
The Most Obvious Investment Of The 21st Century
The Most Obvious Investment Of The 21st Century… that’s quite a statement.
Honestly, if I read that headline I’d think something to myself like, “Yeah, right…”
But, stick with me here, because I’m going to show you exactly why this is the best investment right now. I can’t think of anything that will be better in this century than this one obvious investment.
Let me give you a little background first.
I am on the phone for at least an hour a day talking with one (or more) of the many companies I have invested in. Sometimes I am just getting an update to see where they are at, in terms of progress. Sometimes I am learning about their different challenges and achievements. And sometimes I am trying to help the company get over some hurdles.
The last two days have been more of that last sentence – getting two separate companies over some huge hurdles.
Honestly, it hasn’t been fun. It’s been hours of phone calls with emotions flying and feelings getting hurt. The reality is that operating a business, managing investments, and making money is stressful.
Lost profits, lost investments, and lost money can start to get very scary.
Here is something that is interesting… Both of these companies that I am helping (and invested in) really have nothing to do with each other. They are in totally different industries.
One is a physical product (tangible) and the other is a digital product (non-tangible).
But, the solution to both of their problems is EXACTLY the same.
Here is “The Most Obvious Investment Of The 21st Century”: utilize the internet better.
That’s it. It’s so obvious and simple that it sounds dumb.
The internet allows you to sell to the world, not just the street where you’re located. You can sell anything, anywhere. That’s a crazy concept.
Shockingly, very few companies have adapted. They are still stuck in the ‘hometown mindset.’
In addition to sending you investing ideas and strategies… I also try to give you money making ideas (really that’s the best kind of investment).
With that in mind, I encourage you to start thinking about how you can further migrate your business to be more online friendly.
Don’t have a business? No problem. Make yourself more online friendly. Start exploring ways that will make you more successful online.
(I will have A LOT more about this in the future, but I just want to get you thinking on this.)
Until then, check out these statistics about internet usage throughout the world.
Source: Internet World Stats
There is one number on that table that is glaring right at me. It’s the world total penetration rate (percent of population) at 50%.
Think about that. Only 50% of the world is actually using the internet.
That means that there are nearly 4 BILLION people who are yet to come online. Think of the growth potential for your business if you start to utilize the internet better.
More on specific strategies coming soon.
One last mind-blowing statistic for you…
In Colombia, where I am having an investing trip soon, 90% of the population carries a cell phone. However, only 26% of the population has a bank account.
But, that’s not going to last forever. Banks are making specific apps to enable those with cell phones to bank directly from the palm of their hand.
That means there is going to be an ENORMOUS number of people who will be able to buy things over the internet (from the palm of their hand) for the first time ever.
That’s wild!
Just curious, as an individual investor, how do you get these companies to spend an hour / hours on the phone with you? i.e. what’s in it for them?
These are private companies, where I am a significant shareholder. PE and VC holdings.
Makes sense, thanks Cody
Cody;
I am trying to learn Spanish. I am retired and have been looking for an active senior retirement community. It seems that they are quite popular at this time. However, they usually require buying a residence on the property. Today, I was thinking that maybe a person could get more for their money by investing in a property in a Spanish-speaking country that is safe. Any ideas regarding other countries (other than US)where there are reasonably-priced residences, and which are sate?
Hi Michael,
Great idea.
Yes, there are lots in Central America (Panama comes immediately to mind for what you’re looking for). Colombia is also a great option. You don’t have to buy either. You can rent in these locations which are significantly cheaper (less than $1,000 per month for everything in a nice place) and allows you to get a feel for the location without making a huge investment.
Soo..
Should we invest to the banks which are developing applications for easier usage of bank services in 3rd world countries?
Possibly… or the companies which are selling directly to customer over mobile-enabled sales processes.
Completely agree with this.
Few people understand the power of change that is still happening. The way our future generation will conduct their purchases / interactions / and conduct their daily life will be very different from ours.
The internet is one massive market without physical borders, and there is lies the opportunity. As long as you play your cards properly.