Look back in seven years, and look forward to a brighter 2021

WHAT do you know, it's been seven years since I left The Business Times as a senior correspondent. In those seven years, I had joined a start-up fund, left and set up my own fund, and now finally we are getting our own licence and our own office.

After staying 22 years in a stable job with regular pay cheques, I took a gamble to try something new, something that I have a keen interest in. There will be no pay, I was told. Join only if you do not need to depend on your next pay cheque to live on.

The learning curve has been steep, and I've experienced many firsts: first time being part owner of a private company; first time working with partners each with different motivations and personality; first time incorporating a company then building it bit by bit; developing a culture for the organisation; dealing with the vagaries of the markets and human nature as a fund manager, among other things.