Shareholder Approval Rating

Posted on May 16, 2017

Description:

We the shareholders are glad that you're alive and well and we want to wish you some form of a 'Happy Birthday' but not in the traditional form of song and cake.

Instead, we wish you some percentage of a happy birthday based on how well we think you're doing at being the world's only publicly traded person. This will be a regular vote to determine how much support you have from your shareholder community:

A yes is a vote of confidence that KmikeyM is a ship on the right course.

A no vote is a warning that you're off the mark and we expect some changes.



Past Discussion

Mike Merrill
Feedback is always welcome.
KevinRudd (1.0 shares, voted yes)
Being a publicly traded person is new territory, so obviously you're not going to do everything perfectly. Even in the normal Stock Exchange world, you can never keep 100% of shareholders happy all the time. However, I feel that you are doing an excellent job. You are keeping your shareholders involved, and updated on things that affect our investment. I can only hope that others will eventually follow the path that you have set forward, and we will start seeing a boom in people that want to publicly trade themselves. Keep up the good work, and Happy Birthday!
mrdrake (1.0 shares, voted yes)
Like that I received an email about this (keep it up). Would like to have a text message when a vote happens as I miss the voting as I am not alerted when they are happening.
Mike Merrill
Text alerts is a good idea. I'll look into that!
SBaird (12.0 shares, voted yes)
Happy Birthday, I would agree with previous comments and as well would like text alerts for voting.
politicos (8.0 shares, voted no)
Would like to see a discusion on how our publicly traded company could start paying a dividend each quarter. ?
Mike Merrill
Yes, that is a good discussion we should have.
aaronpk 💯☕️ (977.0 shares, voted no)
Text alerts for new votes is a great idea. I have found myself missing some questions occasionally because I am not alerted that a new question was posted!
akostibas (1.0 shares, voted no)
The stock price is flat and there are no substantial dividends.
pvong (13.0 shares, voted no)
I really enjoy this concept a lot but I find it frustrating that we never know the results of our votes. Maybe I'm just too old to figure out how to see how you're doing based on our votes. Example: Did you go to the gym more often? Did you learn to ski? Etc. If there is already a way and I'm not seeing it, please excuse my old age stupidity. FYI - this is one time where I wanted to vote 1/2 yes and no so don't take this as all no.
supremelord (30.0 shares, voted yes)
Text alerts is a good idea to explore, but please ensure that the ideally is thoroughly vetted by an attorney. Inappropriate texts can result in legal liability. Not saying we'd be liable, just saying it is imperative to thoroughly investigate. Are there votes that are not sent out via the email newsletter?
Mike Merrill
There are no "rules" about sending out the emails, but I've found it's the best way to keep people informed. I'm pretty sure it's been every vote for the last few years!
Mike Merrill
pvong has a GREAT point and I'm also unhappy with this. Feel free to vote no, and that will inspire me to do better!
samuelcole (2.0 shares, voted no)
Let's be real, your stock price has been static or dwindling. As a publicly affected person, is there any plans to either improve stock price or to pay dividends? Perhaps we need to appoint a board so that we can increase the profit motivation?
Mike Merrill
The stock price has been static but we've also released more than 200 shares into the market this year with the option contracts, with a total of 670 planned. We should look at the data to but I think we've also had higher trading volume in 2017, which is great. Definitely hearing that we need to discuss dividends!
curtiszimmerman (9.0 shares, voted yes)
I think KmikeyM becoming a programmer would end up being the fastest and most likely way to getting some dividends to shareholders. Or An Unfortunate Accident, but I'm confident that's some kind of last resort.
Steve Schroeder 💯☕️ (211.0 shares, voted no)
My vote is not out of being upset, but thinking change helps. I definitely agree with pvong. I also don't think there have been big projects/events/votes that we could point to as investors/a community in the last year or two like in previous years. I know you are always doing cool shit, but maybe it isn't always being filtered thru to this project. Also, I would propose a change in social media strategy/tone. I feel like you have embraced "clickbait' and very impersonal/detached tone and I feel like it possible devalues the stock. I want to know about real Mike doing real shit in the real world in adult/longread interesting way, not embracing the worst aspects of the modern internet culture. This is not a vote for change in a troll-y Make America Great Again way, but in a 2008 Obama Change way.
freddy (6.0 shares, voted no)
You asked, so...I don't feel like you're giving this project your full attention. Most of the issues you've put up for a vote in the last year or two have felt pretty unimportant or superficial. I mean, that's understandable since you have an IRL life and you were running a startup, but this project definitely feels to me like you've put it on the back burner. Maybe you should ask yourself if you have the time and interest to do this right, and if not, consider your exit strategy. It feels really shitty to be saying this on your birthday, for the record. Happy birthday and I still like this project, and also I figure you wouldn't be asking for input if you didn't want it.
krickeyb 💯 (363.0 shares, voted no)
Yes: Vote notifications, love these. No: Lack of updates on results post-decisions. Agree with pvong and Steve, what does the long term impact of my votes look like? No: No clear forward statements. What does kmikeym have in store for Q3 and onward this year? Is he sitting on the couch rewatching Friends? Is he doubling down on skiing and planning to set a new slalom record in Norway? Hard to say if he is a buy/sell/hold. No: Let's see some more decisions to make! What you are doing next weekend? Some small stuff, some big stuff. Let's get the people going.
E*Rock ☕️ (2.0 shares)
Maybe just like 6-7 texts per day could be good... Some pics of what you're having for lunch, some workout pics so we can see how your abs are coming along, some screen caps while you're laptopping, and like a goodnight smiley ZZZ emoji at night couldn't hurt either... just keep it simple and personal and superficial.
Mike Merrill
Don't feel bad about saying how I can improve!!! That's doing me a favor! This is fantastic. I'm listening.
Mike Merrill
E*Rock: I can't tell if you're serious or not. :)
A J Cole (2.0 shares, voted yes)
I joined this cause in the beginning because I liked the idea of being a shareholder in someone's life decisions. It was a delightful novelty! I appreciate that the project hasn't lost steam. As the project has matured the subject matter of the voting has become dull. But perhaps that's because we have voted you into a rewarding relationship and productive career. Are we to blame?
abodens3 💯 (52.0 shares)
Stock price has definitely been rather static. Maybe stock or actual dividends would help. I previously emailed that payments of shares of KmikeyM should be reported as income to those that receive them. This would also be an issue with dividends. Don't think this was initiated. Would like to feel more involved than voting on skiing...don't have a great idea for this though.
Gary Pratt (1.0 shares, voted no)
As freddy said above, the proposals that are presented to us seem unimportant or superficial. I don't feel like my vote is meanngful, nor in most cases, helpful to you. There doesn't seem to be a clear vision as to the ultimate purpose of this venture other than being a novelty. Also, stock is purchased with an expectation of profit by increased stock price and/or dividends. The prospects of that seem quite unlikely. I honestly don't know how to change that. All that being said, I still think it's great that you tried this and wish you a Happy Birthday.
Curt ☕️💼 (82.0 shares, voted no)
I think the less important questions are valid for this project, which is to have shareholders act in place of friends when seeking advice. I think a non-publicly traded person would have asked friends whether to learn to ski or snowboard, for example. But, as mentioned by others above, shareholders and traditional friends have a different incentives for providing their advice, and different expectations about their relationship and its benefits. I would like to see quarterly (or at least semi-annual) reports that include the status/progress of votes/projects, and some forward-looking expectations/guidance.
dalas verdugo (16.0 shares, voted yes)
Good comments.
Robby Russell (65.0 shares, voted no)
No. Why? Because I think that I'm off my own mark at the moment and skeptical that anyone else is on theirs. In these challenging times...I'd like to see K5M shares increase in value via new discoveries and approaches to life. Innovate! Unlike some other commenters, I don't believe the project has fallen (too far) off the original focus. We need fresh energy from our shareholders, too. ...which may rely on some freshly introduced shareholders? What can we, as shareholders, be doing to help you? Happy Birthday, Mike!
wwwhitney (3.0 shares, voted no)
Share prices are down ~75% from peak and have been flat now for over 2 years. As a shareholder that is definition of doing poorly and for any other company would lead to major shakeups in management and corporate strategy. To date it seems like the most success there's been in increasing shareholder value has been through PR highlighting the nature of this project. Despite that over the years I have seen very limited attempts to invest more into initiatives around this. That having been said, I love the spirit of this project and that you've stuck with it. Removing any expectations as a shareholder from the equation, I wish you the best and it's been (and continues to be) a pleasure to be part of this.
arijkem 💯❤️☕️ (220.0 shares, voted no)
What ever happened to learning piano?! I agree with Steve's clickbait feelings.
CWhoa (5.0 shares, voted yes)
You know those Feltron reports of his year, where he went, what he listened to etc etc? That kind of insight might be interesting for an annual report to shareholders.
GeneM 💯☕️ (74.0 shares, voted no)
Maybe a board of directors is needed?
macsam (7.0 shares, voted yes)
Mike your share price has waned and remains weak as you have slipped from the media radar. In order to get your share price moving again you need to manufacture a sizable media event that will catch the eye of new investors. This means more than learning to play the piano and more like climbing Everest. The World needs to view you and your endeavors and have empathy in the same way as they did with Truman Burbank.
xakxrusx (32.0 shares, voted no)
Stock price is flat. No dividends. Though the SPO several years back was very profitable for me, but one must remember that there are no old merits. It's been done, and it was great, but we must move on. So we need to see some life in the stock price and in our returns. There clearly needs to be more media hype, and more movement.
Josh Berezin ☕️💯 (584.0 shares, voted no)
I vote an "optimistic No." This is an impressive project that has been conducted over a LONG period of time — 9 years at this point! It's hard to sustain any project for a decade, keeping it novel and vibrant. KmikeyM is most interesting when it feels dangerous, when shareholders are on the verge of driving Mike into a risky choice we might not make for ourselves. To get that feeling, we need bold votes, plus the implicit understanding that Mike will abide by the results of each shareholder decision. But when even a weak mandate like "playing the piano" passes and Mike doesn't follow through with it, the power of shareholder votes feels hollow. I hope my "no" vote conveys the urgency in rebooting and renewing KmikeyM. What will the evolution of KmikeyM be?
aaronpk 💯☕️ (977.0 shares, voted no)
Alright, you all have convinced me. I'm with Josh, voting an optimistic "no."