And then, surprise! I received five copies from the publisher to give away – thank you!
A business book is a bit outside what we usually talk about here, but I’m very excited to share this book, as I really enjoyed reading it. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of my goals for the site, for my own business, and what I dedicate my brain energy and creativity towards in 2019 and beyond. And, as you may know from the interview, “solving for enough,” or in my case, “solving for contentment” is a guiding principle for me at the moment.
If you’re a small business, or are thinking of starting one, or have a specialized field in which you work, Company of One might be a terrific read for you. I appreciated the emphasis on making business goals as specific and personally attuned as possible. As Paul said during the interview:
…okay, if this is my business, what do I actually want? What is success for me? And it’s probably different than everything I read in business articles….
…if you’re growing, you’re focused on getting more. If you have enough, then you’re not focused on getting more, you’re focused on optimizing for what you’ve got….
…I think it’s okay to, to kind of work backwards from, this is kind of how I want to spend my day. Like, yeah, my business seems to be profitable – otherwise, it’s not a business – but, like, what do I want my day to be filled with? And how do I build a business that accomplishes that task? As opposed to, ‘I’m going to build a business, not think about my daily life, and then whatever daily life I’m left with, I’m going to have to be okay with.’
I hope, if you’re interested, you’ll enter to win!
As a reminder we have five (5) copies of Company of One to give away!
Ready to enter? Leave a comment below with one or some of your 2019 small business or professional goals!
Disclaimer: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to US/Canadian residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and ready to take care of business. Blasting Bachman-Turner Overdrive is encouraged, as well as a can-do attitude! Comments will close at noon ET on Saturday 9 February and winners will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck!
Winner update: Congratulations to the five winners below! Check your email inbox and spam folders shortly.
OMG — I loved this episode! Outside of the usual scope of the podcast, but perfectly aligned with my interests and needs right now. It was such a relief to hear both of your views on “enough” and how growth fits into different business models / life goals differently.
My 2019 business goals are to get all my research off the ground by getting a DBA, business bank account, etc. and actually getting my first clients!
My business goal for 2019 is to find a new business that (a) isn’t largely at the mercy of people whose interests are counter to my own and (b) can’t be outsourced or automated the instant it starts to provide me with a living wage, and (c) can get off the ground with nothing but sweat equity because everything going kerplooey the past couple of years has wiped me out financially.
My 2019 goal is to try and figure out how many customers I can take on and still be effective without hiring another employee (definitely not a goal right now). I missed the podcast but will add it now. Thanks for the fun deviation in reading.
My business goal for 2019 is to figure out a way to focus my brand(s) better and reduce the effort of hustling for bookings. I offer a service (music), and 3/4 the problem is getting repeat customers who understand that booking me twice doesn’t have to be the same as booking the same sound/genre of music twice.
My goals are to figure out how to actually bring about positive changes at my company and to do some certifications or continued learning to make myself more valuable (both to the company and other places).
I loved that episode!
At the moment – my small business goal is to get the taxes done!!!
My main goal for 2019 is to figure out the direction for the company, it was a small one with a partner and now the partner transferred his portion to me. The business has been on hold really since that, so I need to figure out whether to continue it or to do something new.
My DH is the small businessman in the family, so my goal for his business this year is to replace low-performing clients with people who are really up to something.
To pay down the debt I’ve accrued over the last two years. I’m looking forward to listening when I clear out my backlog of podcast episodes 🙂
I got my small business incorporated last year and the plan is to spend this year exploring a couple of different income streams for it.
That podcast was such a boon to the way I think about my business! My goals for 2019 are to reconnect with my contacts in my industry and learn about new product I can explore in my design process. (Takes deep breath, signs up for TNNA conference.) I also need to concentrate on branding and publicity. My goal is to bring my freelance work up to a point where it can comfortably support me when I am no longer considered conventionally employable. Thanks for this giveaway!
My husband is self-employed. His goal is to enjoy work while also putting food on the table. Thanks for the chance to win.
I keep checking all my library options, watching for this title! My spouse is self-employed but I’m also interested in this from the perspective of thinking about “enough”. Thank yo for the chance!
This sounds useful to my situation – thinking about selling crafts (but not online). I’m sure there’ll be many pertinent points in the book.
My business goal for 2019 is to do provide continuing education and supervision for other psychotherapists instead of mostly seeing patients.
Oooh im going to listen to this!
Im a photographer and have JUST launched my professional website and ventured a toe into the self employed market.
My problem is, there is SO MUCH to do, and i dont know enough to even ask the professionals (like lawyers and accountants etc. ) the right questions.
I want to get setup properly but also in the best way for my business grow and scale. Ultimately i want to launch an education platform to help people learn and extend their skills.
I heard Paul on another podcast. I’ll catch up with yours too eventually.
My small business goal is to work out how to hit the balance between freelance day job work and writing, so that I can earn enough to keep the bills paid, but still be able to hang out with my kids after school.
My goal is to balance a meaningful new enterprise with my already lengthy list of obligations, and to work out my priorities REALISTICALLY.
My 2019 goal is to get back online. I’ve sagged off my website and social media in the last couple years. Specifically I want to redesign/update my website.
This is so interesting to me, because I am not a small business owner but I have been lately thinking about how to change my work life and career structure with the same end goal in mind. And it’s nice to be validated in decision to work my way backwards: what do I want my day/week to look like in a way that I feel is enough, and how can I change my work structure to do it? My goal in 2019 is to figure out a way to work to live, not live to work. And hopefully, retain the enthusiasm I have for my profession for longer. By working less intensely, I hope to lengthen my professional life instead of burning out fast.
My goals for 2019 are: 1. finish paying off my student loans and 2. figure out if I still will want to work in my chosen field once that immense debt is no longer hanging over my head, requiring me to continue to work in a higher compensated field. I spent years and lots of borrowed money to work in medicine, but now that I’m working in it, I’ve found that it’s definitely less fulfilling and much more emotionally difficult with minimal rewarding, redeeming aspects than I’d hoped for. I also don’t see it improving any time soon. In fact, I think this lack of emotional fulfillment will get worse. I never thought about doing anything else with my life, but now that it’s a possibility, I want to explore it in the hopes that it may be better for my emotional health and happiness.
Ooooh this book looks very interesting! My 2019 goal is to set up financially sustainable clinical pharmacist services in an ambulatory clinic… and publish the results! Big dreams, but I think it can be done!
I really enjoyed that podcast episode and signed up for Jarvis’s newsletter. I think this could be the perfect book for me at this moment because I’m in the process of re-evaluating and adjusting my small business plan. For 2019, I want to reconnect with my goals and come up with a new plan going forward. I didn’t commit like I needed to the last couple years. So I plan to take 2019 to decide if being a small business owner is what I really want.
As an author, I’d like to both increase my income, and shift the kind of work I’m doing. Specifically, I’d like to get to the point where I can take on fewer educational publishing work-for-hire books, and make more money off of original fiction, whether self-published or traditionally published.
Your Paul Jarvis podcast was so interesting (you asked great questions and he was a fabulous guest)! It made me start thinking about what is enough for me – key at any point in life but especially now as I spin up for FIRE and the possibility of an encore job or business.
@ReneeG: I’m cheering you on loudly as you head toward FIRE!!!
I really enjoyed this episode and listening to Paul’s perspective. I am working to become a clinical mental health counselor in private practice. While I could expand my practice to include other practitioners, I want to be in solo private practice. So, my focus will only be on growth to a point, then I want to focus on optimizing what I have. This year my goal is to learn as much as I can about marketing my business as a counselor.
I haven’t yet listened to the podcast episode, but I’m definitely thinking about goals lately. For 2019, I want to start querying with my first book, specifically for agents. I also want to make time to work on my next project because writing brings me joy, and I need that in my life.
I’m not self-employed, but I’ve already achieved my career goal for 2019 – today! I wanted to find another job that values it’s employees, and doesn’t overwork them for bare minimum pay (like my current job). And I accepted a new position today for a company that has a great reputation, and I am so excited! Listening to the podcast with Paul re-affirmed my goal that money isn’t everything, it’s important, but not the only thing. The kicker is, this company is going to pay me more than I’m currently making, for a way less stressful position!
I have a side gig, and to really figure out what a sustainable amount of effort/clients are.
My goal for 2019 is to make enough from my side hustle (that I love) to go down a day at my “regular” job (which I do not love) so I can devote more time to the side hustle.
My goal for 2019 is to make enough from my side hustle (that I love) to go down a day at my “regular” job (that I do not love) so I can devote more time to the side hustle.
I’m constantly in the world of the business-of-one model as a writer/director/producer of my creative projects. Would love a chance to get some insight from this book and maybe take my anxiety levels done a notch or four.
Oh sorry, I forgot this part — one of my (many) self-employed goals for 2019 is to finish my first romance novel and get it out to publishers.
I don’t have or currently have ambition to have my own business, but my sister does. She is literally a company of one. I think she’d like this book.
My goal for the first half of 2019 is to determine whether starting up my dream small business in the later half of the year is fiscally possible for me. I know it is for other people in my area so I need to get a move on cracking down and doing the not-fun part of the research before “the others” slide in first and make my DSB unnecessary. Thanks for the wake-up call!