The Only Constant Is Change
By Chris at www.CapitalistExploits.at
There are times when you just have to say no. It might be tough but it’s the best way. Right now, I’m saying NO to a huge portion of my life I’ve been dedicated to for the last few years. I decided to share some of my thoughts on this with you as it might inspire you to think deeply about what really matters in your life.
But a bit of a background first…
This blog began for me as an accident.
Having sold a real estate investment business I’d built from scratch, growing the initial capital 60x in the process, I’d “retired” to quietly managing my various interests. I wanted to focus solely on investing, trading, raising a small family, and traveling the world with them, looking for both adventure and unique investment opportunities.
I had never considered blogging and, if you’d asked me about it at the time, I’d have told you that blogging wasn’t a career. Far as I could tell it was a weird hobby practiced by camera toting backpackers on their first overseas travel experiences, by bad smelling, pale faced teenagers in their parents’ basements, or by people who spend far too much time worrying about their Facebook status. It simply wasn’t on my radar.
A hedge fund buddy told me I had it all wrong and suggested it was in fact a great way to expand one’s network, fully develop ideas, and grow a business. Having at the time no intentions of a business, the thought of developing ideas and expanding my network was however very appealing. And so, together with a partner I’d recently met and who knew about this “blogging” thing, we began the Capitalist Exploits blog.
What’s the worst that could happen, I asked myself?
I don’t like it? Simple. I stop.
I like it and it expands my thinking and networks? Win.
This seemed like just the type of deal I’ve spent my career hunting for and participating in. Favourable upside and limited downside.
A Product Is Born
Identifying the shift of global capital from public equity into private equity wasn’t difficult. It was a topic I discussed repeatedly on this blog. And so, just as a dog can’t help himself chasing a cat and wishing to get behind this trend, in late 2012 we formed a membership based virtual angel-investing group to explore and invest in exciting opportunities in the private equity space.
It was both a means of leveraging capital and monetizing the blog and it made sense. With my background as a professional investor, derivatives trader, entrepreneur, and recovering investment banker, and with my partner Mark’s background in marketing, web design, and investor relations, a synergistic and beneficial partnership for a membership based service dedicated to angel investing was born.
This allowed members to leverage personal capital being deployed into early stage ventures globally. Between late 2012 and the beginning of this year we invested over $30m into a few dozen promising early stage companies.
Fast forward to earlier this year and I’d started to realize …read more
Source: The Only Constant Is Change
