First Who
Then What
Get the right people on the bus.
Get the wrong people off the bus.
Get the right people in the right seats.
Then — and only then — figure out where the hell you’re going.
Macfeigh Atunga
CEO & Chief Investment Strategist – The MarketWorth Group
November 22, 2025
I have made billion-dollar decisions in under 72 hours — not because I’m a genius.
Because the right humans were already locked in, aligned, and ready to move at Mach 10.
I have also lost nine figures in a single bad year — because I kept one wrong person on the bus six months too long.
That mistake will never happen again.
If you want to build something that outlives you — stop reading and internalize every word below.
The Moment I Finally Understood Jim Collins
In 2019, I was running a $420 million fund with a decent track record.
We were good. Not great.
We had a brilliant macro strategist who was wrong 70% of the time but right in size when he hit.
Everyone loved him. Charismatic. Smart. Fun at dinner.
But deep down, I knew: he didn’t belong on our bus.
I waited 14 months to act.
Those 14 months cost our investors roughly $180 million in opportunity cost and drawdowns.
The day I finally moved him off the bus, our Sharpe ratio jumped from 1.4 to 3.1 in under 18 months.
That was the day I tattooed “First Who, Then What” on my soul.
The Three Non-Negotiable Rules I Live By Now
Rule 1: Hire Only When You Feel It in Your Gut Like a Punch
I have turned down 9,800+ résumés in the last five years.
I have hired exactly 11 people.
Every single one of them made me feel physical excitement the first time we spoke — like signing Messi at 17.
Rule 2: Fire the Moment You Start Making Excuses for Someone
The instant you hear yourself say:
“He’s having a tough year…”
“She’s amazing when she’s on…”
“Once the market changes he’ll shine…”
You’re already too late.
Act that week.
Rule 3: Pay Whatever It Takes to Keep an A-Player Forever
My inner circle earns more than most hedge fund CIOs.
I sleep like a baby knowing they will never leave.
Money is the cheapest way to buy loyalty from the truly great.
How “First Who” Actually Plays Out in Real Markets
2021 – We saw the everything-bubble forming.
Most funds debated strategy for months.
My team had us 65% net short in nine trading days.
No meetings. No memos. Just execution at warp speed.
2023 – AI explosion.
While others were forming committees and writing white papers, we deployed $1.4 billion into the AI complex in six weeks.
Again — no debate. The right people saw the same truth at the same moment.
When the who is world-class, the what becomes obvious.
The Exact Hiring Framework I Use Today
1. Do they get visibly excited by asymmetric upside?
2. Have they ever walked away from money for principle?
3. Can they explain a complex idea in 90 seconds like they’re talking to a 12-year-old?
4. Would I trust them with my entire net worth while I’m in a coma?
5. Do they raise the energy of every room they enter?
Five yeses → offer same day.
Anything less → polite no.
Investment vs Speculation Is Decided by Your Team
A B-player speculates and calls it research.
An A-player invests with surgical precision and lets compounding do the rest.
I broke this down in brutal detail here:
Investment vs Speculation: The Difference That Turns Millions Into Billions
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is too fast to fire?
Never. The damage is already compounding the moment doubt appears.
What if I’m a one-person operation?
Then your “bus” is your network, your custodian, your lawyer, your key advisor. Apply the same rigor. Weak links kill solo operators faster than anyone.
Do you ever regret firing someone?
Only when I waited too long.
How do you find these A-players?
I don’t recruit. I attract. Live your standards so loudly that the right ones find you.
Final Command
Open your phone right now.
Look at your inner circle — partners, employees, advisors.
Ask one question:
“If I were building this from zero tomorrow, would I fight to have every single one of them again?”
Anyone who causes hesitation must go before January 1st.
If this lit a fire under you, lock in now:
1. Follow The MarketWorth Group on Facebook
2. Follow Macfeigh Atunga – daily unfiltered truth
3. Subscribe The MarketWorth Group YouTube – weekly no-BS market intel
Macfeigh Atunga
CEO – The MarketWorth Group
Building with the few who belong on the bus.
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