Episode 24
A CONVERSATION WITH TY MATTINGLY
ACHIEVING A LIFE RICH IN KINDNESS, CONNECTION, AND COMMUNITY
There is false security in going with the crowd.
One of my absolute best friends and mentors, Ty D. Mattingly, told me a story about when he was working at Novell during its peak period.
When he first joined Novell, he saw a way to improve one of the products they would be launching soon. When he told his colleagues that he was planning on sharing his idea with Ray Noorda, the CEO, they told him it was a bad idea. Ray hadn’t taken kindly to people offering suggestions in the past, and they didn’t want Ty to get into trouble.
Despite the warnings, Ty decided he would share his idea anyways. So in a meeting, he raised his hand and pitched his idea to Ray. After thinking for a minute, Ray said it was a good idea and said they should begin implementing Ty’s suggestion immediately.
Not long after, Ray stopped by Ty’s office and said,
“Pack up your stuff. You’re going to come work for me now.”
Ray had appreciated that Ty wasn’t a “yes-man” and valued his honesty.
Working for Ray allowed Ty to come in contact with many incredible CEOs and founders, such as Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, Andy Grove, and more. Ty went on to lead a successful career, and is an incredible businessman, investor, and friend to all.
It can be intimidating to go against the general opinion of the crowd and be confident in yourself and your ideas. But nobody ever became successful by sticking with the herd. Ty’s story is a great example to me of the importance of choosing courage and faith over fear.
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TY’S INVESTING PHILOSOPHY:
I recently asked Ty what his philosophy regarding investing was, and he said he followed what he called the “5 M’s”:
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Management
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Market
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Model
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Momentum
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Money
These 5 M’s are the areas of a company Ty analysis before investing. He does due diligence on the team, and market, the business model, the trajectory and growth of the company, and it’s cash. While he admits you can always make mistakes, the goal is to feel as good as you can about these 5 areas, which gives you the best chances for a good outcome.