Thursday, April 7, 2011

Investing Tip: Pay Attention to Where Your Friends Work

Professor Calkins of Kellogg did an interesting analysis of P&G's sale of the Pringles brand to Diamond Nuts this morning. Calkins was my Marketing Strategy Professor and one of the best at Kellogg overall so I pay attention to what he writes about. But this post caught my attention for another reason. I had just been out to dinner with the Hamilton's last week and Joanna works for Diamond Nuts. We talked about how well the company has done in the 2+ years she has been there and that it is poised for big things, and this is before the Pringles deal.

One of the most valuable assets we all have is our time, and by working at a given company, you are investing your most precious asset in that company. Sure you get paid, but you could get paid anywhere. Taking that job means you are a true believer, and we should all pay attention to that.

I should have seen the Diamond Nut Performance below coming two years ago when Joanna told me about her new job. I bought the stock today, but I left 150% of performance on the table by not acting when Joanna told me how great her new company was. I'm going to start paying more attention to where my friends work.