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”
The most important virtues a business person should possess are, first, keeping my word by myself, even if it seems small; second, not being afraid; and third, having the ability to build structures. Since credit is the essence of money, it plays a crucial role in the exchange of value, starting with keeping one’s word. If you’re afraid, it becomes easy to lie or distort your true self, which can lead to losing credibility with those around you. To collaborate with others, which you can’t do alone in your business and may not fully trust, you must be able to create and manage structures to help grow your business, although with less trustworthy traits. The most critical of these abilities is keeping one’s word. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”