It’s been a long time I since my last post on entrepreneurship and my entrepreneurial endeavors. A lot has happened since ; I sold my businesses, met new people, realigned my goals and moved to the Capital. I have done all of this to pursue my “new” passion in the world of Finance and Investments. To start a new journey. To become a financial entrepreneur.
I first stumbled upon this passion last year.
At first, I loathed the people in the finance world. Because, I always thought of them as greedy people trying to make money by pushing papers and adding no value whatsoever to the world they live in. These people sure did make a lot of money. But that fact never enticed me.
I had paradigm shift when my mentor talked about his hero; Warren Buffett. I have seen this guy regularly on Forbes’ list of the worlds richest people. He has been in the top ten ever since I started reading the magazine. I usually research everyone in the top one hundred, but I always skip people who are in the list through investments (and inheritance). I just thought they didn’t deserve it. But boy, was I wrong.
Being very curious about the person who inspired my mentor, I started digging into books and articles about Warren Buffett. I read probably 4 books and dozens of articles on him but was not yet convinced. That is, until I read “Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist” by Roger Lowenstein. After that book, my world view changed. I saw a whole new light.
From then on, I switched gears to become a financial entrepreneur. I learned (and am still learning) everything that I can. I read every book about investments that I could find. I took the Investment Manager’s exam to test my knowledge, and passed. Now I’m taking on the Holy Grail of exams in the finance world; The CFA program. I’m taking all of these measures to enhance my understanding about the industry and as preparation to starting my own investment firm. So far, this “venture” has been the most researched, tedious and tiresome venture in my business life. And I haven’t even gone pass the preparation phase.
Besides preparing by acquiring the theories and technical know how, the next thing to do is to gain experience. A lot of people suggested working for a financial corporation. Being the stubborn person that I am, I relented. I once promised myself that there is no way I would work at company thats not mine. But I realized that I have to do whatever it is necessary to achieve my goals.
I got the same assurance and support from Muhammad Maulana of Saratoga Capital. He added: “As long as you still have the entrepreneurial spirit, it doesn’t matter what you do or where you work. Just don’t let that spirit die”. (Thanks and I will never let that happen, Mas). My awesome cousin, Harun Temenggung, told me something simple, but relevant: “Keep your eyes on the prize”. (He is the master of words in our family, btw)
I once wrote a post about not having to become an employee first to start a new business. I also argued that you should only do it if you know what kind of industry you want to jump into, and find experience in a relevant position. But, there is one thing that I forgot to write in that post. It’s an advice from Warren Buffett that I saw on youtube. He said: “If you have to work, you might as well work for your hero” (or something like that).
This makes perfect sense in a lot of ways, especially when your hero is a veteran in the industry you want to jump into. It won’t be easy. Even Mr. Buffett had to wait a few years before he got the chance to work for Benjamin Graham. But he never gave up. Neither will I. Neither should you.
The start of a new journey
So, here I am. Having started up and folded several businesses, Starting yet another new journey. A great friend of mine, Saptuari Sugiharto (owner of the Kedai Digital Franchise), said that a person’s failure is limited. The only thing is, we don’t know how much failures we will have to endure before striking gold. The catch is to rise up after every failure, in hopes that the next venture will be a hit.
So, here I am, letting go of my previous businesses. Cutting my losses (and some profits). Focusing my life and efforts on a single goal.
So, here I am, at the start of a new journey.
The months to come will be interesting for sure.
