One thing that makes me very skeptical of many claims re: AI is that Value Line ($VALU) continues to have a business - they literally just rearrange data that's already in electronic form and no one has created an AI-based substitute
I see all these SMB roll-up/buyout guys riding the greywave of boomer-owned businesses, sweeping under the radar of PE firms laser-focused on $25M+ targets. Makes total sense: buy at 4-8x EBITDA, structure the deal with 1/3 cash, 1/3 debt, and 1/3 seller note—classic playbook, and it works all day long.
But let’s be real—buying a $5M business with 10-20 employees is grunt work. If you’re not boots-on-the-ground, ready for the hand-to-hand combat of small business operations, it’s a slog.
Here’s the angle though: these guys should be networking with people like me. I’m swimming in SMBs every day through trade claims—and more importantly, I see the ones that still get paid even in bankruptcy. If a business's trade creditors get theirs while the secured lenders are licking their wounds, you know you’ve got a resilient operation.
Food for thought: the real gold isn’t just in EBITDA multiples; it’s in businesses that prove their worth when the chips are down.
The fact that Mark Zuckerberg is at the White House UFC Freedom 250 & Meta is a sponsor are indicators that Republicans will win the midterms. He goes where the wind blows & has access to more data than anyone from FB/IG. His data is telling him it's good to be Republican in 2026
Got really sunburned doing yard work today so I took 3 Viagra.
Doesn't do anything for the sunburn but it does keep the sheet off my legs when I lay in bed.