Ian Cassel, founder of MicroCapClub and author of Stock Picker, joins Jeff Malec to walk through the underfollowed world of micro cap stocks, tiny, illiquid public companies where most 10x winners are born. He shares his journey from blowing up a dot‑com era portfolio to rebuilding it with XM Satellite Radio, explains why structural inefficiencies and lack of institutional capital create opportunity, and breaks down how he evaluates management, survives volatility, and finds small, profitable businesses that can self-fund growth.
Along the way, they compare micro caps to private equity and venture, discuss global markets from Canada to Australia, and explore why serious stock pickers and small business owners are increasingly drawn to this overlooked corner of public markets. SEND IT!
Chapters:
00:00-01:06= Intro01:07-04:22= Hometown Roots and Micro Cap 10104:23-19:14= From Penny Stock Stigma to Informational Edge: Ian’s Micro Cap Origin Story
19:15-38:15= Illiquidity Edge: Why Owning Every Micro Cap Fails (and Stock Picking Wins)
38:16–50:49 = Betting on People: Management Upgrades, Tailwinds, and 10x Setups
50:50–1:01:33 = Living Off Your Portfolio: The Psychology, Pain, and Payoff of Being a Stock Picker
01:01:34-01:05:02 = Philly Sports, Risk, and Wrapping Up with ‘Stock Picker’
From the Episode:
Stock Picker (Book): Amazon | MicroCapClub
Follow along with Ian and MicroCapClub on LinkedIn, and be sure to check out microcapclub.com to learn more about what they are up to.
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