--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You should have an investment thesis that…" description: "\"You should have an investment thesis that essentially says why you think this is potentially a good idea.\" — Reid Hoffman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/reid-hoffman-1342_good-idea_you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-tha_559539.png" --- # You should have an investment thesis that essentially says… ![“You should have an investment thesis that essentially says why you think this is potentially a good idea.” quote by Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/reid-hoffman-1342_good-idea_you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-tha_559539.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/reid-hoffman-1342_good-idea_you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-tha_559539.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/reid-hoffman-1342_good-idea_you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-tha_559539.png) > “You should have an investment thesis that essentially says why you think this is potentially a good idea.” [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An investment thesis should clearly explain why an idea could succeed, outlining its value proposition and market potential. **In simple terms:** Explain why an idea could be good. Key Takeaway Craft a concise, evidence‑based thesis. Themes investment strategy analysis Mood analytical strategic Type business motivational When to use this quote - pitch meetings - venture capital - startup planning Key Concepts value proposition market fit risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your thesis? - How will you test assumptions? A Different Perspective A thesis alone cannot guarantee success without execution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-idea/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Investment Thesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment-thesis-1300950/) [Potentially Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potentially-good-1983661/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Should have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should-have/) [Thesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thesis/) [Thesis Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thesis-essentially-4641898/) [Think Potentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-potentially-4046507/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I would say that by being irresponsibly disorganized, by saying yes to everything and then seeing how it all works out, that I end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-keats/i-would-say-that-by-being-irresponsibly-disorganized-by-saying-yes-to/) [Jonathon Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-keats/) > [Potentially evil. Potentially good, too, I suppose. Just this huge powerful potentiality waiting to be shaped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/potentially-evil-potentially-good-too-i-suppose-just-this-huge/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The more, come to think of it, the potentially merrier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-dekoven/the-more-come-to-think-of-it-the-potentially-merrier/) [Bernie DeKoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-dekoven/) > [I'm looking forward to doing things more intuitively in the future, just going with whatever happens and not immediately categorizing it as potentially good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-pecknold/i-m-looking-forward-to-doing-things-more-intuitively-in-the-future/) [Robin Pecknold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-pecknold/) > [If you live in the digital economy, you have to be careful to have your investment thesis squarely bolted into your reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-pichette/if-you-live-in-the-digital-economy-you-have-to-be-careful-to-have/) [Patrick Pichette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-pichette/) > [There's been a substantial re-rating toward looking for at least likely or plausible pathway toward profitability being a core component of an investment thesis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bankman-fried/there-s-been-a-substantial-re-rating-toward-looking-for-at-least/) [Sam Bankman-Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-bankman-fried/) > [“The prevailing wisdom is that markets are always right. I take the opposition position. I assume that markets are always wrong. Even if my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/the-prevailing-wisdom-is-that-markets-are-always-right-i-take-the/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's useful to be able to recognize whether you're on track or not. To have that belief, but also paranoia about am I tracking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/it-s-useful-to-be-able-to-recognize-whether-you-re-on-track-or-not-to/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [People will be discovering that the Internet helps their career. One of my theses is that every individual is now a small business; how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/people-will-be-discovering-that-the-internet-helps-their-career-one/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [One of the goals of philosophy is wage theoretical battle. That is why we can say that every thesis is always, by its very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-althusser/one-of-the-goals-of-philosophy-is-wage-theoretical-battle-that-is-why/) [Louis Althusser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-althusser/) > [Here we are at the very core of the thesis we wish to defend in the present essay: reverie is under the sign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/here-we-are-at-the-very-core-of-the-thesis-we-wish-to-defend-in-the/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [I was deeply interested in conveying what is a deeply felt conviction of my own. This is simply to suggest that human beings must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-was-deeply-interested-in-conveying-what-is-a-deeply-felt-conviction/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I ended up doing four or five plays in college and being an English major with my thesis in language acquisition, which I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-ended-up-doing-four-or-five-plays-in-college-and-being-an-english/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [I think good art has good concept behind it. Nothing can always articulate fully the way a Ph.D. candidate can articulate their thesis, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mcmillen/i-think-good-art-has-good-concept-behind-it-nothing-can-always/) [Michael C. McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mcmillen/) > [As I matured, I've always had the dream of one day either having my own clothing line or owning a fashion magazine. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-purdy/as-i-matured-i-ve-always-had-the-dream-of-one-day-either-having-my/) [Ashley Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-purdy/) ## More by Reid Hoffman > [As an entrepreneur and investor, I prioritize construction and collaboration. Whether it's a five-person start-up or a global giant, the companies that are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/as-an-entrepreneur-and-investor-i-prioritize-construction-and/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [In software speed to market, speed to learning is really key. In hardware if you screw it up you are dead. So accuracy really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-software-speed-to-market-speed-to-learning-is-really-key-in/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [“Stockpiling facts won’t get you anywhere. What will get you somewhere is being able to access the information you need, when you need it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/stockpiling-facts-won-t-get-you-anywhere-what-will-get-you-somewhere/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [I think the randomness by Donald Trump's governing, by tweeting, sloganeering, attacking, will create great chaos in the entire market. I think people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/i-think-the-randomness-by-donald-trump-s-governing-by-tweeting/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Democracy is always frustrating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/democracy-is-always-frustrating/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [One of the ways they run forward is by viewing the thing they’re doing as something that’s going to be the whole world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/one-of-the-ways-they-run-forward-is-by-viewing-the-thing-they-re/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [If you could train an AI to be a Buddhist, it would probably be pretty good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/if-you-could-train-an-ai-to-be-a-buddhist-it-would-probably-be-pretty/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [It’s actually pretty easy to be contrarian. It’s hard to be contrarian and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/it-s-actually-pretty-easy-to-be-contrarian-it-s-hard-to-be-contrarian/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Giving birth to something that could possibly change the lives of millions of people for possibly decades, hundreds of years, whatever the length of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/giving-birth-to-something-that-could-possibly-change-the-lives-of/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [The entrepreneurial journey starts with jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-entrepreneurial-journey-starts-with-jumping-off-a-cliff-and/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Be persistent, and hang on to your vision. And at the same time, be flexible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/be-persistent-and-hang-on-to-your-vision-and-at-the-same-time-be/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [First mover Advantage doesn't go to the company that starts up, it goes to the company that scales up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/first-mover-advantage-doesn-t-go-to-the-company-that-starts-up-it/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Before dreaming about the future or marking plans, you need to articulate what you already have going for you - as entrepreneurs do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/before-dreaming-about-the-future-or-marking-plans-you-need-to/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [The metaphor that I frequently use for entrepreneurship is jumping off a cliff and assembling an airplane plane on the way down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/the-metaphor-that-i-frequently-use-for-entrepreneurship-is-jumping/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [ I think most of \[people\] are not very well educated themselves to understand the Winston Churchill line - democracy is the worst of all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/i-think-most-of-people-are-not-very-well-educated-themselves-to/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) [Explore all 253 Reid Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) ## More Good idea quotes > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Everybody has a good idea, but nothing goes as planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/everybody-has-a-good-idea-but-nothing-goes-as-planned/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [Domino effect: Once you drop a good idea, the rest will follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loesje/domino-effect-once-you-drop-a-good-idea-the-rest-will-follow/) [Loesje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loesje/) > [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) > [Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/ours-is-the-only-country-deliberately-founded-on-a-good-idea/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [Everything in New Orleans is a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/everything-in-new-orleans-is-a-good-idea/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [What I’ve learned is that if you really want to be successful at something, you’ll find that you put the time in. You won’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/what-i-ve-learned-is-that-if-you-really-want-to-be-successful-at/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“Why is it a good idea for you and not a good idea for me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/why-is-it-a-good-idea-for-you-and-not-a-good-idea-for-me/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [We like to test things... no matter how good an idea sounds, test it first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-w-bloch/we-like-to-test-things-no-matter-how-good-an-idea-sounds-test-it-first/) [Henry W. Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-w-bloch/) > [It is a good idea for everyone who does not have contra-indications to receive a flu shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-johnson/it-is-a-good-idea-for-everyone-who-does-not-have-contra-indications/) [Amy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-johnson/) > [Gadgets - our houses are filled with them: ones we need, ones we think we need, and others that were a good idea at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheherazade-goldsmith/gadgets-our-houses-are-filled-with-them-ones-we-need-ones-we-think-we/) [Sheherazade Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheherazade-goldsmith/) > [It has never been a good idea to try to disarm Texans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/it-has-never-been-a-good-idea-to-try-to-disarm-texans/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) > [It's just not a good idea to drink and drive; that is just common sense. But common sense is not that common!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-zima/it-s-just-not-a-good-idea-to-drink-and-drive-that-is-just-common/) [Madeline Zima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-zima/) > [There is no authority who decides what is a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-authority-who-decides-what-is-a-good-idea/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So when a good idea comes, you know, part of my job is to move it around, just see what different people think, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/so-when-a-good-idea-comes-you-know-part-of-my-job-is-to-move-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) [Browse all 332 Good idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You should have an investment thesis that essentially says why you think this is potentially a good idea.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Reid Hoffman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-that-essentially-says-why-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good idea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-that-essentially-says-why-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/reid-hoffman-1342_good-idea_you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-tha_559539.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/reid-hoffman-1342_good-idea_you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-tha_559539.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/reid-hoffman-1342_good-idea_you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-tha_559539.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You should have an investment thesis that essentially says why you think this is potentially a good idea.” — Reid Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Reid Hoffman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You should have an investment thesis...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-that-essentially-says-why-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/you-should-have-an-investment-thesis-that-essentially-says-why-you/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```