I hope you had the chance to switch off for a bit over the holiday break. We’re a bit like computers in that we tend to work a little better after the occasional reset.
Or as da Vinci put it:
“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.”
The truth in that idea became very apparent to me over the last few weeks. Having stepped back a little I gained some much needed clarity on the future direction of Strawman. Something I have struggled with for a while now. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to elaborate on that and lay out my thoughts for 2026 and beyond.
As a bit of context, it’s been almost 10 years since Strawman first started to take shape. The core idea was to create a space where investors could not just share and discuss stock ideas (there were already loads of stock forums), but do so in a manner that was more accountable. I wanted a place where reputation was built on the quality of posts and the performance of portfolios and, importantly, where you could easily draw valuable and actionable insights.
Of course, a general concept is one thing, but actually delivering on it is quite another. I’ll let you decide how well the idea has been realised so far, but I can tell you that all manner of dumb (and costly) mistakes were made, with plenty of self-doubt, frustration, and outright terror along the way.
I’ll spare you the details, but the journey has made me far more circumspect in how I contemplate further investment and growth. Not that I’m reluctant to deploy capital when it makes sense to do so, but if a new feature or offering can’t confidently promise a materially better outcome for members, it’s just a distraction.
And while you’re expected to invest for growth as a business, I’ve not been able to find anything that would give us a decent, risk-adjusted return on investment without somehow forcing an unnecessary (and often detrimental) financial product or partnership down your throat.
The other option, and the one most commonly pursued in this space, is to try and engineer things for a lucrative exit down the track. You grind away chasing a bunch of stupid vanity metrics so you can sell out to some soulless bucket shop, and then let them squeeze you for fees. Everyone has their price, of course, and we’ve had more than a few offers over the years, but in most cases all you do is trade independence and integrity for uncertain and distant earn-outs.
No thanks.
Under different circumstances, a more mercenary mindset might prevail. But Strawman has long passed the point where it can stand on its own feet and I have little appetite to risk that in pursuit of some ego-fuelled growth agenda. Besides, although it’s seen as a somewhat antiquated notion these days, my strong conviction is that the best way to maximise returns is to focus on genuine value creation for your customers and optimise for resilience and longevity.
All of which is to say that my plans for Strawman going forward are actually rather modest. Rather than chasing the next shiny thing, we’re focused on refining the foundation we’ve already built and leaning into what makes Strawman so special in the first place.
This starts with sharpening the layout and logic of our forums to make them more intuitive and productive. Many of you have already provided invaluable feedback via our recent survey, and those insights are directly shaping a cleaner, more streamlined user experience. (If you haven’t already done so, and would like to share your thoughts, please do so here.)
We are also exploring the integration of AI tools. Not because of some hype-fuelled compulsion, but to make it easier for you to extract and condense the immense wealth of knowledge buried within our archives. Even though our first steps here will be measured, I’m excited about how this will enhance the value of the platform.
Of course, technology is only a multiplier for the quality of the community itself. To help coordinate our efforts, we’re introducing a regular “stock spotlight” to inspire deeper collaborative research and provide more opportunities to learn from the diverse skills of our members.
We’ll share more specifics as these initiatives roll out. For now, I simply wanted to begin the year by reaffirming exactly what Strawman stands for and providing some context for the path we’ve chosen.
It is a profound honour to be part of this community and I look forward to uncovering more great investment ideas together in 2026 and beyond.
Strawman is Australia’s premier online investment club.
Members share research & recommendations on ASX-listed stocks by managing Virtual Portfolios and building Company Reports. By ranking content according to performance and community endorsement, Strawman provides accountable and peer-reviewed investment insights.
Disclaimer– Strawman is not a broker and you cannot purchase shares through the platform. All trades on Strawman use play money and are intended only as a tool to gain experience and have fun. No content on Strawman should be considered an inducement to buy or sell real world financial securities, and you should seek professional advice before making any investment decisions.
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