Becoming A Successful Entrepreneur In The Financial Sector
The financial sector is a difficult one to break into without the right know-how. Many financiers dream of becoming a household name with a proven trajectory behind them, and companies stateside or abroad reaching out for advice or opportunities. When thinking about professional financiers who are successful and sought after, Shailesh Dash comes to mind. He is the founder and CEO of Al Masah Capital Limited and Regulus Capital among other notable companies. He has won various awards such as the “Outstanding Achievement by an Individual” in 2013 by MENA Fund Manager Performance. Mr. Dash has served on the board of over 15 companies and has led them into becoming multi-billion dollar Private Equity businesses. This can become you one day too if you have the drive, resilience, education, and know-how of becoming a successful entrepreneur in the financial sector.
The Importance of an Education in Finance
While you may think you understand how day trading, equity, investments, etc, the truth is no matter how educated in the field of business and finance, this sector is always changing and growing. Businesses develop and start up on a daily basis, finances change overnight, statistics on what worked 10 years ago have changed to suit today’s financing. Becoming a financier is more than knowledge of numbers, cost, and dividends. It takes gall and skills to know when to make a deal or just walk away. Getting an education and learning from the best is the first step to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Establishing Relationships
If you’re great with money or anything having to do with financing and investing, you may want to start establishing relationships early on in your career. Are you interning at Merrill Lynch, maybe at Goldman Sachs, form a rapport with a colleague, find a mentor to help you along your way. Interpersonal relationships are vital in the business industry. Here are a few tips to help you along:
- Ask questions and then ask more questions
- Be willing to accept constructive criticism
- Voice your opinions and ideas
- If an idea doesn’t work, fix it
- Find patterns and analyze them
- Ask to lead a project
Interpersonal business relationships as well as intercultural business relations will help ensure that you can cross barriers should they arise. You will learn that business relationships, in the financial sector are imminent the success of all involved.
Asking to Lead a Project
Many companies do not let entry-level employees lead projects unless they see a certain something – drive, ambition, etc, in them. Shailesh Dash was successful because he wasn’t afraid to ask, lead projects, and show results. This is where your mentors come into play. If you’re uncertain of your next steps, seek guidance, regroup with your client to make sure that all of their needs are being met. Analyze everything you’re doing, and trust your gut feeling too. Making a mistake or an unethical decision can cause a lot of damage, not only to you but everyone involved in your project. And thus, you should lead by example.
Start Your Own Company
If you feel like your skills aren’t being utilized at your current location, break away. Be brave, start your own company and be your own boss. Mr. Dash has founded 2 billion dollar companies and sits on the board of over a dozen more. Ambition should always be a driving force to becoming your own boss. Make a groundbreaking discovery in the finance sector, and the next thing you know, you’ll be sought after and on your way to becoming an industry leader. Mr. Dash’s awards and notoriety only prove this concept. The winner of five leading awards, including Best CEO, Forbes Top 100 Indian Leaders, and the MENA Outstanding Achievement awards, are only a snapshot into what you can accomplish.
Ethical Investments
There are a plethora of investment deals that you can make, and there are just as many scams out there. You do not want to get caught up in a scam investment ring that will follow you for the rest of your career. That is not the kind of reputation that a successful entrepreneur or financier should have. Mr. Dash is also the recipient of the 2016 Best CEO for Ethical Investments – 2016 from World Finance. This is the ilk of entrepreneurship and financier you want to be. As you find yourself gaining clientele, ask yourself, “Are these the kind of business dealings I want to be a part of?” If you answer anything but yes, you should walk away from it. Not only will it be catastrophic to your career, but also to your company and other investments you may have in the works.
Start Small, Think Big, Be In the Know
Everyone wants a piece of the pie you are offering if you are doing it right. Remember to start small and think big. Have a vision for where you want to see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years from now. Mr. Dash has been in the finance business for over 22 years and is a post graduate in Business Finance. He is also a Certified Financial Analyst. Again, education plays a major part in your success. Educate yourself as much as you can, and once you think you’re done, educate some more. As mentioned previously, financing laws, rules, and regulations change constantly; as do patterns, percentages, dividends, and statistics. Understanding these changes, and finding innovative ways to help your clients invest while noting the financial landscape around you will allow for your success in the financial sector without a doubt.
Understanding these ideas and following these tips should help you begin your career as an entrepreneur in the financial sector. Being true to yourself, your clients, and the business will allow for you to grow, succeed, and become a notable member of the financing industry. Of course, there will be dilemmas, and situations out of your control during your tenure. However, being educated and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals will help you climb through and be back on top in no time. To reiterate, educate yourself, establish relationships, mentors, ask to lead, start your own company, think big, and most importantly always be ethical. These are what successful business leaders in the finance industry do to ensure their reputation and that of others that surround them.