It’s easy to be your own worst enemy

by behaving like a trader

when your intent is to be an investor

Part 2

[THREAD]
1/x
I previously talked about how the mismanagement of my position in The Trade Desk $TTD has cost me USD $26,000 that I could have had simply by doing nothing.

Read that first https://twitter.com/adventuresinfi/status/1226383007034073088?s=19

I’m now going to talk about how errors can compound to work against you
2/x 

I talked about how I eventually relented

and rebought shares of $TTD for $140 in Sept 2018

What I didn’t say was that I sold my shares in $SHOP.CA

to do so….

And that decision cost 

me CAD $26,160

(or USD $19,682)

Doh
3/x

I originally bought

60 shares of $SHOP.CA
(on the TSX)

on 17/07/2017 for CAD $115

(USD $86)

Total cost CAD $6940

I was attracted

by the leadership in non - $AMZN e-commerce
4/x

Shopify is a leader

in an important emerging growing market

with secular tailwinds that can run for a decade

https://twitter.com/saxena_puru/status/1226490195853209601?s=20

And I really liked the level-headed leadership by Tobi Lutke

https://podtail.com/en/podcast/how-i-built-this/shopify-tobias-lutke/
5/x

I always felt $SHOP was expensive (why would it be cheap?), but

given the compounding growth and tailwinds the premium seemed reasonable

I was cautious with the size of my initial position to mitigate the valuation premium risk
6/x

As I tried to make amends for selling

The Trade Desk too early

I tried to compound my gains with $SHOP.CA

(up 80% in just over a year) into a $TTD re entry

I decided that since $TTD was “cheaper” on an EV/s basis

that I should sell all my $SHOP

to buy back my $TTD
7/x

What I hadn’t reckoned on was the valuation expansion of the SAAS category

as the general market

realised the long term compounding high gross margins

that the best software stocks could offer

I also didn’t expect $SHOP http://SHOP.CA  to go on its insane run
10/x

The lesson here is to stay the course with your best ideas.

I could have been paid an extra USD $45,000 ($TTD+$SHOP)

over the last 2 years

for literally doing nothing

Rather than succumbing to the urge to do something
11/x

I’m not bitter or just self-flagellating in public

Just sharing so others can learn from this

I am much wiser than I was, and consider it

An expensive but worthy market education

If you want long term compounding gains

be an investor, not a trader

/fin
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