The Rebel Allocator

by Jacob Taylor

Thoreau said that the price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.

‘Hungry, but not weakened,’ was how Eric described this perfect state. At that balance point, the bird has incredible clarity, energy, and singularity of purpose toward its most important objective: hunting. Eric told me that falconers have a specific term for that state. They call it yarak.

if you have more than five competitors in your fishbowl, don’t expect to be able to control the price of anything.

“The dynamics of capitalism guarantee that competitors will repeatedly assault any business ‘castle’ that is earning high returns.

“there are three ways to make the brand triangle bigger. Be the cheapest. Be the most convenient. Or be the best. Good companies aim for at least one of those objectives. Great companies find a way to achieve two. Doing all three is a rarity.”

“What is prudence in the conduct of every private family can scarce be folly in that of a great kingdom.”

if you attempt growth without showing adequate returns on capital, you wind up destroying value and risking business injury, even death,”

“Paying a dividend should be the last resort for a rebel allocator. It’s like a confession that they have a lack of attractive ideas.

Upton Sinclair remarked, ‘It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.’”