Dream of joining the Net champagne set ends in defeat

I lost every penny that I invested. Although it was not the end of the world, a great deal of money had gone to my Dot Com dreams. The good part was that I still had my day job to survive, but the bad part was that I had to set aside my visions of caviar, yachts, and champagne. I had to return to basics and work my butt off for a living.

If you’re not among the smartest, don’t invest in a craze 

Before you make an investment in a start-up, you must ask yourself some serious questions. Are you smarter and luckier than Joseph Tsai (Jack Ma’s legendary partner)? If not, you should not follow a fad. If you are not an expert in the target industry or business type, you will most likely be the last investor to get on any particular bandwagon. 

You know about the target company and its industry? 

Just say no to unfamiliar investments or business plans. Do not invest in a business you do not know or about which you have little knowledge. Often, your “good” friends will put some “good” investment opportunities in front of you and you will be too kind to refuse. Be tough on each investment, treating each outlay as a completely separate venture, looking at all conditions, every time, because this is your money! 

Don’t walk into a casino if you’re not willing to lose it all 

Question the suitability of the investment to your risk appetite. Ask yourself: “Can the entire investment evaporate without putting a dent in my life? Most of all, don’t act as an angel investor in a company’s early stages unless you have more than US$100 million free cash to throw away and you love to help young people to be successful. 

Be ready to endure the long haul without reward

Look at the long-time horizon and ask yourself if you can survive without any returns for a long time. Otherwise, don’t act like a private equity investor, because it can take more than five to 10 years to have sufficient returns to exit, and that’s if you’re lucky.

Andrew’s takeaways – Avoid these errors to become a better investor 

Dreams can be very expensive investments 

Throughout our lives we will be approached by people with exciting dreams of business success. My blanket advice is: DON’T INVEST. Investing in start-ups is such a high-risk endeavor; the odds are you will never see your money again. It is an extremely rare case that you get your money back. 

Diversification is key, but you probably can’t afford it 

The best way to handle this type of high-risk investment in a start-up is to diversify. If you have $10 million, put $1 million in 10 different start-ups. If you have $100 million put $1 million in 100 different start-ups. This is a suitable level of diversification when it comes to start-ups. The problem is most people don’t have this kind of money to invest. So, they shouldn’t be doing it. 

Most people just wish they were angels 

A common angel investment story is that someone makes good money in an investment and feels overconfident and decides to become an “angel” investor (Definition: A person who sprinkles money on a start-up like an angel from heaven). The angel picks out a company that they like, and they put a bit of money into it. Within months, that start-up is gasping for money and the investor will have little choice but to add more. Most people won’t walk away from the money they have already put in (and lost) and, as a result, they put more money in and eventually lose it all. You will hear a loud thump as this angel falls to earth. However, I cannot deny that there are lucky ones; if you are one of those, please disregard this paragraph. 

Mistakes in this story 

1. Failed to do their own research 

• Inadequately researched type of investment 

2. Failed to properly assess and manage risk 

• Failed to match investments with risk appetite 

3. Driven by emotion or flawed thinking trust 

• Let emotions drive their investment decisions 
• Was driven by FOMO 

6. Invested in a start-up company 

• Invested in a start-up that lacked a clear business plan 

The post One of Thousands Who Followed the Herd to Big Losses in the Dot Com Era  appeared first on My Worst Investment Ever.

Thai company set up under 49/51 foreign/Thai split

He set up a company to administer the restaurant with paid-up capital of 20 million Thai baht (611,000 US dollars), which seemed more than enough for an initial investment and working capital. Because of the Thai regulations on foreign business ownership, he paid 49% under his own name and positioned his wife, Yingluck, as a 51% Thai nominee. All correct legal processes were apparently followed.

Thai wife manages chain as hubby hits the links

The day-to-day business of the outlet was managed by Yingluck while Kobayashi played golf on most days. The restaurant became very popular and expanded into several branches, all funded by the re-investment of profits.

Business, marital divorce leave proud investor with zero

Kobayashi was now very proud of his investment and celebrated by playing even more golf. This displeased Yingluck as he was not pulling his weight with any work on behalf of the restaurants. Disappointed with Kobayashi’s laziness, Yingluck sought a divorce, aided by her lawyer, Somchai. Somchai insisted that, in line with the registered shareholdings, 51% of the business should go to Yingluck, and 49% to Kobayashi. Of course, he was unhappy as Thai law supported Yingluck.

No one helps once-happy restauranteur get any return

Now he is left wondering when and how he can sell his 49% shareholding to someone willing to buy. Since the divorce, no one has come forward to buy his shares. No dividends have been paid to him. Rather large bonuses have been paid to directors, but he is now not a director. Meanwhile, the restaurant chain has gone from strength to strength in profitability and size. It turns out Kobayashi’s investment risk, inaction, the legal framework in which he was operating, and the lack of a path to sell his shares will leave him waiting for his return on the investment forever. To rub soy sauce in his wounds, his heirs might even be levied an inheritance tax on his holdings.

Andrew’s takeaways – Avoid these errors to become a better investor

Don’t start a business that’s illegal from the start

Many countries, including Thailand where this story occurred, have limits on the foreign ownership of companies. You may find it very common for foreign investors to set up structures suggested by lawyers to overcome these laws. But no matter how safe they may feel; the reality is that most of these structures go against the intent of the law. Of course, many people operate these kinds of businesses for decades with no problem. But if things go wrong, such structures can fall apart. In this situation, the structure was legally snatched away from this golf-hungry Japanese investor.

Nobody’s going to make money for you forever

You may find yourself in a situation where you are investing with someone who is doing a great job with your money. When faced with such a situation most people stop monitoring that investment. And eventually, things go wrong. In the above story, the investor felt comfortable and confident that his business partner (his wife) would be looking out for his interests, but eventually, things turned sour.

Be careful about doing business in a country you don’t know

It may seem exciting, and the opportunity may seem great, but doing business in a foreign country can be disastrous. Without deep knowledge of the language and the culture, things could be happening around you that you don’t even understand. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible to be successful, I have had my share of success in Thailand, but it means the trust between business partners is even more critical. Trust is probably the most important thing needed to be successful in a foreign country. Make sure to surround yourself with people you trust.

It rarely makes sense to go into business with your wife

It’s not impossible, and I’ve heard of success stories, but success in business with your spouse brings a whole new level of pressures and stresses on your relationship. The emotional roller coaster of business can be amplified by the personal emotions experienced by both of you. My advice? Enjoy your time in business and enjoy separate time with your spouse.

Our CoffeeWORKS story

How we made a partnership of friends work

Against all odds my best friend Dale and myself together built CoffeeWORKS. We are proof that doing business with friends can sometimes work. Three things helped us stay together: that we were in a foreign country so we really had to rely on each other, that from the beginning we said we would put our friendship above money, and finally that we agreed to place “principles before personalities”. This last point meant that if we were in a discussion about the strategy for the company that we agreed it was not all about one of our opinions winning. We both accepted the fact that we would be better off in the long run if we were able to compromise rather than try to “win” in a discussion. Over the years, our staff has witnessed our heated debates, but they always heard us say that we place “principles before personalities”, and therefore they saw us stop and come to a final agreement each time.

Mistakes in this story

1. Failed to initially research

• Inadequately researched type of investment
• Lacked knowledge of regulations

2. Failed to properly assess and manage risk

• Failed to diversify
• Bought an illiquid investment
• Lacked influence over management

5. Failed to monitor their investment

• Abdicated responsibility for their financial future

6. Invested in a start-up company

• Invested in a start-up that lacked a clear leader
• Invested in a start-up that lacked various sources of funds
• Invested in a start-up that lacked a clear business plan
• Invested in a start-up that lacked adequate financial controls

The post Silent Restaurant Partner Finds His Voice Too Late After Too Much Golf appeared first on My Worst Investment Ever.

In early 2017, I was shown an opportunity to invest in a US$6.5m simple agreement for a future equity (SAFE) note issued by BuildDirect.com Technologies Inc., a $1bn Canadian e–commerce company. 

All of business’ facets looked solid 

My client had made previous investments in the company and had a strong conviction in the team, the company, the market and this “new marketplace” opportunity. The company sells heavy construction supplies, such as tiles and granite, to contractors and home-improvement enthusiasts. 

Confidence builds when following ‘the smart money’ 

BuildDirect claimed to have developed an intelligent system to pre–position products in hubs around the country to cut the costs and time of delivery.  We were also confident because we were supposedly following “the smart money” – a major Canadian pension fund and other Silicon Valley venture capital firms were also investing. 

Many factors point to a ‘sound’ investment 

We were excited about the model; its artificial intelligence (AI) platform and the business opportunity and history of the company, which was 16 years old and had been grossing more than C$150m (US$120m) a year in revenues. We also had clients that used the company’s services.  We made the investment, which was around US$650,000. Within a few months we were notified that, as expected, our debt had been converted to equity. 

Ten months later, we learned that the CEO had been fired/asked to resign. He was the architect of the whole “marketplace” idea. Weeks later, we learned that the company had entered into receivership. It appears now to be a total loss. 

Even good ideas can lead to a premature fall 

Established companies can fail swiftly and dramatically. This company developed a very clever online marketplace, however they were utterly unable to execute it and ended up angering and losing their existing and long-standing vendors. 

Andrew’s takeaways – Avoid these errors to become a better investor 

Don’t blindly follow the smart money 

Just because big fund managers are buying into a company does not mean that those fund managers are right. They could just as much be wrong. Don’t take any comfort that you are investing with the “smart money”, meaning the professional investors. They are often under career pressures and other pressures that can lead them to bad decisions. If you want to invest, take the time to build your style and plan, and then follow it. An individual has considerable advantages compared to the pros. 

Have an exit plan 

No matter how good the investment is, no matter how experienced the others who you are investing in are, and no matter how much research you have done, always have an exit plan. Investing involves too much uncertainty; having an exit plan allows you to pre-plan what you will do when things go wrong. 

Mistakes in this story 

1. Failed to do their own research 

2. Failed to properly assess and manage risk 

• Assumed past performance would continue 
• Bought an illiquid investment 
• Lacked influence over management 

3. Driven by emotion or flawed thinking 

• Let emotions drive their investment decisions 
• Were driven by FOMO 

5. Failed to monitor their investment 

• Failed to review investment strategy regularly 

6. Invested in a start-up company 

• Invested in a start–up that lacked various sources of funds 

The post How Poor Execution Turns a Great Idea into the Worst Investment appeared first on My Worst Investment Ever.

Too many carrots in one basket

Fortunately, we had a big break when we signed a deal with Fitness First centers to provide 10 of its prime branches with our raw juices. We were contracted to deliver 1,200 bottles a month, which meant monthly revenue of 120,000 Thai baht (THB 100 per 250 milliliters). Sadly, not many Thai customers understood the considerable benefits of drinking raw juice. It also seemed almost impossible to succeed from leaving the product to sell itself without a salesperson present.

Stock longevity and margin problems effect operations

Moreover, the juices’ shelf life was only five days, and that was in a refrigerator that maintained the bottles of juice within a strict temperature range. We spent nearly all of our money producing the juices and the sales were low. Nevertheless, we decided to continue with Fitness First because we believed having one of the top-five global brand fitness centers on our client list would boost our reputation.

Cash flow problems squeeze life out of funds to keep business running

However, around about that time, we ran out of money for further investment to scale up to the point enabling us to sustain operations or make a profit. In the end, we had lost more than 50% of our original investment. We tried to survive by setting up a kiosk-type channel on-site (Fitness First), selling juice by the glass, but that strategy failed to save us and we ended up selling to an English investor, who noted however that our branding was quite good.

Business scale, marketing, branding and customer awareness are vital

We learned that only the right business size will lead to a beneficial investment, that marketing and branding are vitally important, and that product development is one thing that cannot be ignored. Finally and crucially, understanding customer needs and behaviour are at the heart of a consumer goods enterprise.

Andrew’s takeaways – Avoid these mistakes to become a better investor

Logistics and inventory matters more than you think

It is often the case that new start-up companies place little focus on both inventory and logistics. When my best friend Dale and I set up our CoffeeWORKS factory in Thailand we spent the bulk of our money on the factory and the roasting machine, and did not think much about the inventory. But, when we contacted the green coffee-bean supplier, we found that he required a very large minimum order and since we did not have any history with him, cash on delivery. Those two things nearly killed our business.

In the above story, the perishability of the product was a major issue; this caused the product to need to be refrigerated and delivered often. Compare this to protein or energy bars that might be sold at a gym. This idea was not impossible but the cost of implementing it would probably cause it to fail.

Ignore working capital at your peril

Our recent research shows that about 60% of assets of companies around the world are long term, with the remaining being short-term, current assets. It is natural for traditional start-up companies to forecast their cash needs for long-term assets such as machinery and the like.

From my experience, most start-up management teams miss the current asset items. There are three main current asset items that a company must plan for or risk running short of cash: accounts receivable was on average has accounted for 13% of total assets, cash 10%, and inventory is 9%.

Mistakes in this story

6. Invested in a start-up company

• Invested in a start-up that lacked a clear business plan
• Invested in a start-up that lacked a competitive advantage
• Invested in a start-up that lacked adequate financial controls
• Invested in a start-up that lacked various sources of funds

Learn about the six ways you will lose your money and how to avoid them here.

The post Start-Up Entrepreneur Runs out of Investment ‘Juice’ appeared first on My Worst Investment Ever.