Clay Finck chats with fan favorite Ian Cassel about a wide array of topics, including the role of mentors in his development as an investor, the three characteristics of a business that lead to “Lightning in a Bottle”, and unconventional methods he uses to understand a business better than nearly all other investors.Ian is a full-time microcap investor and CIO of Intelligent Fanatics Capital Management. He is the founder of MicroCapClub.com and co-founder of the IntelligentFanatics.com. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:00:00 - Intro.06:40 - The role networks and mentors have played in Ian’s development as an investor.10:47 - How Ian recommends going about finding and developing a relationship with a mentor.13:50 - How the microcap landscape has changed over the past 20 years.18:09 - What countries Ian is finding his best microcap ideas.19:33 - The three characteristics of a business that lead to “Lightning in a Bottle.”37:47 - Unconventional ways that Ian analyzes and better understand a business.48:15 - On-the-ground due diligence methods that Ian uses.56:51 - How Ian performs maintenance due diligence after purchasing a stock.59:29 - Why you shouldn’t “coffee can” microcaps.64:03 - How Ian finds companies that are positioned to grow during any market environment.68:00 - Why Ian prefers to be in the first wave of discovery in microcap land.72:40 - How investors can source new investment ideas.77:00 - The investment filter Ian has recently used to discover ideas before other microcap investors.81:16 - What Ian’s daily journaling practice looks like.Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences.BOOKS AND RESOURCESCheck out our newly released TIP Mastermind Community.Ian’s Beginner’s Guide to Researching Microcaps.Ian’s community, MicrocapClub.Ian’s book, Intelligent Fanatics.Check out of our review of Mastering the Market Cycle,  or watch the video here.Follow Ian on Twitter.Follow Clay on Twitter.NEW TO THE SHOW?Check out our We Study Billionaires Starter Packs.Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here.Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance Tool.Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services.Stay up-to-date on financial markets and investing strategies through our daily newsletter, We Study Markets.Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. P.S The Investor’s Podcast Network is excited to launch a subreddit devoted to our fans in discussing financial markets, stock picks, questions for our hosts, and much more! Join our subreddit r/TheInvestorsPodcast today!P.S The Investor’s Podcast Network is excited to launch a subreddit devoted to our fans in discussing financial markets, stock picks, questions for our hosts, and much more! Join our subreddit r/TheInvestorsPodcast today!SPONSORSInvest in Bitcoin with confidence on River. It’s the most secure way to buy Bitcoin with 100% full reserve custody and zero fees on recurring orders.If you’re aware you need to improve your bitcoin security but have been putting it off, Unchained Capital‘s Concierge Onboarding is a simple way to get started—sooner rather than later. Book your onboarding today and at checkout, get $50 off with the promo code FUNDAMENTALS.Get your super sorted. Save money by consolidating multiple accounts, check out your investment options to see which is right for you, and see how extra contributions can make a big difference over time.Have the visibility and control you need to make better decisions faster with NetSuite’s cloud financial system. Plus, take advantage of their unprecedented financing offer today – defer payments of a full NetSuite implementation. That’s no payment and no interest for six months!Send, spend, and receive money around the world easily with Wise.Experience real language learning for real conversations with Babbel. Get 55% off your Babbel subscription today.Choose Toyota