One Man Companies – The art of getting by

Have you ever seen a one man band? For me, passionate about business organization, it is a show that has always fascinated me. Seeing how one person, using his hands, feet, mouth and head in different ways, can alone do what a group of three would normally do is extremely stimulating.

Since 2015 I live permanently in Barcelona. I chose this city because it is undoubtedly one of the most active cities in the creation of new startups. Seminars, hackathons, very specific training courses are continuously organized. There are both private and public startup incubators and, even on more informal platforms, it is possible to find events and meetings dedicated to the topic. Many of the young people living in Barcelona spend a good part of their free time dedicating themselves to the realization of projects in the social field or to the creation of a startup.

Every afternoon, before the sun goes down, I take a walk in Parc Güell. On the top of the three crosses, there is always an American gentleman who plays his blues songs with his harmonica guitar, harmonica and a wooden and metal box that moves with one of his feet to create the rhythm. The result is good, not perfect, but good enough to be able to earn a much better living than most people living in this city.

If instead of being alone, there were three of them, the result would certainly be better and, probably, the total income would be better. But that gain should be shared with the other two people. In case one of the people is late, or has trouble coming one day, you can’t play live until all three are there. Not to mention the time spent discussing which songs to play and how to play them. I am not surprised that the gentleman prefers to do the work himself that usually three people would do. The effort is certainly greater, to learn to play three instruments it certainly takes more time than to learn just one. The realization of the tools to be able to carry out this activity alone has certainly implied a time of realization and a greater investment. But the day begins and ends when he decides, and the proceeds remain completely in his pockets.

Years ago, observing this dynamic, I wondered if this approach could be applied to the corporate world. Logically, a large company cannot be managed and run by a single person, but in a small startup it is possible. You have to be willing to learn a lot of things and be willing to do any kind of work yourself. For what you are not willing, or you do not have time to learn or do, contact professionals who can fill these gaps.

I started my career in the world of startups in 2010, together with two partners, founding a startup in the management of projects in the renewable energy sector. In 2015, with the end of the incentives for renewable energy, the startup also ended. In 2017, together with two partners, I opened a restaurant that is enjoying some success and allows me to carry out my projects and my training in extreme freedom. In 2018 I published my first book and found that being a writer is a bit like being an entrepreneur. My second book was supposed to be out in 2020, but we all know 2020 is not a good year to launch new projects. So I decided to embark on a new training course in the field of social innovation.

In managing the startups and the projects I deal with, I feel exactly like the one man band that plays every day at Parc Güell. With my head always in more than one project at a time and with my hands that constantly pass from the keyboard, to the camera and to the agenda in which every day I try to tidy up and prioritize each of the many activities that I am following.

During 2017 I started providing my consulting services to aspiring one man companies and startup founders. I didn’t have to promote my business, they are people who have seen me at work in my previous activities and have realized that the management model of my business projects works and is extremely rewarding from an economic and emotional point of view . They understood that it is better to have a consultant who is paid to solve specific situations, rather than having many partners with whom they have to continually discuss about seemingly insignificant issues.

If you need advice to carry out your project, add me on LinkedIn, write me what you need and we’ll see how to solve it over a coffee.