It’s that time of year again, where many prepare for annual reviews / bonus season. It’s been a record year for many. This Thanksgiving, I’m sure a number of you will be scrutinizing / detailing every project you’ve worked on in hopes of justifying that desired bonus number. …

One of the discussions I often have with emerging managers is about capital formation. I often hear such anguish in their voice about the process, so this likely will be a multi-article topic You will see many of the same investor names on the emerging manager circuit — some are…

I almost fell off the chair when a friend shared his number (for retirement) with me. I applaud his ambition but this little boy (i.e. me) from the cornfields has never seen that many zeroes before. Let’s start with a quote from Jeff Bezo’s final shareholder letter “If you want…

I meet many emerging managers who desire to charge premium fees Day 1 which always surprises me. I understand the desire to be made whole relative to the opportunity cost relinquished by pursuing this entrepreneurial journey but my sense is that this strategy is likely shortsighted vs. …

I recognize in my last post that I highlighted the difficulty in raising capital and received responses from individuals dejected about the prospects for their potentially independent future. Let me roll back the script, being independent is NOT for everyone, however if you have the itch to be an entrepreneur…

As painful as our fundraising journey over the course of the last four years has been, I feel blessed to have that behind me given I’ve now heard the stories of others just embarking on that process. No less than ten (yes, 10) of my friends with entrepreneurial ambitions have…

As we close out Q1 2021, I’ve had numerous conversations with friends arising from their year-end annual reviews (many frustrated — it’s been a long year) Several have suggested starting new firms / new ventures — a few I’ve urged to go for it, others I’ve counseled that without a…

As a continuation of our previous discussion — be a friend and invest in relationships (ii) Relationships: Relationships are built by your alignment being tested Imagine you’re on the deal team that is on the doorstep of signing a transaction and your banker urges you to put the process on…

Selling is the single and most valuable skill set in life. Selling your future husband / wife that you’re the right life partner, the interviewer for your dream job, your boss for that promotion, that key client that you have the right solution, etc. Being Asian American, being “salesy” as…