Introduction
Hi there,
My name is Kian Martyn. I am a young professional based in Toronto, Ontario.
I graduated from university in 2018 with a degree in Finance & Economics, began my career in the cannabis industry, where I spent the next three years. During my time in the cannabis industry, I worked on developing key strategic initiatives including establishing partnerships worldwide to diversify revenue streams, and building internal operational processes and tools.
Too many companies in the Canadian cannabis industry spent millions (if not billions) of dollars on strategies and acquisitions that were destined to fail, all under the belief that cultivating cannabis in Canada would follow a similar trajectory as traditional consumer-packaged goods company. The vast majority of Canada’s largest cannabis companies have cost their shareholders and employees billions of dollars in investments, lost wages, and time due to an inability to develop a cohesive strategy during the foundational years of these businesses.
During my time in the cannabis industry, I learned what things needed to be done to establish a successful business (and how to do them correctly), but I also learned where the mistakes were made. Leveraging this experience, I have been working with startups to establish key processes and develop long-term strategies to support founders.
Analyzing and valuing publicly traded businesses also provides me with an opportunity to test my understanding of how businesses operate and track my progress over the long-term. I am starting this blog as an accountability and learning tool to help me track my thought and decision-making processes to learn from my wins and losses.
I chose the title of the “Simple Investor” because I believe that when you boil down how to run a successful organization, the key value drivers are simple and consistent regardless of the product or service being delivered.
Hope you enjoy.
Kian