Walt Disney gained worldwide fame with the animated film ‘Steamboat Willie,’ but Disney’s first studio went bankrupt. By the mid-1930s, he had produced over 400 animations, most of which suffered heavy losses. In 1938, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made $8 million in just the first half—more than ten times the earnings of other films. Meanwhile, with this animation, the company paid overdue wages to its employees and recovered the losses it had sustained. An unusual event that changes everything is called a “tail event.” 40% of publicly listed companies in the U.S. stock market lose nearly all their market capitalization 10 years after going public. Business and investing, after all, are based on probabilities. No one knows what the “tail event” will be. Therefore, to succeed, you need to try small, steady, many times with little impact, even if you fail. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Investing in stocks isn ’ t only about buying and selling shares on the public stock market . One way to invest in stocks is by improving a company’s performance and helping it grow. In fact, this is a more fundamental approach to stock investing . In other words, both trading stocks and managing the company are ways to invest. Buying and selling a company ’ s stock involves trading its shares because stocks indicate that profits will be shared and signify ownership . When a company is well-managed and performs strongly, its stock price rises. The company’s value is reflected in its stock price, making effective management a crucial part of investing in stocks. It doesn’t matter if the investor is inside or outside the company—managers need to understand the core of what they are doing. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”