Investing with a multi-decade horizon involves focusing on steady, long-term growth rather than short-term market fluctuations. It requires a mindset suited to objectives like retirement or other extended financial goals rather than quarterly earnings. Such an approach naturally mitigates the effects of market volatility and cyclical shifts. Within this context, identifying companies positioned for sustained expansion is essential. Two firms that stand out for investors aiming to embark on buy-and-hold strategies through the coming decade are Shopify Inc. and SoFi Technologies Inc., both demonstrating compelling growth metrics and strategic positioning in their respective sectors.
Shopify: Building a Broad and Resilient E-Commerce Ecosystem
Shopify holds a dominant position as the largest e-commerce software platform in the United States, providing a comprehensive suite of tools that enable merchants of all sizes to sell products online, in physical retail locations, and across multiple digital sales channels. The platform’s design fosters significant customer retention thanks to high switching costs: merchants invest considerable resources and customized effort into their storefronts, making platform migration unattractive.
The company’s financial results illustrate consistent strength and growth in core operational metrics. After divesting its logistics division, Shopify has enhanced profitability, showing expanding operating margins alongside steady free cash flow generation. This trend reflects improved operational efficiencies and a clearer focus on its core software offerings.
International growth remains a critical area of opportunity for Shopify. The company has actively increased its presence beyond North America, capturing market share in new regions. In the third quarter of 2025, Shopify reported revenue of $2.84 billion, marking a year-over-year increase of 32%. Gross merchandise volume (GMV) also grew 32% to $92 billion, illustrating robust demand for its platform services globally. Operating income grew 53% during this period, and free cash flow margins remained consistently strong, standing at 18% for the ninth consecutive quarter with double-digit returns. This financial discipline underscores the platform’s maturing business model and scalable economics.
One notable achievement included merchants on Shopify’s platform generating $14.6 billion in sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025, a 27% increase from the previous year, highlighting the active engagement and growth potential of its merchant base during peak shopping periods.
Innovation through technology is a key competitive advantage for Shopify. The company’s Winter 2026 Edition rollout introduced over 150 enhancements, with a substantial focus on artificial intelligence capabilities. These include tools such as Sidekick, an intelligent assistant, the AI Store Builder, and agentic storefront features that facilitate selling directly within AI-powered conversational platforms like ChatGPT, positioning Shopify at the forefront of e-commerce modernization.
Strategic partnerships also play an important role in Shopify’s expansion plans. Collaborations with logistics carriers such as Royal Mail and DHL have broadened fulfillment options, enabling merchants to serve international customers more effectively. Additionally, integration with external app providers, exemplified by Temu’s commerce app enabling merchants to list products on Shopify, further strengthens the platform’s ecosystem. Echoing these strategies, the international GMV segment posted a 41% year-over-year increase in Q3 2025, demonstrating rapid adoption outside established markets.
On the stock market, Shopify’s shares have appreciated nearly 60% year to date, reflecting investor confidence in the company’s growth trajectory and operational performance. This significant gain suggests strong positive sentiment toward Shopify’s prospects as a leader in e-commerce software, making it an attractive long-term holding in an investor’s portfolio.
SoFi Technologies: Growing a Diversified Digital Financial Ecosystem
SoFi Technologies operates as a digital-first financial services platform designed to offer a spectrum of products including lending, checking accounts, investment services, and insurance. Its business model encourages cross-selling among its member base, enhancing customer lifetime value and reducing acquisition costs by deepening engagement within its ecosystem without requiring physical branch infrastructure.
The company’s strategy of cross-product adoption has yielded tangible results. In the most recent quarter, approximately 40% of new products acquired were by existing members, indicating effective customer retention and product integration. Total membership exceeded 12.6 million, with nearly 18.6 million products held by these members, representing annual growth rates of 35% and 36% respectively, reflecting a robust expansion of both customer base and product engagement.
Importantly, SoFi has been transitioning its revenue model away from capital-intensive, interest rate-sensitive lending operations toward higher-margin, fee-based components such as loan platform services, payment interchange fees, and brokerage activities. These segments offer more stable revenue streams and better scalability. This diversification has driven fee-based revenue up 50% year over year to $409 million, accounting for over 40% of total revenue during Q3 2025.
The company’s acquisitions of Galileo and Technisys have enabled SoFi to offer backend infrastructure and payment processing capabilities to a broader range of financial and non-financial entities. This generates recurring revenue and facilitates faster innovation cycles compared to traditional banking institutions that often contend with legacy technology systems.
SoFi’s overall revenue rose 38% year over year to $950 million in the third quarter of 2025. The company has reported multiple consecutive profitable quarters during 2025, with net income reaching $139 million for Q3, marking a 129% increase year-over-year, underscoring improving profitability alongside growth.
These operational and financial advances have propelled SoFi’s stock price upward by more than 90% so far in 2025. Market participants have reacted positively to the company’s expanding member base, enhanced product diversification, repeated profitability, and strategic moves beyond its traditional lending origins. For investors looking for a dynamic growth opportunity in digital financial services, SoFi presents an appealing proposition for extended investment horizons.
Conclusion
Both Shopify and SoFi Technologies illustrate compelling case studies in long-term growth potential within their sectors. Shopify leads in e-commerce platform innovation and international expansion, leveraging technological advancements to deepen merchant engagement. SoFi advances the digital transformation of personal finance through a diversified product suite and backend service offerings. Their financial results reflect not only top-line revenue growth but also expanding profitability and cash flow generation essential for sustainable business models.
Investors adopting a long-term framework focused on decades rather than quarters might consider these companies to capitalize on ongoing secular trends within e-commerce and fintech. While the stock prices have reflected recent positive market sentiment, continuing to monitor operational execution and market developments will be important for maintaining these positions over extended periods.