographic, socioeconomic background, and geographical location, but this 'one size fits all' approach rarely works and often leads to mediocrity (and vanilla ice cream).

Instead, Kawasaki believes, we should create products that make specifically identified groups of people very happy and ignore everyone else. The worst-case scenario is inciting no passionate reactions from anyone — no one caring enough about a product to talk about it at all, either positively or negatively.”

“If you don’t think it’s possible to do better, or you don’t care if it is, there’s no point doing your own thing.

In that case, it’s fine to work for someone else — they’re already established and have people handling the jobs you probably don’t want to be doing anyway.”

“If you have an idea for starting a business that requires a lot of money, time, or resources, you’re most likely thinking too big.

Your idea can be scaled down to the basics — do it now, do it on the cheap, and do it quickly — and then iterated upon.”

“In saying no to anything that doesn’t fit, you leave room to say yes to those rare opportunities that do fit — opportunities that align with the values and ideas of your business.”

“Many large corporations have companies of one hiding within them. If the skills and passion for innovation and autonomy of these employees are fostered, it can greatly benefit the entire business as a whole.

But if they are stifled in their creativeness and freethinking, they tend to move on quickly to other employment or entrepreneurialism. They’re rarely motivated solely by money or salaries and lean more toward reinventing their job and role in a way that works best for them.”

“More is generally the easiest answer, but not the smartest.”

“People sometimes tend to focus on the wrong things when starting a business, like office space, scaling, websites, business cards, computers. You can add expenses or bigger ideas later, once revenue is coming in.”

“Solving with 'more' means more complexity, more costs, more responsibilities, and typically more expenses. More is generally the easiest answer, but not the smartest.”

“Sometimes finding and working with a single customer, then adding another, and then another, is a very useful and solid way to begin. And sometimes that can even be the end goal — one where your focus is on the relationship and the paid work at hand.”

“The more you understand your customers — their needs, wants, motivations, and desires — the more you can feel with them and the better you can serve them.

This kind of customer service is more than just the lip-service corporate speak of 'you matter to us'. This is customer service that takes specific actions and puts strategies into place that begin with listening and move toward understanding.”

“The tired business advice that we should all 'follow our passion' implies that we are entitled to getting paid to do work that is always enjoyable.”

“There are advantages to putting in the time and effort to master a skill, but there’s also a great need for balance.”

“There’s nothing wrong with finding the right size and then focusing on being better. Small can be a long-term plan, not just a stepping-stone.”

“To achieve autonomy as a company of one, you have to be a master at your core skill set.”

“Truth is, you don’t need Super Bowl ads. Instead, as a company of one, you can be more effective by writing guest articles for websites and blogs, creating incentive programs for existing clients, or appearing in podcasts that cover your industry.”

“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.”

“When you focus on solving problems or on making a difference, passion may follow, because you’re actually involved in the work you’re doing instead of just dreaming that you might be passionate about something.”

“Whereas workers in 'doing' roles can be replaced by robots or even by other workers, the role of creatively solving difficult problems is more dependent on an irreplaceable individual.”

“While the use of messaging tools can seem like a truly great advance in collaboration, too often they lead to daylong half-conversations, like a slow-drip coffee maker.”

“You can pursue any passion you want, but you shouldn’t feel entitled to make money off it. Passion in work comes from first crafting a valuable skill set and mastering your work.

This is great news, because it means you no longer have to beat yourself up for not finding your true, hidden passions. Instead, you can simply get to work.”

“You need to know how and why people make decisions about your products or services. What leads them to buy what you create? What makes them hesitate? Where do they place value in their lives?

If they do buy from you, what is considered a win for them? Where does churn happen in your business and why? Understanding these key factors can make you a better leader, a better salesperson, and a better marketer.”

“Your purpose is the lens through which you filter all your business decisions, from the tiny to the monumental. We’re talking about who you work with, what you offer, where you focus your time and energy, and even how you define your audience.

Determining the unique purpose that underpins your company of one isn’t always a quick or easy process, and there’s no spreadsheet that can crunch some numbers and spit out the answer. Figuring out your purpose requires actual reflection on both your own desires and the audience you want to serve.

After all, doing business boils down to serving others in a mutually beneficial way. Customers give you money, gratitude, and a shared passion, and you address their problems by applying your unique skills and knowledge to what you sell them.”

“A funny thing happens when you focus on work that you love; more soon starts to appear. Like attracts like. Plus, that intersection between enjoying what you do and getting paid to do it is the sweetest place of all.”