Maintaining even a small annual profit is advantageous in investing. Survival remains the most critical factor in business. People have sought the secret to Warren Buffett’s success, which is the power of compounding, but they overlook the real key: he has invested consistently for 75 years without pause. You can indeed succeed in your business endeavors through sheer survival; conversely, you cannot survive solely because of your success. Survival is only achievable if you have the strength to keep going, even with minimal returns. To do this, you must do what you love. Invest in stocks you like, and continue investing even if it is volatile. Next, you need to secure a “margin of safety.” Even a small margin ratio is crucial because a business can’t survive without margins. Frugal spending, flexible thinking, loose schedules—anything that helps during tough times—can all contribute to building a margin of safety. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
In business, capital means business funds. A successful entrepreneur often says, "I started my business without any capital". It's partly true, but it's a lie. The entrepreneur just said that capital means only cash. However, all kinds of businesses need to be fundamentally business funds in any even not cash. The entrepreneur didn't count the founder's labor cost. No inputs, no outcomes. The uncounted labor costs are called "alternative costs" or "opportunity costs". This comes from comparative advantage. If the entrepreneur doesn't accept the uncounted labor cost as a debt, the entrepreneur is equivalent to losing the profit due to opportunity costs. Please always remember this. There is no free lunch in this world. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”