Category: Investment & Business Models

Think Like an Owner Podcast Interview

At Greybull, we love situations where our co-owners managing our investments think like owners — because they are owners. It is a wonderful situation. I recently had an enjoyable conversation with Alex Bridgeman who has a podcast titled “Think Like an Owner” — it is… 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

Bootstrap Companies Succeed Without Big Venture Capital

Five out of six of the fastest growing companies in the US grow with capital from sources other than traditional venture capital.  How about the banks? Talked to an entrepreneurial banker lately? Didn’t think so. Bootstrap companies are creative in finding capital, often out of simple… Continue reading

Investment Asset Class Taking Shape: Smaller, Fast-Growing, Backed by Not-Traditional-VCs

Harvard Business School now catches up to a business trend my investment fund, Greybull Stewardship, has been focusing on for years — the increasing frequency of great businesses that have gotten to nice levels of profitability ($1-3 million) by bootstrapping (i.e., no traditional institutional venture capital).… Continue reading

Evergreen Investment Capital Gains More Traction

This idea should be obvious:  Most companies will not do their best work if forced to grow artificially fast (think growth hormones).  If you aim everything toward fattening up for an exit time; if you force-feed unnatural energy like corn or capital, binge on antibiotics, and then… Continue reading

Rational Investing vs Irrational Entrepreneurship (Admirable Idealism)

When asked at this year’s meeting, “What matters most at Berkshire Hathaway?”  Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett quickly agreed: “Seeing things the way they are.” Rational As Opposed to Smart Warren and Charlie then went to one of their favorite topics about how the success of… Continue reading

Diverse Fundraising Market Requires More Filtering than Ever

Private company fundraising is becoming more diverse, robust, and complicated by the day.  This is good news for private companies, but not without some downsides. When unique (and often better) doesn’t fit traditional fundraising A core hypothesis of my investment fund, Greybull Stewardship, is that there… Continue reading

Angel Investing Not As Prevalent nor Effective As You May Think

Angel investing has reached a new level of interest by the general public because start-ups are doing well and there are new ways to be an angel (AngelList, crowdfunding, etc.).  The New York Times recently published an article about the pros and cons of angel… Continue reading

Podcast Interview about Competitive Advantage, Berkshire Hathaway, & Recurring Revenue

I recently enjoyed being interviewed for a podcast with Jock Purtle of Digital Exits where we discuss what Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger would invest in today — if they were young. Hint: competitive advantages, recurring revenue. What would Buffett and Munger invest in if… Continue reading

Greybull Stewardship Makes Growth Investment in Onsource

My investment fund, Greybull Stewardship, has announced a growth investment in a unique platform that connects insurance companies with third-party vehicle and property photo inspections via smart phone apps.  The company, Onsource (www.onsourceonline.com), has a network of over 14,000 independent photo inspectors.  I am very excited to… Continue reading