I did a podcast with Sam Maule of FintechInsiders and I am really happy with how Sam interviewed me and polished the final cut. Sam pulls out some of the key things I have learned from years of starting companies and investing at the seed stage.

You can listen by clicking here.

I am paid to find great founders and invest in them. And of course to make money.

Along the way, if I get labelled a great investor…awesome.

I loved this post from Andrew Thrasher titled ‘What Makes a Great Investor’. The post outlines SEVEN traits of the great investor. I will have to make this a series of posts over the coming months just like my Nasdaq 10,000 series.

However you read Andrew’s post – and you should read it – Andrew’s takeaway is dead on. No matter which traits you may or may not have, take being a great investor as a challenge rather than a deterrent.

In that vein…

I believe you can’t be a great investor without a great network. The sooner you start investing in it, the better.

I am where I am today as an investor (on a path to being a great investor) because of the cold calls I have made, the no’s I brushed past, the partners I have chosen, the mentors that I have chased down and keep, the routine I follow, what I read, who I follow and the network I have created.

Brett Steenbarger has a timely post titled ‘A Subtle Strategy For Becoming A Better Trader’. It is excellent. The gist:

One simple but effective strategy is to find the people who post ideas online and do so with a passion. They post regularly, and they post over periods of years. They do so because the ideas speak to them. Their passion has become a purpose–and very often it anchors their profession.

Once you find a few such sites, you can then see who those people link to and whose work *they* admire. The odds are good that purposeful, passionate people hang out with–and link to–others of their kind. Before you know it, you can develop a network simply by following the links of those who post with purpose.

What an amazing resource hidden amidst the noise.

In 2018, everyone has the opportunity to build a fantastic network which means everyone could be a great investor.

Have a great weekend.