"I am a major fan of Apple Inc. and its co-founder, Steve Jobs. I learn a lot by studying Steve Jobs, by tracking both his words and his deeds. When Steve Jobs drafted Apple's first company brochure, he entitled it: "SIMPLICITY IS THE ULTIMATE SOPHISTICATION." For anyone who consumes Apple products or services, you know that simplicity pervades all aspects of the user experience. Simplicity is their DNA. Apple Inc. is a tool-maker that wants to give their customers the tools that they need to do what they do, easily.
The DNA of Daedalus Capital, L.L.C. is growth, the consistent delivery of robust returns to our clients by investing in stocks, regardless of general market conditions. When I founded Daedalus Capital, L.L.C. on July 1, 1994, I chose that name for my company because 'Daedalus' was defined as "complex, as in a maze." In 1994, that is the way that I saw investing in the stock market. For me then, it was a complex process for which our customers needed a guide, a navigator. In fact, our company logo, that I had designed in 1994, is still an aerial view a maze. This was fitting because the Daedalus character of Greek mythology designed the famous maze on the island of Crete and he was equally famous for being the first man to fly. Metaphorically speaking, Daedalus Capital, L.L.C. was created to solve the riddle of the financial maze for our clients by flying over it without the distraction of the crowd or close quarters. I love the Daedalus name, the myth, and the metaphor.
Eventually, I made a profound observation that has helped our clients tremendously. My profound observation was that the market environment was immaterial to value creation. To Daedalus Capital, L.L.C., the stock market is basically a sideshow. To Daedalus Capital, L.L.C., the stocks that we own are 'the market.' The rest of it does not matter. We do not need to know what the market will do. We need to know what our stocks will do. It is a small step to change from investing in the stock market to investing in stocks. But, this small change in perspective fundamentally altered our vision and magnified our success.
Since September of 2001, The Coleman Method has been the investment process of Daedalus Capital, L.L.C. I perfected The Coleman Method seven years after I founded Daedalus, assisted by the sobering effect of a wicked bear market. The soul of our investment process is simplicity: we buy Blue Chip Stocks and behave like long-term investors. If we just do this simple thing, we can make money consistently for all of our clients, regardless of how crazy the market environment can sometimes be. We remain true to our DNA. We are highly confident that if you execute a five-year contract with us, we can double your money. A 100% return in five years is what we call a robust return. Our process can be summarized by these three sentences. BE FOCUSED. BE PATIENT. BE RIGHT. The avoidance of complexity and the embrace of simplicity is our evolution as a firm.
Steve Jobs' foundation belief, "SIMPLICITY IS THE ULTIMATE SOPHISTICATION," is our belief too. There is an elegant twist to this story. The quote is not Steve Jobs' to claim. Leonardo Da Vinci spoke the words seven centuries ago. Leonardo Da Vinci embodied the intersection of art and science. He may very well have been Steve Jobs' inspiration. At Daedalus, our mastery of the science is what empowers our art. It is because we can deconstruct business models that we can predict a company's earning growth for several forward years accurately, consistently.
For over ten years, we have implemented The Coleman Method through products that just work. Our contracts make a simple promise and deliver a consistently positive result. I believe that we have the happiest client base in the investment industry. That is certainly our goal."
Stephen M. Coleman
Founder and Chief Investment Officer
|