09/10/2024
Forty years after starting my Wall Street career, here again I find myself on the same location I started, reminiscing the career that changed my life.
From the birth of junk bonds (leverage finance) to the most esoteric financial instruments being traded today; the 80s were clearly the decade that revolutionized the art of finance and changed the world; and Wall Street is a witness to it all.
I am so lucky to have been an intricate part of it all having closely worked with junk bond czar Michael Milken and my Drexel colleagues and having financed over $20 billion worth of transactions for over 150 companies spanning the globe.
I wouldn’t change a thing despite all the ups and downs we went through.
Life was so hectic, intensity was at its zenith but the sky was the limit...unlike today; the age of diminished expectations..
Have I accomplished my dreams from that point? Yes and no
I have accomplished all my dreams and more indeed but not in the way I envisioned – as a financier only – but as an entrepreneur as well; which is a double whammy.
My early career on Wall Street truly gave me the tool to become fiercely independent and taught me how real business works.
Wouldn’t trade this priceless experience for anything less.
Just remember: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.