OMD Ventures

“Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” - David McCullough

OMD’s ABCs Newsletter (Free)

I explore humanity and write about what I’ve thought from the venture. Thoughts from reading books, watching movies, listening to podcasts, and the consumption of everything else people create. Consider me a curator who sprinkles in his opinion.

It’s published every Tuesday.

The ABCs of the OMD learning function are below:

  • Art: Books, Movies, Creations

  • Business: Investing, Systems, Work

  • Culture: People, Self, Observations

The intellectual goal is to think independently — whatever that looks like. But I’m just trying to get stronger (1400lbs powerlifter total while looking strong for once), wealthier ($5m, that’s my number), and wiser (???).

I think understanding the self is the way to get there and I’m hoping exploring humanity is the way to it. It’s what I like doing so I’m rationalizing my way there.

Join the community of readers made up of leaders at KPMG, Fairfax, BMO to investors at OMERs, Mawer Investment, and startup leaders at Zola, Clio.

OMD’s Journal (Premium)

OMD’s Journal (Old Man Dan’s Journal) is a newsletter that documents my pursuit to be healthy, wealthy, and wise through the practices of investing, powerlifting and writing. It’s the premium product that keeps OMD Ventures afloat.

My goal is to become the best investor, powerlifter, and writer I can be. OMD’s Journal is my way of sharing the progress, mistakes, and learnings with those who enable my dream to become a reality.

Read more about the why, how, and what here:

Learn About OMD Journal

The current format is 23 newsletters in a year. That’s two newsletters a month and one in December delivered on Sundays.

The Powerlifting Journal focuses on my practice of functional powerlifting. It’s a monthly reflection on the full health system of recovery, nutrition, and training per my daily powerlifting journal.

The Investing Journal focuses on my practice of value investing in culture and people. It’ll go through my monthly learnings from books, interviews, research, and speak to an array of companies I own and find interesting. It’ll reflect on the decisions I made on the journey to becoming the best investor I can be.

See my full body of work @ Omdventures.com

The Archive:

Annual Journal

2021 Annual Report: 19 Books Read, 2 Books Written, 18% Investment Return, 114 Essays, 2 Newsletters, 235 Days of Training

Powerlifting Journals

October 2021 - Back to Repping 405s

November 2021 - End of 9-Week Cycle

December 2021 - New Environment & Tackling Deficiencies

January 2022 - Bread A Day Kept the Squat Away

February 2022 - Deadlift Conundrums

Investing Journals

<New format coming soon in May 2022>

Investing Articles (Pre-April 2022 Evolution)

Activision Blizzard Part 1—Blizzard's Niche over Activision's Mass Appeal

Activision Blizzard Part 2—Organizing Unbounded Creativity

Amazon: Jeff Bezos's Letters Part 1

Amazon: Jeff Bezos's Letters Part 2 - Culture of Builders

Berkshire Hathaway: Buffett Partnership Letters 1957-1969

Berkshire Hathaway: Acquiring People it Deserves via 1971 - 1980 Letters

Berkshire Hathaway: Financially Sub-Optimal Yet Optimally Human via 1981-1986 Letters

Berkshire Hathaway: Families of the Sainted Seven via 1987-1991 Letters

Berkshire Hathaway: Ordinary Things by Exceptional People via 1992-1996 Letters

Berkshire Hathaway: Think for Yourself & The Compass to Decentralization via 1997-2001

Berkshire Hathaway: Owner Capitalism via 2002 to 2005 Letters

Berkshire Hathaway: The Self-Aware Organization via 2006 - 2010 Letters

Berkshire Hathaway: The Berkshire System & Imperfect Cultures via 2010-2014 Letters

Berkshire Hathaway: Contagious Behaviour & Long-Dated Human Assets via 2015 - 2020 Letters

Costco: Where Culture is Everything

Danaher: A Culture of Continuous Improvement Part 1

Danaher: The Best Team Wins Part 2

DISCO Corporation: Micro-Economies Where You Pay for a Desk, Meeting Rooms and Bet on Ideas

Exor: The Italian Prince of Cars, Newspapers, Tractors & Juventus

Fairfax Financial: Necessity for Human Excellence in Insurance via 1985-1999 Letters

GitLab: Iterations & High Performing Teams

Hubspot: Growing via Culture (Free Sample)

InterActive Corp: Barry Diller & The Able Thrive

JMT - Jeronimo Martins: Portugal's 200-Year-Old Retail Giant

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy: Bernard Arnault's Luxury Paradox (Part 1)

LVMH: Decentralized Maisons, Centralized Production & Family Control (Part 2)

Nick Sleep’s Letters from Nomad Investment (Free Sample)

Philip Morris: Smoking & Human Desire for Addiction

Power Corporation: Generational Disruption

RCI Hospitality: Sin to Capital Discipline

Topicus: The Incubator Culture (Free Sample)

XPEL: Protecting Customers of All Levels

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Writing about investing in culture, powerlifting, and exploring humanity in the pursuit of self-mastery

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Exploring @ OMD Ventures