The “company of one” philosophy, articulated by Paul Jarvis in his book in 2019, advocates for intentionally staying small rather than pursuing growth for its own sake. This ethos favors ways to build a sustainable, profitable business rather than scaling headcount or chasing venture capital. It is resonating with a growing number of experienced professionals seeking flexibility and ownership.
Yet another type of company of one is spreading across the business and tech landscape with what seems to be the opposite mindset: rapid scaling through AI, aggressive growth, defaulting to automation at every turn... until you arrive at ‘one’ but hollowed out, dependent on systems you don’t fully control, efficient but no longer sovereign, scaled but stripped of your agency and craft.
We think AI enables a third option for companies of one: stay small and still grow your impact with intention. We call it the high-agency tandem – you and the AI.
This way advocates for intentional decisions about what you delegate to the new AI capabilities while staying in control of your business and mind. Not optimizing for scale, but designing for autonomy.
The tension is about agency and freedom.
The difference isn’t what you automate. It’s whether you can still judge and understand the outputs, whether you remain capable of doing the work yourself if needed, and whether you’re building on top of AI or becoming dependent on it.
The tandem way offers different freedom, especially with a frugal and intentional way to use AI: saying no, keeping things understandable, and changing direction without permission. It prioritizes agency, common sense, simplicity, and the commitment to living your life on your own terms.
The goal is clear: Stay above the line, meaning staying the one deciding who delegates tasks or part of your role to the AI, not the other way around.
Tandem doesn’t say no to AI. It says yes to AI on your own terms.
The latest AI tools are incredibly promising, yet critical thinking is fundamental in how we start using them. Remain the decision maker about what gets delegated to AI and what stays in your capable hands, based on what you want to keep doing, not what AI can do. Maintaining your cognitive capabilities while augmenting your craft and deepening your intentional work are key to staying relevant.
This is an invitation for Berlin and Paris (for now).
I’m gathering a small group of fellow companies of one (solopreneurs, consultants, builders, etc) to explore this theme over dinner. We share what we’re learning, what we’re experimenting with, and how we’re navigating this moment.
If this resonates, I’d love to have you join us: we’ll gather in Paris on December 8th and in Berlin on December 11th.
Drop me a note if this resonates, yet can’t make it, it’s only the start!
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