Category: Execution

Just Do It: Shoe Dog Shares Deep Stories of Business

Attending the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting this past weekend reminded me of Buffett’s book recommendation of “Shoe Dog” by Nike’s Phil Knight a couple of years ago. “Phil is a very wise, intelligent, and competitive fellow who is also a gifted storyteller,” said Buffett. That… Continue reading

Investing Errors Come From Psychology, Not Information — Charlie Munger (2 of 2)

“A latticework of mental models” describes ways that Charlie Munger sees intelligence and wisdom. Mental models describe more than simple IQ, or Intelligence Quotient. Munger Avoids Investing Errors by Many Mental Models Munger believes a wise person is best served by 80 to 90 mental… Continue reading

Investing Errors Come From Psychology, Not Information — Howard Marks (1 of 2)

When two giants of investing, Charlie Munger and Howard Marks, emphasize a similar theme, it pays to take note.  It is interesting to me that they, and many other investors, eventually move well beyond the quantitative analysis of business to the “second level” of psychology,… Continue reading

Roger Murphy’s Significant Life & Murphy Business Brokerage

Living a significant life that has a significant positive impact on others is a great accomplishment.  I believe that the investments of Greybull Stewardship are a force for good in the world and have a significant positive impact.  That is certainly true for business brokerage generally, Roger… Continue reading

Founder-Led Companies Return Three Times S&P 500 Average

A study in 2016 from Bain & Company shows that over the past 15 years “founder-led companies deliver shareholder returns that are three times higher than those of other S&P 500 companies.” Therefore, we at Greybull Stewardship focus on those founder-led, or founder-involved, companies. We… Continue reading

Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch

The massage school where I am a co-owner, the National Holistic Institute, recently had our annual all staff gathering in Northern California.  It is a big investment, but also a critical culture investment to get everyone on the same page.  In a school, the interactions… Continue reading

The Business Cycle Also Rises – Hard-Earned Wisdom of Business Cycles

A business cycle increase the degree of difficulty in managing a business.  Watching (and experiencing) some unconnected sectors undergoing big cycles right now has me thinking about cycles.  Here are some big ones currently: a) Silicon Valley start-up valuations declining after a 7-8 year boom,… Continue reading

Network of Experts to Support Greybull Companies

“There are always more smart people outside your company than inside your company.” We are utilizing this idea in our strategy to assist our portfolio companies in Greybull Stewardship.  Network of Experts As we think about the future of Greybull, we have been thinking about… Continue reading

Cheers to the Greybull All-Star Management Teams and CEOs

I love the companies Greybull Stewardship has invested with and I love working with the all-star management teams running those businesses.  As we turn the corner into 2016, those are my overwhelming thoughts and feelings.  Greybull All-Star Management Teams Here are some of the reasons why:… Continue reading

Dodging Bullets Keys Investment Success

Great investors have skills to seize opportunities and get into good situations.  Equally as important can be the skill at “scrambling out of bad situations,” as Charlie Munger would say, or “dodging bullets” as it sometimes feels when helping companies solve challenges.  At the Berkshire meeting… Continue reading