In search of smart, interesting people
Sometimes we are inspired by a tweet, or an article, or a tweet about an article. The good folks at Farnum Street (Jeff Annello via @mungerisms) brought a New York Times op-ed about networking to our attention with some sharp commentary that really resonated with an important extension of our business.
At North Forty Two & Co., we have a robust, vibrant investment management practice, and we are passionate about providing high-caliber discretionary advisory services and actionable financial planning guidance to an intentionally limited number of households.
To use the word of the summer out here in Oregon, that isn’t the totality of what we do.
In the course of our interactions with clients, colleagues, and friends, we have the privilege to spend meaningful time with people who are really smart and really interesting. They make us smarter; we can ask questions about industries and technologies, and those learnings often help inform investment decisions. We strive to get smarter, to be better at what we do, every day.
But that intellectual curiosity isn’t the only reason we like to get out of the office to meet new people.
North Forty Two is a social nexus. Our clients and ambassadors share an entrepreneurial streak – they have often had a business success or two and are looking for the next adventure in life (perhaps this says more about our station in life).
We like to connect these people. We like to get trusted friends – business owners, senior executives, consultants, developers, financiers, etc. – together to explore business ideas, to vet investment opportunities, and to benefit from knowing one another. To collaborate as a virtual board of directors, to provide valuable, honest feedback and access to resources or knowledge that might not be available to a less connected network.
For us, that is really fun. And meeting and learning from interesting people has inherent, enduring value.