How many times did you end up buying a bigger or newer costlier coffee at your favorite roaster? You will know only if you check your expenditure on coffee. You repeated your own behavior and ended up drinking costlier coffee in bigger mugs. But what about the sample coffee barista offered you? Well congratulations, you …
Author Archives: Atul
Prediction
It is difficult to leverage past data and predict for the future. We should be more rational with our evaluation process keeping these points : Excerpt from a book Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin
Luck
We undermine the virtue of luck. Once we get famous or successful, we forget how much luck played its role. Our survivorship bias takes over reality. It was luck that you were in the right place to seize an opportunity. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. ― Seneca
Listening
Listening is one of the most important virtue for us. A good listener gets more love, respect, and recognition. This art can help us in being focused in all situations. A good founder grasps more from a board meeting. To me a great salesperson, you have to be a great listener. Not listening to your …
Lazy CEO
Constrain Driven Spends all the time equally on all the aspects of departments of their company. Gives the most important time on things which requires attention. Is visionary, is aware what could go wrong and take steps to fix it. Hires a set of lieutenants and delegates most of their tasks. A Learner He knows …
Summer vacation & Grandma
It is the time of year again when I start missing my Dadi(grandma). I see kids on the street playing gully cricket, shouting, laughing and crying. My summer vacation was a different story altogether, my village is a few kilometers from where I lived with my parents. Papa will drop us to our village and …
Commitment
I went to watch a Bharatnatyam dance show yesterday. It was a 1st time for me. What bewildered me was the grit of performers: they have been practicing for over 15 years. They have been a software engineer in their day jobs. How many of us continue doing something we like for 15 years? Don’t …
Value Investing
While reading Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor, I got to know about Benjamin Graham. He is widely known as the “father of value investing.” The crux of value investing (excerpts from the book) : Determining the appropriate intrinsic value of a business. Determining the appropriate margin of safety. Determining the scope of an investor’s circle …
On Management
These are some key insights Charlie Munger looks in an organization to acquire or invest. (excerpts from the book, Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor) : Capital allocation Compensation systems that create alignment with shareholders. Moat-widening skills. Management in place with high integrity. Brilliant and exceptional managers. Remember that reputation and integrity are your most valuable …
Elements of style
Spent some time reading Elements of style. Two things I learned: The best writers sometimes disregard the common rules of writing. Writing in plain English which we use every day and fluency in which we talk among peers adds acceptance.