In the 1990s, there were many legendary investment stories. Over the past 30 years, numerous super companies have emerged. Many people were part of this era — those with extraordinary vision who held on to their investments without selling, creating timeless investment classics.
One of the most notable examples — and a regret for Warren Buffett — was Amazon, which started as an online bookstore. In 1994, Jeff Bezos began his venture in a garage. After browsing through the dictionary, he came across "Amazon" (referring to the river) and named his company Amazon.com.
In October 1995, Bezos raised funds. Tom Alberg, now an Amazon board member and Jeff’s friend, invested $50,000 at $0.30 per share. By the IPO on May 15, 1997, Amazon was listed at $18 per share — a 59x return in just two years. That $50,000 investment is now worth $3 billion, with Amazon’s shares growing 30,000x. Bezos, with 17% ownership, became the world's richest man, and Alberg joined the billionaire ranks by investing in only one company: Amazon.
Types of Entrepreneurs over the Past 30 Years:
Entrepreneurs can be broadly classified into three categories:
1. Value Creators (e.g., Tadashi Yanai of Uniqlo):
Businesspeople with sharp instincts.
They follow where the money flows and build scalable, efficient businesses.
They create value from scratch through products and services.
2. Mission-Driven Innovators (e.g., Jimmy Lai):
Focus on delivering value to society via high-quality products/services.
Passionate about perfecting products, often placing ideals above profit.
Seek the underlying logic of market operations.
3. Resource Monopolizers and Integrators:
They rely on monopolies, takeovers, and acquisitions.
This category includes investors and strategists.
While some create new value, others merely redistribute it.
Recently, there’s been a shift: younger generations value integrity and tangible creation over just wealth or status.
Why Is It So Hard to Succeed in Both Business and Investment?
Discipline with Capital: Long-term investing (like Buffett's) requires discipline and patience, which is hard to maintain when holding cash.
Limited Tools in Investing: In business, there are many ways to solve problems. In investing, usually the only real fix is to sell.
Teamwork vs. Individual Intuition: Business success often comes from teams and repeatable systems. Investment relies heavily on individual insight — subjective and hard to replicate.
The Ultimate Cheat Codes:
Be Open BUT Focused: See the whole chaotic board (openness), then plant your flag hard in one high-value square (focus). Knowing everything that's out there actually makes it easier to ignore the noise and specialize. Your superpower? Saying "NO" to a million distractions so you can dominate one thing. Time, energy, and talent are finite. Stop spreading them like cheap jam.
Be Strategically Lazy: Ditch the "hustle porn." True efficiency isn't about doing more; it's about doing fewer, better things. If you must "work hard," make damn sure you're working hard on the highest leverage activities. Is your busywork just making you feel productive, or is it actually moving the needle?
Be honest. Good systems work with human nature, not against it. Stop fighting yourself.
So, aspiring mogul, put down the get-rich-quick brochure. True success is less about chasing the next Amazon and more about careful positioning, smart connections, deep internal work, and the glacial patience of a rock. Now go forth... but maybe stand still and think first.
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