Neurosurgeon Trades in Career Over Two Words

Before we get down to business, I have to admit that being cornered on China's Great Wall with tons of shutters flashing in your face because people are either taking pictures of you or waiting to have their picture taken with you because they think you're an NBA baller is neater than sliced bread. I was told not to racially profile Asians as being small and short before coming here but when you're a foot taller than anyone in the room generally wherever you go and they ask if you're a basketball player, it's hard not to. Moving swiftly along, anyone working a 9 to 5 knows that creating a business concept, executing it successfully enough to make a living from it and eventually selling the business is very, very difficult. Imagine, doing that three times with very well known names and successful businesses then deciding to change when you've been your own boss for 20 years. Even better, imagine being in the top of your class for over 30 years assuming you started kindergarten at 5, never stopped attending school and successfully became a brain surgeon after giving up so much of your social life for extremely complex subject matter and one day saying, I'm going to turn this all in. Can you imagine the price tag behind that decision? In both cases, let's say the men who made these decisions then decided to apply to a top business school and once accepted flew to the other side of the world and paid the hefty price to attend a program that forces them to also stay at one of Beijing's most expensive hotels. I mean really, what two words would make you do all that? Try Private Equity.

Private means secret and equity means what you have is worth more than you owe so you secretly have more than you owe. That's not the exact translation and isn't even really supposed to make sense but when you consider what I've just said it almost seems right. The business mogul owns multiple homes in multiple countries and decided why am I racking my brain to create, start, operate and sell businesses when these private equity guys are getting tons of money without my headaches? After that perhaps you all can see why I might want to travel around the world for a class or two. I'm not suggesting everyone trade in their careers. All I'm saying is you should be up on what's going on and at least ensure your antennas go up if you hear these two words mentioned in the same sentence. A top private equity firm can start a fresh MBA off with a $400,000 annual salary - not exactly chump change. Add a few years experience and you start to get the picture. I want parents to be able to supplement a child's dreams of being Lil Wayne or Lebron James with some alternatives that may even leave them with enough dough to buy the team or get a stake in the record label.

So how exactly would one follow up on this without the daunting task of getting into Harvard Business School or learning Chinese and flying to Beijing to study at Tsinghua University? How about start for a lot less money and distance by trying the Investment Banking Institute in Washington D.C. Private Equity (PE) firms generally want you to have 2-3 years of investment banking experience before they give you a shot. Investment banks use investor's money while PE firms invest the house's money. They essentially do the same things other than that. Slight side note, I've stated that I'm finishing up the book I'm writing Slide 68 and was told today by a tour guide completely out of the blue that the number 6 means everything will go your way and the number 8 means wealth. I never asked and that was never the intent behind the book, but you know what? I'll take it! I hope that eases the minds of those who decided to tell your story when I left it open last time.

I just wanted to share a little insight on what I've come across so far. I'm proud to say that I was able to save the translator's valuable time because I was able to give my own formal introduction during the kick off ceremony in both English and Chinese. Now if I can just learn to order a Pizza Hut pizza minus corn, salmon and octopus ---Euhyilll!!!! I have to run now and get back to my new fan club that's yearning for pictures. Before you go and start giving wax on/wax off lessons to your spouse, significant other or kids on PE, just remember to try and do a little research first. And when you talk to them about those two words, remember Mr. Miyagi's three ...always look eye! From the mobile home to where moguls roam, I'm still the extraordinarily extra "ordinary" Anthony "Von" Mickle.

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