Example: how we write up an idea

This is an example, not a recommendation. "Northfield Tools" is a made-up company and every number below is invented to show the format. There is no ticker, no position and no result attached to it, and it will never appear on the track record.

Every idea we publish follows the same structure, so you can compare them, check our reasoning and see later where we were right or wrong.

1. The idea in one paragraph

We open with the thesis in plain words. For example: Northfield Tools sells industrial hand tools. The market treats it as a slow, cyclical business, but over the last three years a growing share of its revenue has come from repeat service contracts, which are steadier and more profitable than one-off tool sales. If that shift continues, today's price may not reflect it.

2. The business

What the company does, who pays it, and why customers choose it over competitors. We stick to what can be checked in annual reports, filings and earnings calls, and we link the sources.

3. What the market seems to assume

We try to state the market's view fairly before arguing with it. For example: At the price on the date of publication, the shares trade at about 11 times last year's earnings, roughly in line with slower-growing peers. That looks like an assumption that the service business won't keep growing.

4. Why we might see it differently

The specific evidence for our view, with the numbers behind it. A table often helps:

Year	Service revenue share (invented)	Operating margin (invented)
Year 1	18%	9%
Year 2	23%	10%
Year 3	29%	12%

5. Risks, and what would change our mind

Every write-up names what could go wrong and what evidence would make us close the idea. For example: service contract renewals fall below 85%; a large customer leaves; margins stop improving for two quarters in a row. Writing this down first stops us moving the goalposts later.

6. The record

A real write-up states the price at the time of publication. That number becomes the entry on the public track record. When we close the idea, we publish an update with the exit price, and the result goes on the record whether it's good or bad.

7. Disclosure

A real write-up says whether anyone at MarketMintr holds a position in the company. For this example: no position, because the company doesn't exist.

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General research and analysis, not financial advice. It isn't tailored to anyone's circumstances. Make your own decisions, and consider talking to a licensed adviser.