I really don’t deserve being put on a pedestal. I think as owners of a business we should ask the obvious questions. And judge the responses as from an employee.
I must confess to not being particularly familiar with Minoan, but I read Mike's editorial with keen interest—particularly his observations on the historical pattern of official communications spanning several years, which, rather alarmingly, appear to have served little purpose beyond misleading investors.
It’s quite apparent that some red flags were waving vigorously, yet certain investors seemingly chose to close their eyes and soldier on regardless. Judging by some of the comments, one can’t help but suspect there are a few shady operators lingering on the periphery—ever-ready to lure in the next unsuspecting soul and relieve them of their capital with practised ease.
For me, the primary takeaway is this: the official messaging seems to have been engineered for ambiguity. In fact, I see troubling similarities between the patterns described and the behaviour of SkinBioTherapeutics in its own official communications. SkinBioTherapeutics risks becoming synonymous with obfuscation unless it adopts a more transparent and proactive approach—one that involves correcting false information upon which investors are expected to base serious financial decisions.
I’m becoming increasingly concerned that our CEO is either not acting in the interests of shareholders, or simply lacks the sophistication to comprehend the current distortion of the market. Troublingly, it appears he has been made aware of the situation and yet has chosen inaction. If that is indeed the case, how are we to place our trust in his leadership?
Thank you Mike for writing the hindsight report which does serve as a lesson from which we all should learn.
Sometimes it would be good to see a report written on a company such as Min even if it does summarise in "avoid like the plague". They don't all have to be rosy and we all know what a cess pit the AIM market can be.
I also along with a friend lost a good few bob in Min. I believe the story there is still unfolding and might be more to come. I'd rather not run the calculator on those recent times.
Also know that a good few years ago tipsters were rewarded in stock "finders fees" , or small payment for their investigative time. Don't know whether this is still true today. Don't think this is unreasonable as long as it does influence the report.
Well onto min, apart from a very brief foray into the stock a couple of years ago, Min was off my radar until I got a call from a investor friend who Elrico introduced us to in Manchester.
Its not new that I'm always looking for investment/trading tips ad was pleased to hear from him regarding really positive news that CE the CEO there was on the cusp of a major deal. This was in Nov 24. Thought it would be a nice lucrative fast investment I took a position. Was also invited into the ADVFN guild, and a private whats app group.
Looking back we were all fooled by CE, who in my opinion is more of a modern "bromance trickster", tagging along his inner group of heavy shareholders giving daily titbits while drawing a big salary along with long vacations in Crete every year. Strictly business and on expenses of course.
Well I do grow suspicious quickly and leave when timelines slip, so when Jan rolled into Feb I pulled my position at a nasty loss, which I've since recovered. I did publish my views and got firstly asked to leave the whats app group. I also told the guild I was pulling out.
I did believe the reports from CE that a decent deal was about to be completed, and the story has not yet been revealed whether those owned money sabotaged the deals so they could gain control which is happening.
However I don't blame anyone, as all risks/rewards are my own, just a true recent story.
I currently have strong positions in SBTX/INSG and some core blue chip banking and defence stocks. Thanks for the opportunity to put my side of this story.
Good comments Elrico, when you look back the signs are all there, especially the many one to one chats that ce had on an almost daily basis with many in his core group of large shareholders. In effect stringing them all along and how he was able to continue this facade until the music stopped. These kind of chats are not normal with normal pi’s, and the CEO used to hide behind “can’t reveal this or that due to being inside “. Bit like a NDA actually, which I know is topical recently. I got offered a chat myself but declined it. I’m sure there are still many similar companies and exposing them and alerting investors to the crooks dressed up as CEO’s might help prevent more loosing money
To the unacquainted, the recent editorial on MIN might carry the air of hindsight. It doesn’t. Far from being a retrospective revelation, this has been a slow-burning warning — one that PJ has been issuing for quite some time. Dismissed by some as the grumblings of a disgruntled ex-investor with an axe to grind, his commentary has often been misunderstood. But such a conclusion is only possible if one chooses to ignore the evidence, which has been hiding in plain sight, neatly packaged in a series of ambiguous RNSs.
The fact that the article is now trending slightly above all 24hr historical averages for readership is telling. It suggests an appetite among investors for genuine insight — a willingness to learn from those who, though outside the tent, still have a sharp eye for the structural weaknesses others overlook or choose to rationalise away.
As for my introduction — that chance meeting all those years ago in Manchester — it’s a cruel irony that it has led to your exposure to someone who, in my view, has long operated in the murkier corners of private investor groups, as implied by you. I’ve been added to more of these than I care to count, and I’ve extracted myself from each with equal haste. Their purpose is rarely benevolent. The polite introductions that initially brought people together have, sadly, also opened the door to misdirection — and in this case, you’ve been drawn into a blue-sky narrative built on very cloudy foundations.
The warning signs were always there. A history littered with unmet promises, strategic pivots that reeked of desperation, and an RNS trail that tells a very different story to the one pushed in cosy, closed-door chat rooms. This wasn’t a fall from grace. It was a slow-motion collapse, entirely visible to those willing to look.
I'm very confident your investments in SBTX and INSG will yield handsome returns, but as you know, sometimes Companies can take longer to bear fruit. We need to judge for ourselves if they are likely to repeat the history of MIN. I think not, but time will be the judge, not me.
Elric one of the hindsight lessons here is that pj showed that it is often best to follow your instincts .In 2018 Min sold its travel business but crucially had a large debt and no income.This was a Red flag.
I made a supreme error of judgement believing the contradictory story of the Rns statements which clearly showed the Company was going nowhere and information from the chairman that he was almost there.Deeds are the important factor talk is cheap.
It is evident to me that PJ, aka Mike Caine, pays close attention to the language used in RNS statements, noting nuances and identifying subtle shifts in tone or emphasis. His approach appears to mirror that of the old duffer (Father)—both in terms of longevity and rigour. This reflects a level of due diligence and a willingness to act decisively, including selling when necessary, while remaining patient if the timeline slips, as they often do.
As a matter of principle, I refrain from engaging with BB discussions, contrarian views or not—I consider it a golden rule. My focus remains solely on responses and commentary tied directly to our Substack content. Furthermore, I maintain a healthy scepticism towards board-level commentary, reserving trust for those who consistently demonstrate an ability to deliver on the guidance and expectations they set for the market.
BTW, I would have named and shamed! The willingness to even consider the destruction of the father's reputation for profit is reprehensible. Farther is far too forgiving.
Pg yes pj should be thanked ! I invested on the original Tw tip and have lost 35 k another guy has lost 500k .We are both in our seventies so this is big money.
The chairman of Minoan has had a life of luxury funded by the savings of small shareholders like myself and will no doubt ride off into the sunset without a care in the world.
PJ, I don't think i ever thanked you from dissuading me from buying the ramp. I once respected 2 of the rampers. You know who i speak of. You have been the counterweight to their ramping. I am not a big investor. Even so, you saved the £3000 i nearly invested. Thank you for having the courage to speak out. It could have been worse had i bought when tw tipped them all those years ago. I was just starting my investment journey then.
No thanks required PG. No 2 Company's are the same, and sometimes red flags can be wrong. But so many in 1 Company. Each investment is a learning curve and that applies to me as well.
Mike were 100% correct.There are many lessons here the obvious one is be guided by Rns statements . In the case of Minoan it was obvious that shareholders were being duped.
Investors would do well to embrace the contrarian view—especially when it makes them squirm. Discomfort, after all, is often the birthplace of insight. Those willing to adopt a critical mindset tend to learn; those who prefer the ostrich approach, head buried firmly in sand, are far more likely to make irrational decisions and quietly torch their own wealth.
Not much gets past PJ. I think the article was long overdue. Investment lessons.
I really don’t deserve being put on a pedestal. I think as owners of a business we should ask the obvious questions. And judge the responses as from an employee.
Take the compliment, it’s well deserved. Moaning old 💨
Ah. That will be the slimbiome.
I must confess to not being particularly familiar with Minoan, but I read Mike's editorial with keen interest—particularly his observations on the historical pattern of official communications spanning several years, which, rather alarmingly, appear to have served little purpose beyond misleading investors.
It’s quite apparent that some red flags were waving vigorously, yet certain investors seemingly chose to close their eyes and soldier on regardless. Judging by some of the comments, one can’t help but suspect there are a few shady operators lingering on the periphery—ever-ready to lure in the next unsuspecting soul and relieve them of their capital with practised ease.
For me, the primary takeaway is this: the official messaging seems to have been engineered for ambiguity. In fact, I see troubling similarities between the patterns described and the behaviour of SkinBioTherapeutics in its own official communications. SkinBioTherapeutics risks becoming synonymous with obfuscation unless it adopts a more transparent and proactive approach—one that involves correcting false information upon which investors are expected to base serious financial decisions.
I’m becoming increasingly concerned that our CEO is either not acting in the interests of shareholders, or simply lacks the sophistication to comprehend the current distortion of the market. Troublingly, it appears he has been made aware of the situation and yet has chosen inaction. If that is indeed the case, how are we to place our trust in his leadership?
meant doesn't influence the report...doh
Thank you Mike for writing the hindsight report which does serve as a lesson from which we all should learn.
Sometimes it would be good to see a report written on a company such as Min even if it does summarise in "avoid like the plague". They don't all have to be rosy and we all know what a cess pit the AIM market can be.
I also along with a friend lost a good few bob in Min. I believe the story there is still unfolding and might be more to come. I'd rather not run the calculator on those recent times.
Also know that a good few years ago tipsters were rewarded in stock "finders fees" , or small payment for their investigative time. Don't know whether this is still true today. Don't think this is unreasonable as long as it does influence the report.
Well onto min, apart from a very brief foray into the stock a couple of years ago, Min was off my radar until I got a call from a investor friend who Elrico introduced us to in Manchester.
Its not new that I'm always looking for investment/trading tips ad was pleased to hear from him regarding really positive news that CE the CEO there was on the cusp of a major deal. This was in Nov 24. Thought it would be a nice lucrative fast investment I took a position. Was also invited into the ADVFN guild, and a private whats app group.
Looking back we were all fooled by CE, who in my opinion is more of a modern "bromance trickster", tagging along his inner group of heavy shareholders giving daily titbits while drawing a big salary along with long vacations in Crete every year. Strictly business and on expenses of course.
Well I do grow suspicious quickly and leave when timelines slip, so when Jan rolled into Feb I pulled my position at a nasty loss, which I've since recovered. I did publish my views and got firstly asked to leave the whats app group. I also told the guild I was pulling out.
I did believe the reports from CE that a decent deal was about to be completed, and the story has not yet been revealed whether those owned money sabotaged the deals so they could gain control which is happening.
However I don't blame anyone, as all risks/rewards are my own, just a true recent story.
I currently have strong positions in SBTX/INSG and some core blue chip banking and defence stocks. Thanks for the opportunity to put my side of this story.
Good comments Elrico, when you look back the signs are all there, especially the many one to one chats that ce had on an almost daily basis with many in his core group of large shareholders. In effect stringing them all along and how he was able to continue this facade until the music stopped. These kind of chats are not normal with normal pi’s, and the CEO used to hide behind “can’t reveal this or that due to being inside “. Bit like a NDA actually, which I know is topical recently. I got offered a chat myself but declined it. I’m sure there are still many similar companies and exposing them and alerting investors to the crooks dressed up as CEO’s might help prevent more loosing money
To the unacquainted, the recent editorial on MIN might carry the air of hindsight. It doesn’t. Far from being a retrospective revelation, this has been a slow-burning warning — one that PJ has been issuing for quite some time. Dismissed by some as the grumblings of a disgruntled ex-investor with an axe to grind, his commentary has often been misunderstood. But such a conclusion is only possible if one chooses to ignore the evidence, which has been hiding in plain sight, neatly packaged in a series of ambiguous RNSs.
The fact that the article is now trending slightly above all 24hr historical averages for readership is telling. It suggests an appetite among investors for genuine insight — a willingness to learn from those who, though outside the tent, still have a sharp eye for the structural weaknesses others overlook or choose to rationalise away.
As for my introduction — that chance meeting all those years ago in Manchester — it’s a cruel irony that it has led to your exposure to someone who, in my view, has long operated in the murkier corners of private investor groups, as implied by you. I’ve been added to more of these than I care to count, and I’ve extracted myself from each with equal haste. Their purpose is rarely benevolent. The polite introductions that initially brought people together have, sadly, also opened the door to misdirection — and in this case, you’ve been drawn into a blue-sky narrative built on very cloudy foundations.
The warning signs were always there. A history littered with unmet promises, strategic pivots that reeked of desperation, and an RNS trail that tells a very different story to the one pushed in cosy, closed-door chat rooms. This wasn’t a fall from grace. It was a slow-motion collapse, entirely visible to those willing to look.
I'm very confident your investments in SBTX and INSG will yield handsome returns, but as you know, sometimes Companies can take longer to bear fruit. We need to judge for ourselves if they are likely to repeat the history of MIN. I think not, but time will be the judge, not me.
Elric one of the hindsight lessons here is that pj showed that it is often best to follow your instincts .In 2018 Min sold its travel business but crucially had a large debt and no income.This was a Red flag.
I made a supreme error of judgement believing the contradictory story of the Rns statements which clearly showed the Company was going nowhere and information from the chairman that he was almost there.Deeds are the important factor talk is cheap.
It is evident to me that PJ, aka Mike Caine, pays close attention to the language used in RNS statements, noting nuances and identifying subtle shifts in tone or emphasis. His approach appears to mirror that of the old duffer (Father)—both in terms of longevity and rigour. This reflects a level of due diligence and a willingness to act decisively, including selling when necessary, while remaining patient if the timeline slips, as they often do.
As a matter of principle, I refrain from engaging with BB discussions, contrarian views or not—I consider it a golden rule. My focus remains solely on responses and commentary tied directly to our Substack content. Furthermore, I maintain a healthy scepticism towards board-level commentary, reserving trust for those who consistently demonstrate an ability to deliver on the guidance and expectations they set for the market.
BTW, I would have named and shamed! The willingness to even consider the destruction of the father's reputation for profit is reprehensible. Farther is far too forgiving.
Pg yes pj should be thanked ! I invested on the original Tw tip and have lost 35 k another guy has lost 500k .We are both in our seventies so this is big money.
The chairman of Minoan has had a life of luxury funded by the savings of small shareholders like myself and will no doubt ride off into the sunset without a care in the world.
PJ, I don't think i ever thanked you from dissuading me from buying the ramp. I once respected 2 of the rampers. You know who i speak of. You have been the counterweight to their ramping. I am not a big investor. Even so, you saved the £3000 i nearly invested. Thank you for having the courage to speak out. It could have been worse had i bought when tw tipped them all those years ago. I was just starting my investment journey then.
No thanks required PG. No 2 Company's are the same, and sometimes red flags can be wrong. But so many in 1 Company. Each investment is a learning curve and that applies to me as well.
Mike were 100% correct.There are many lessons here the obvious one is be guided by Rns statements . In the case of Minoan it was obvious that shareholders were being duped.
Investors would do well to embrace the contrarian view—especially when it makes them squirm. Discomfort, after all, is often the birthplace of insight. Those willing to adopt a critical mindset tend to learn; those who prefer the ostrich approach, head buried firmly in sand, are far more likely to make irrational decisions and quietly torch their own wealth.
I think we all vastly underestimate the power when seeking confirmation bias and safety in numbers.