The Hit List - Good company

I’ve been following Paul Jarvis for a while. If you don’t know who he is, he’s a software developer and designer who teaches online courses and hosts several podcasts. He’s also a fan of rats. Since I happen to like rodents myself, that was enough to get me into his orbit.

I look forward to reading his Sunday Dispatches newsletter every week (when he goes on a winter sabbatical, I get the dry heaves). Paul writes about all sorts of business stuff and although we’re in different industries, his biz philosophy is quite similar to mine.

That philosophy: bigger isn’t always better when it comes to business.

I was excited to learn that he had a new book coming out that centered around this attitude. The book is called Company of One and is available everywhere books are sold.

The premise behind Company of One is that keeping your business small is a path towards happiness, freedom, and security – on your terms. This is something I have always believed in, even though I’ve had various biz gurus and coaches tell me that I’m missing out on “opportunities for growth” by not “scaling.”

Here’s the deal: growth is great and my business has grown over the years. But a big business means more shit to handle – and bigger problems.

For example, for years I’ve heard all about why I should hire a virtual assistant or “team” of people to manage the details. That doesn’t wash for me. Why? It’s because having a group of folks in my business means I end up in micromanaging mode, something I’m good at but loathe doing. Secondly, it also means that my profits begin to diminish because now I’m paying people to do stuff that I can do such as answer my own damn emails. Third, because of the nature of my work, client confidentiality is a MUST. Do I really want someone having access to my client database? Can I trust someone to not poke around in sensitive emails? NOPE. I would never in a million years put my client’s info in the hands of a random stranger. I’m a Moon in Scorpio person and privacy – both my own and my client’s – is crucial.

Nope. Not interested in that scenario one bit.

The Tarot Lady hub is a lean, mean machine. I like it that way. Operating small means I keep costs low and invest mindfully. I can hire folks such as the utterly amazing and always dependable coding expert Alison over at Tiny Blue Orange. This is money well spent because she knows her stuff and always delivers.

Keeping costs as low as possible also means that I never have to run ads on my blog (gross), and I can raise my rates gently (just raised them this year for the first time in about three years because my health insurance rates went up). I don’t have to do anything that feels out of alignment, ever.

A leaner business means I can determine how much money I need to live comfortably – and how hard I need to work to get that amount. Those folks who brag about their seven-figure ginormous teams have to generate a big income regularly in order to support that overhead. This takes a lot of time, expense, and effort, mind you. This means at the end of the day, you may be pulling in seven figures but you’re not taking in any more than a smaller enterprise.

Think about how stressful that feels. When others depend on your income, you have to continue to bust your ass in order for all that stuff to get covered. For me, I only have to support my household.

The other problem with running a “big” business is that you can easily lose touch with people. I’ve seen this happen time and time again. Suddenly, the person who started the business disappears. They become unapproachable. Instead of direct communication, you’re tossed off to some random assistant. Frankly, I despise that. If I get passed off like that, I’m more likely to not do business with that person again.

Because I’m small, I answer every single email. People know that when they are reaching out to me, they get me. That personal touch is appreciated because no one likes to feel diminished. We all want to feel heard, witnessed, and respected. Staying small allows me to deliver that vibe.

Which leads to the most important thing for me, the thing that drives me, my purpose. It’s not the Benjamins or fame – it’s service. My work is centered around serving my clients well and treating them kindly. If I was running some big ass business with a massive team, I wouldn’t be taking care of my clients – I’d be busy managing folks. I’m not a manager. I’m a tarot reader who loves serving my clients and my peers. That’s good enough for me.

Hey, if you wanna go big, by all means, do. It’s all good. But if you like the idea of operating a lean, purposeful business on your terms, I recommend that you check out Paul’s work – and his new book. You’ll be in good company.