Building for decades
“Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre.” - Warren Buffett
Hokkien traders who built Southeast Asia’s trading networks thought in generations:
- A father would establish a relationship
- His son would deepen it
- His grandson would reap the benefits.
This seemed slow until you realize their partnerships outlasted empires. They understood something that most modern businesses have forgotten: some advantages only compound over decades.
Unfair advantages
“If you’re willing to invest on a seven-year time horizon, you’re competing against a fraction of the people.” - Jeff Bezos
We believe trust, reputation, and deep relationships are unfair advantages if you earn them and compound over decades.
Most of what gets built today is optimized for speed. Companies optimize for quarters, founders optimize for exits, investors optimize for multiples. Everyone is rational within their time horizon. Everyone is also building on sand.
Building for decades means choosing:
- to build trust when you could build faster
- to invest in foundations when you could ship features
- to cultivate relationships when you could close transactions
These choices cost something today and they compound over decades. Most will never make these choices because most people will not be around long enough to collect.
We intend to be around.