Part of gaining experience as an investor is understanding the lifecycle that most companies face. Many investors start out by becoming familiar with a company at the peak of its success, having generated strong growth and seeming to be on a path that will lead to even greater heights for revenue and profits. Sometimes, that growth can continue for a long time. Eventually, though, most companies reach a point at which what has worked in the past no longer works quite as well, forcing them to switch gears a ...