Budi’s 2024 Reflection: Embracing Cockroach Mentality
Trigger warning: if you don't like insects, there's a picture of a cockroach in this post so that you are prepared
In a world obsessed with unicorns, we at Recompound proudly embrace the cockroach as our spirit animal.
It’s not glamorous, but it’s real. While unicorns dazzle with billion-dollar valuations and flashy stories, they might fade as quickly as they rise. Scandals. Fraud allegations. Layoffs. Counterintuitively despite the fame and applaud they receive, unicorns can be fragile, when they are built on hype and unrealistically high expectations.
Cockroaches, on the other hand, are built to survive. They’ve endured for over 300 million years, adapting to challenges, thriving in the harshest conditions, can withstand 900x their body weight and survive nuclear fallouts better than us humans.
They’re not pretty, but they’re persistent. Durable. Indestructible.
As we reflect on 2024, we see the cockroach mindset in everything we do:
from how we run Recompound day-to-day
to how we make business decisions to prioritise backend infrastructure that is invisible but makes us more resilient and
to how we approach investing.
It’s not about chasing hype or headlines. It’s about the intention to building something that would last a long long time. We are also cognisant that we are super early in the game, a baby cockroach if you will.
The Cockroach Mentality in Our Day-to-Day Operations
At Recompound, we embody cockroaches’ spirit in everything:
Lean team: We believe in staying small and efficient. Every team member plays a key role, and we aim to avoid unnecessary bloat.
Client-first approach: We are focused in delivering performance for our clients + developing numerous features to help our clients keep track on their investment
Minimal marketing budget: Unlike many companies, we don’t spend big on outbound marketing. Instead, we let our product and results do the marketing for us.
This lean, no-frills approach keeps us grounded and focused on what matters: creating value for our clients as consistently as possible.
The Cockroach Mentality in Our Investments
The same philosophy drives our investment strategy.
We try not to chase “flashy” or “trending” stocks. Instead, we prioritize companies that are durable, reliable, and often overlooked. These are the companies that quietly endure economic cycles and consistently generate profits, year after year.
Our returns in 2024 weren’t the kind of numbers that get speculators buzzing. But they were consistent, sustainable, and a reflection of our commitment to the long game. (You can read more about our performance in here: https://blog.recompound.id/p/recompound-performance-2024)
We focus on downside risks**.** Understanding the downside risks of the stocks we own gives us the psychological safety to hold the stock in moments of price volatility. Because we believe that the hardest about investing is in the waiting patiently. Waiting patiently amidst wild fluctuation requires conviction by understanding downside risks of the company really well (from a business standpoint, not market price).
Why We Embrace the Cockroach Mentality
Cockroaches may not look cool, but they survive. They persist. And they thrive for generations.
At Recompound, we take pride in being the cockroach. It’s how we’ve built our business, how we invest, and how we serve our clients.
Closing Thoughts
If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush—chasing trends and hype—we’re probably not the right fit for you. There are plenty of influencers and channels to help you do that.
But if you share our cockroach mentality—focused on resilience, sustainability, and longevity—we’d love to help you.
Give us a call here & let’s discuss: https://calendly.com/recompound/recompound-client-admission.
Here’s to embracing the cockroach mindset and building something that lasts.