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Whit Huguley is the founder and portfolio manager of River Oaks Capital, a concentrated microcap investment fund who applies rigorous private equity-style due diligence to overlooked public companies by personally visiting management teams across America.
EPISODE NOTES
3:00 - Whit's background: From LSU graduate to startup employee to MBA at Tulane, discovering value investing through Ben Graham's "The Intelligent Investor"
6:00 - Career pivot: Five years in the entrepreneurial world, then private equity at AGR buying 30-49% stakes in family businesses
9:00 - Key insight: First company visit revelation - "$100 million market cap company, no investors had visited in 5-10 years"
12:00 - The Buffett parallel: Early investing approach of traveling to meet management, waiting in lobbies, attending sparsely attended annual meetings
15:00 - A+ CEO discovery: Meeting Dayton Judd changed everything - "spoke to me business owner to business owner"
18:00 - Level 5 leadership quote: "Personal humility and professional will, prioritizing company needs over personal gain"
21:00 - Why companies stay public: Most went public pre-2008, now costs $1-2M annually to maintain public status
24:00 - Microcap definition: Portfolio ranges from $30M to $600M market cap, average $250M
29:00 - "Remote island" strategy: Not traditional moats, but obscure markets too small for Amazon to bother conquering
36:00 - Suggestivist approach: "Your company trades at 5x earnings while you're buying acquisitions at 10x - why not buy your own stock?"
42:00 - Three-rule selling framework: Misjudged management, hard left turn in strategy, or extreme overvaluation
49:00 - Capacity constraints: Fund growth helps with influence but hurts at scale - "protecting Thanksgiving dinner investors"
53:00 - Uplisting catalyst: Moving from over-the-counter to NASDAQ opens institutional investor access, FitLife up 50% post-uplisting
58:00 - Counterintuitive lessons: Price drops often mean higher future returns, A+ CEOs are worth premium compensation
Podcast Program – Disclosure Statement
Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm’s employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.
Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.
Information expressed does not take into account your specific situation or objectives, and is not intended as recommendations appropriate for any individual. Listeners are encouraged to seek advice from a qualified tax, legal, or investment adviser to determine whether any information presented may be suitable for their specific situation. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
