Insight certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Investment performance alone is insufficient; fund managers must actively market themselves

Dave Brizano · David Breazzano - High Yields and Low Risk at Polen Capital (EP.405) · Sep 12, 2024 · at 52:20

Dave Breazzano, veteran high-yield credit investor at Polen Capital, reflects on the most important lessons he learned later in his career.

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“As a young person, I thought if you just performed well, did a good job, or had good investment results, people would recognize that and reward you for it, and in reality, you gotta advocate for yourself, and you gotta hire sales and marketing people to get the message out and the narrative you want. So, There is real value to marketing, sales, and good presentation, and not just the cold hard facts of doing a good job because people overlook that often.”

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