My job prospect is getting more dismal as the day goes by. I am getting extremely pessimistic about getting a "respectable job" in the next few months because of the dearth of opportunities and the deluge of bad economic news flow. While I am looking for a job, it is not something my heart is on because I know it is going to be a temporary gig; I do not think I have the aptitude or interest in moving up an organization and devoting my life to a company; I do not want to be a company man.
My heart is in doing something that I can build patiently over the course of my life. I like the idea of an investment firm that invests in something. What that something is, is the question. My experience thus far point to something related to stock and bond investment but I am not very enthusiastic about trading papers back and forth as the core of my business. I want to get involved with something tangible; of course I will do stocks-bonds trading on the side.
What I am interested in investing in small and medium size businesses, preferably with immigrant entrepreneurs. I want to work with real people who are trying to setup and grow their businesses. If I am successful, the personal satisfaction will be much greater. Moreover, I can transfer these skills to Nepal (private equity in Nepal) or be able to conduct Nepal-US business, which is my ultimate goal. While it sounds good and all, there are couple of problems with this idea. First, I do not have the track record to solicit money. So the only way to pursue this idea is get my hands dirty by owning and operating the business; that requires a very competent and trustworthy team made up of people with experience in operations, marketing and legal. Second, the US is in the midst of a prolonged recession and starting a business in such dire time does not sound attractive, but a counter-intuitive thinking suggest that it might be best time because businesses will be valued more conservatively. The key is to find businesses that can withstand a prolong downturn i.e. those involved in basic need industries; gasoline and groceries and may be dollar-store type businesses.
Another important consideration is my financial situation. I need to earn something this at least covers my living and health insurance. If it leaves extra to invest in other ventures so much the better. I will probably think about multiple income source initially because running a business may not provide enough. Those include taking part-time gig, running another simultaneously and also getting real estate license (this is particularly important if one my businesses is going to be real estate).
