Many years ago, I was asked to finance a start-up company that wanted to create a cigar vending machine business for sports arenas.  I quickly passed.  Didn’t get it.  Couldn’t see why the world needed it. I’ve yet to see one at a ball game, so maybe I called that one right.  I wish I did every time.   Getting It Should be Easy When an entrepreneur says to me, “You get it,” it always strikes me...

Our parent company has decades of experience structuring private credit for investors, so we sourced a few suggestions for those looking to capture high returns by lending money to companies.  Several years ago, a small import/export consumer goods company approached us to raise capital to build inventory.  In the course of conducting our due diligence, we discovered that the owner of the...

Would you expect a pro football player to become the CEO of a successful cosmetics company?  We didn't.  But, then, we listened to his story.  And it made sense. This is an interview by Bruce Smith, Carofin’s Vice President of Investor Development, with Chris Kolodziejski, CEO and Founder of Mosaic Distributors, a developer and distributor of fine eye and brow makeup that does business under the...

Consistency is critical in our business.  When it comes to investment analysis, this “First Principle” – “What primary market opportunity is the issuer pursuing?” – is the first question successful investors apply in their consistent approach to company analyses.   Identifying the fundamental rationale for an enterprise is central to helping retain your focus on the ball.  It’s what we consider...

We all have challenges to overcome. But, when it comes to private investments, understanding the challenges a business must overcome in order to capture a market opportunity is fundamental when considering an investment in that company. In our series of articles on First Principles, we show you how to easily define the basic elements of a business’s inherent value proposition. What is the market...

They all use something called First Principles to simplify complex problems. We use them for analyzing private investment opportunities. You might be surprised at how simple, yet effective, it can be.  Investment analysis can be highly challenging.  Each Issuer of securities (the company seeking your investment) is likely rather unique and is different from the previous company you analyzed....