As Voltaire said, “History never repeats itself; man always does.” Many interpret this saying differently, but the core message that human behavior is hard to change is clear. Since humans cannot predict the future, they can only forecast it based on past experiences. That’s the best way to anticipate what’s ahead. The current economic and financial landscape is driven by irrational human behavior that remains constant. It is not based on <hard skills> like investment techniques or mathematical formulas but on <soft skills> such as emotions, psychological reactions, and attitudes. Understanding humans helps us understand the world. Therefore, history and the humanities play a significant role in wealth building. However, it takes just a few soft skills to accumulate wealth, and ultimately, human actions shape a person’s destiny. In wealth building, soft skills and behavior matter more than grand theories or knowledge. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
In 2019, the coffee shop franchise Banapresso had 47 branches in Seoul, 35 of which were concentrated in the Gangnam and Seocho districts. There were even other Banapresso stores within 200 meters of each other. It was denser than Starbucks. 100% of orders were placed through kiosks and mobile apps. The elders thought it would be hard to place an unattended order, but when they tried it, they were impressed with how seamlessly they were connected to the register. An Americano costs KRW 1,500 (about USD 1.27). There was only one employee. Everything was ordered at the touch of a button and the coffee was served within 40 seconds. All the bread was made at a nearby headquarters and distributed in batches. Banapresso was the antithesis of a traditional coffee franchise. Its parent company is an IT company that operates a ride-hailing app. The same business can be completely transformed into a different business model, due to the interpretation and context. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”