Every venture has its unique story of growth and success. A venture is formed with a deep vision of the founder. The growth of a venture depends on several factors that include the dedication of the Founders, the dedication of the team, hiring the right talent into the organization, right strategies, a clear focus on goals, streamlined processes, the adaption of technology, targeting the right market, right collaborations, etc. among several other facets and aspects of a business.

Building a successful venture is a journey in itself. While it is always great to talk about the companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, or Facebook and the successes they have achieved, the rising companies that are fast-growing must be recognized and spoken about. Hence, the lists such as Inc. 5000, Deloitte Technology Fast 50, etc. that are featuring the fastest-growing companies from the USA & Australia respectively. It is no different in other countries as well. Some organizations are taking initiatives to recognize the growing ventures.

But are there high-performing & growing companies with the least number of employees?

It is this question that drove us to research and pick the fastest-growing companies that have the least number of employees. This article is to celebrate such companies that are setting a trend of high growth with a high-performing least number of employees. Having the least number of companies brings along a lot of accountability and responsibilities on each of those employees, hence, these companies have had their ways figured out to tackle workplace stress and increase employee productivity.

Let us dive into the list of 8 such companies from the USA and Australia whose journey could leave you inspired:

1. Digital Thrive:



Based out of Austin in the USA, Digital Thrive is a marketing firm that provides marketing strategies for campaigns. Founded in 2012, Digital Thrive is a collaborative group of entrepreneurs who have come together with diverse talents like designing, photography, brand/media strategies, and other talents. It is co-founded and led by Jen Mansfield and Paul Mansfield. What makes them unique is that they are passionate about the achievement of KPIs for their clients. They believe in doing what needs to be done for the success of their clients. They are hard workers and high achievers. They are recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing companies of 2020 in the USA. They have clocked revenue of $3.89 Million with a team-size of only 7, hence the inclusion in this list.

2. GoodWipes:



It was 2013 when the Founders of GoodWipes Sam Nebel and Charlie Siciak left their jobs to start a hygiene-revolution. During their college days, both Sam and Charlie used baby wipes instead of toilet paper at the end of nature calls. They were mocked by their mates for this strange habit. There was another issue: it was embarrassing to purchase the baby wipes from a store every time. They researched and figured out that there were no hygienic wipes for adults and thus began ‘The Hygiene Revolution’ by setting up GoodWipes that would provide flushable wet wipes that are plant-based & 100% biodegradable. The demands for these wet wipes are soaring. They have generated revenue of $2.31 Million with a team-size of 5 people.

3. Makeup Cartel:



Founded by Evette Hess in 2014, Makeup Cartel from Queensland, Australia, is a parent company of two renowned cosmetic brands- PONi and esmi. PONi Cosmetics is a line-up of eye-brow solutions that helps women achieve a professional level of eye-brow makeup at home. It is a cruelty-free and affordable brand for all women irrespective of their skill levels, age, and other parameters. It is considered to be an authority in the Australian market. On the other hand, ‘esmi’ is a brand providing skincare products that are results-driven, vegan, and contain no chemicals, parabens, SLSs, or fillers that can be harmful to the skin. According to the sources, Makeup Cartel has generated a revenue of $8.20 Million with just 3 employees on the team.

Makeup Cartel has also inspired and empowered many to start their own beauty business in Australia.

4. Reflow Hub:



Based in North Sydney, Reflow Hub is a global supply chain platform to auction off the end-of-life inventory of used mobiles. Founded by Terence Tam, it is a SaaS product that is one unified platform that helps its vendor partners create a listing of the inventory, conduct live auctions, streamline multiple external and internal coordination, and set up action tasks and processes. In the year 2018-19, it had generated a revenue of $61 Million with a team of 8 people. They are among the Top 50 fastest-growing tech companies in Australia and then selected to be among the Top 10 Finalists for Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia Awards.

5. InboundProspect:



If you are a Financial Services firm in the USA, InboundProspect is your go-to place for Lead generation for your business. Founded in 2003 by Scott Couto, InboundProspect has pioneered lead generation for the financial services industry through direct mail marketing, and you could pay as per the performance. Whether you need mortgage leads, personal loan leads, auto loan leads, student loan leads, or debt leads, InboundProspect is for you. You can rely on the performance of the direct mail marketing programs by them. Through their lead generation service, they have successfully clocked a revenue of $4.04 Million with just 2 people on the team. They deserved to get featured as one of the fastest-growing companies in the USA by Inc. 5000.

6. Equalution:



Founded in 2015 by Jade Spooner & Amal Walkim, Equalution helps you with tailor-made science-based meal plans and nutrition programs that can help shed the extra kilos from your body without having to sacrifice the food you love. Jade and Amal founded Equalution with a mission to educate people about the science of nutrition and enable a positive relationship with their body and food. They are the proof that it works as they have a success story of a loss of 50 Kgs combined with the nutrition-based plans. It is an app that prepares tailor-made plans for you with the nutrient-targets. Their team of nutrition coaches is available for a weekly check, and to measure your progress. They are just a team of 12 managing the whole show. According to DNB, they had revenue of $5.79 Million in 2015, the year of their inception. They have gotten featured among the Top 50 fastest-growing tech companies in Australia by Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia.

7. THiN AiR Brands:



THiN AiR Brands is a Toy designing, manufacturing, and marketing company based in Colorado in the USA. It is founded by Mike Searls in 2014. The goal of Mike is to see the Kids ‘Get up & Get Moving’ while keeping Child safety as the primary focus in the manufacturing of toys. The hard work of Mike seems to be paying off. THiN Air Brands has gotten included in the list of 5000 fastest-growing companies in the USA by Inc.5000. They have generated revenue of $2.57 Million with just 3 people on the team (hence, it deserves inclusion in this list).

8. MediaSpark:



Founded in 2015 by Patsy Sumner, MediaSparks is a strategic communications firm that is data-driven and specializes in integrated media planning. They are experienced both in traditional marketing methods and digital marketing. It includes PPC & social media, which makes them a one-stop-shop for any marketing requirements. Their expertise on the front of the digital strategy includes behavioral targeting, geofencing, CRM database, contextual & native targeting, and other services including audio & video solutions, performance-based PPC, and advanced social media strategies. MediaSpark has been recognized among the fastest-growing companies in 2020 by Inc. 5000 as they have reportedly generated revenue of $5.71 Million with Team-size of 6 people.

Conclusion:

By no means does this list disregards the companies with more employees or conveys a message that the companies should not hire more employees. But with the growth of the gig economy and freelance industry with the companies like Fiverr, Upwork, and the likes, companies are learning to outsource many of their tasks and activities. It is high time that we accept this reality.

These companies are an example that a venture could have a minimal number of employees but still generate good revenues and be among the fastest-growing companies in their country. We hope that this list inspires you with the stories of these companies.

What are our thoughts on this article? Which company on the list inspired you the most?

Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below.





Image Credits:

Image 1: Image by Joseph Mucira from Pixabay

Image 2: Digital Thrive

Image 3: GoodWipes

Image 4: Makeup Cartel

Image 5: Reflow Hub

Image 6: InboundProspect

Image 7: EqualutionImage 8: THiN AiR Brands
Image 9: MediaSpark