Design your own mandate
"People live up to what they write down,"
– Robert Cialdini
Finance is the only segment of the fashion industry where last year's collection sells well. Money flows effortlessly to last year's best performers. Everybody does more or less the same things: fundamental analysis, company visits, earnings models, technical analysis. It is difficult to come up with a differentiated pitch. If you want to leave a durable impression on your potential clients, show them something they rarely get to see: a documented process. They may choose not to invest today, but they will remember you.
Investors love to put managers in boxes. They already have a set number of them. If you don't fit in any box, they probably will not make a new one for you, unless performance compels them to. So, make their job easy: tell them which box best suits you. To the outside world, your mandate is your identity. The more you refine...
