Ryan Ho's Entrepreneurship Blog

It’s my second day in the SharesXpert training and through out the training, i came to realize that the designing and optimization of the SharesXpert software has factored into most if not all of the business rules that I have learned to date, and more when it comes to eliminating the junk stocks and selecting the best stocks based on the integration of the software to make it a breeze for new stock traders to join the circle and trade like a pro without complex industry terms.

Below are a list of rules that I sort of realized as the trainer Fabian Lim talked shared with us on how the software was designed to do and help the traders have a easier life in trading.

1. Win Big, Lose Small

2. Know your own Risk Appetite

3. Be disciplined enough to follow the guidelines given

4. Never be greedy

5. Don’t invest in good investments, invest in excellent investment products.

6. Don’t go against the wave/tide (trend)

7. Rely only on tested proven methods, not untested.

8. Protect your profits against potential losses

9. Don’t get into a relationship with your investments > which could cloud and color business decisions

10. Monitor your investments and make adjustments accordingly to make intelligent to predict and protect against fluctuation beyond your control

Disclaimer: Majority of the rules above are based on what I personally think that would be helpful and are in no way taught during the training.

Use the rules at your own risk!!

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There are many opportunities all over the world in different forms and disguise, we just have to find the right one and capitalize on it.

From business, investment  to even relationship, volunteering work and learning, there are so many opportunities, we all just need to analyze which one is suitable for ourselves and grab hold of it before anybody takes it away from us.

In investment, there are opportunities happening daily in the stocks, forex trading, options, electronic trading funds (ETFs), bonds and many other financial products to invest in, but to find the right opportunity best suited for ourselves requires more than just a basic understanding of how it works.

There are a couple of points in helping to determine if it is right for us based on our resources and information.

First: How much investment capital do we have? The amount of capital determines the amount of returns we’ll be getting.

Second: If we understand what product the investment is all about, the implications, highest and lowest point of value based on historical data and the trading patten, with who are the investors and speculators. Knowing how big the market is, as well as how many competitors there are, if there is high demand, low supply or vice versa, all of which makes a lot of difference in determine the right time to cash in on the investment and when to exit to maximize returns without even incurring any loss in best case scenario.

Third: Knowing, understanding of the market, the related products tied up if not may pose as a contributing factor in supporting the value of the opportunity that reflects the buy-in price of the investment. When the returns on investments meets up to expectations, having knowledge helps in determine the next higher level of playing field that investors must upgrade to, so as to make with less competitors, but those with deeper pockets, ensuring each investor gets a slightly bigger slice of the pie. Capitalize on the news, predicting the potential changes and reactions to the market and adjust the investment portfolio accordingly.

Fourth: Self-reflection is important to determine is we have the expert knowledge to invest or do we outsource it to a professional investor and not a professional employee that are parked in the stationed in property and insurance companies.

The successful investors always buy and earn their way into getting the right connections to maximize their profits by buying the same investments that the experts are eying on.

The poor investors and speculators only listen and trust their funds to professional employees without professional investment strategies nor experience, nor is it their interest in helping clients get rich, rather they are paid for servicing companies’ clients, so they don’t really care if clients profit or loss as they get something like a small percentage service charge on the funds invested with the company.

Fifth: Timing – There is a saying “It is better to be early than to be late. Better to be late than never” which can be applied to literally almost anything and everything. Knowing when to go in and out, at times even to pause and wait for the next cycle of identical pattern the next week.

Once you have a basic understanding of how to access the opportunity that is/are coming in your direction either directly in your face, beside you, or behind you, than come up with your own check list to check if all the conditions are met before you jump into the opportunity and ride with the wave.

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Risk management is to identify, assess and prioritize risk (both positive and negative) followed by coordination of risk in keeping the damage to the lowest possible if it comes as negative, and maximizing opportunities should it be positive to the business or in any event or projects.

In business, there are a couple of ways where a business entity can minimize their business risk. Via modelling after what other industry best practices are doing. Below are a few time tested, proven by large multi national corporations all over the world, used by banks, financial, property and even politicians.

First: Diversification: Spread out the risk, and reduce your own entity’s or individual risk on your name. >> Financial bankers, consultants always recommend clients to buy multiple types of investment products, so that in the event should a particular market collapse, the client still have other positive markets not tied nor linked to the troublesome market, thus able to still collect positive returns on investments.

Second: Using other people’s money: Heavily used by property developers, business owners seeking investors, and franchise business model. This way, the individual has got no fear of failure, with such mindset, he/she will be able to concentrate on what works and profits the growth of the business, and big businesses really encourage such practice.

Third: Deal and transact with only low if not zero risk clients. That is why insurance companies make lots of money, and they reject non-healthy clients with pre-existing illness that will cause a dent in their profitability. Supported and strongly encouraged by government globally due to high taxes from such entities.

Fourth: Liability Protection: Every single profitable business in the world have their own respective terms and conditions, clauses for clients to agree first before engaging their services, so as to state clearly only certain type of risks will be taken responsible, and not for individual clients actions should they try to outsmart the system by taking actions in their own hands, and push responsibility to the business.

Fifth: Work with only well-behaved clients and business partners who would give them long term business and sales. Which is why businesses also have their own private black-listed clients and business contacts list, and they ask for feedback from each other, so as to protect themselves from any potential harm. Identical to the ideology of parents do not want their kids to be anywhere near if not hanging out with bad company.

Sixth: Identify a place, environment whereby you can repeatedly fail without worries that you can never ever stand on your feet again. So that when you fall down, you can still stand back on your feet, walk away without any serious injury. In other words, it means, learn to fail with only resources that you can afford to fail without putting yourself in deep trouble that will put you out of business permanently.

Cost of failure in internet allows individuals to fail anywhere from fifty to thousand times without any serious loss of financial expense. While real life physical business will hurt the owner in a single attempt if their pockets are not deep enough as it cost at least a quarter of a million to be considered having test and run a real business with an outlet and the proper tools, equipment, staffs and rental all factored in with other considerations too.

Seventh: Hire a expert, or consultant to monitor your trial and error process, so that you know what went wrong, and how to correct it, the last thing entrepreneurs want is to keep testing and get no results, no feedback, so even if they found a winning solution, but don’t know what is the formula to eliminate poor practice. Have the expert or consultant to sign a agreement not to copy or use your business secrets in anyway possible unless he works with you, so you know you are well protected and taken care of.

If you are in employment, it is considered one of the safest place whereby individuals can keep on failing without fear of losing their source of income, as they are still paid regularly.

If you are unemployed, allocate and set aside budget for your daily, and monthly expenses, than use remaining available savings, spread out over six months or a couple of years, divide the fund equally and start your business online, this way greatly reducing your expenses yet allowing you to cast a wider presence with the help of internet.

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Everything that we do on a daily basis carries a certain amount of risk regardless of it being big or small, it is unavoidable.

As we eat, sleep, exercise, we are at risk of falling down with potential bone fractures based on age differences.

In school, relationship and in business, the risk is somewhat different.

At school, those who failed in getting good results are being looked down and sent to under performing schools with lower expectations and chance of getting higher salary as compared to those with higher qualifications.

In relationship, it depends on how a person conducts him or herself, if he/she fails to behave properly, news gossips will spread and before you know it, you might be the talk of the day and perhaps being figured on the news for unwanted reasons.

In business, it is more much, as there is a saying, no risk no gain, everything that involves business carries different scale of risk of loss of investment due to reach individual’s risk appetite, but those are limited to only traditional business.

Information and internet technology based business online carries little if not zero risk and thus are excellent for new business starters who wants to learn how to do business without carrying any risk. Majority of such businesses all comes with 30 if not 60 days money back guarantee, and that is considered quite common now a days, and is considered a industry practice.

It is only financially smart to get involved in businesses with zero risk with higher chances of profits. Such opportunities are better than direct selling as recommend by many well known business investors and owners. It may sound like too good to be true, but it is considered a common business practice in internet business niche.

There is a saying in investing: The higher the risk, the higher the returns. For business, it is “The lowest the risk, the higher the returns” That is why most successful business owners and investors have their own strategies on greatly minimizing risk to the lowest as compared to ordinary civilians who knows little to nothing about risk management.

The rich success comes for the correct application of knowledge while the poor remains poor if not poorer due to lack of financial knowledge nor do they seek any professional help to grow their wealth, only parking it in banks thus they can never grow their savings into wealth.

Speaking about risk management, I just found a online video that I find it quite useful for those who seek low business risk and think it is worth a try.

It’s about a person showing the secrets to making money online with real account verification by logging in during the video recording.I’m not so sure about you, but maybe you can check out the internet business and decide for yourself if you want to give it a try since it’s comes with money back guarantee, something that offline traditional business would not even consider giving. Check it out for yourself.

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Resilience is simpler terms is to display a positive behavior adaptation to any upon encountering adversity, tragedy, threats and intense sense.

A display of global recognition and acknowledgment of resilience can be seen in Japan. It showcased and taught the world the importance of self-help and to the amazement of world whereby Japanese can still remain clam in such great magnitude of natural disasters that comes in a series of attacks. From a 8.9 magnitude of earthquake that triggers a tsunami causing greater damage adding to the death toll of many missing citizens in Japan. After which came the nuclear reactor explosion following the leakage of radio-active materials into the open sea.

Following is a video clip that featured Japanese helping one another in times of trouble, something that is first seen globally in times of distress.

Such a clip would not have been possible if not for the proper education of disaster training, rehearsal and the well-mannered culture of Japanese, helping one another in need.

On the other hand, when i looked looked and do up a search and similar natural disasters such as Christchurch, I happened to viewed a video that is kind of insensitive, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/christchurch-earthquake-videos/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503037&gal_cid=1503037&gallery_id=117784
featuring some people still playing in the disaster hit area instead of helping out. It’s so much reflects on the playfulness, laid back, relaxed culture of the nation, wanting to have the most fun out of which.

Japanese is the most well-taught people globally in terms of courtesy, manners, politeness etc, even number 1 nation USA is way behind in such education.

Singapore too is failing in the basic courtesy issues in the education sector, much different from the past whereby Singaporeans are helpful and chatty. The reasons that caused the dropped in Singaporeans speaking up, helping each other (neighbors) are probably due to the following reasons:

1. Fast pace developing city give little or no room for courtesy, manners upbringing having to cope with bilingual policy for competitive advantage

2. HDB Security policy of poor building designs, having neighbors doors literally facing each other, encourage us to close the doors permanently to avoid privacy being infringe despite government’s claim of it helping to reduce robberies, and other crimes.  Lets think it as another way, in the past, nearly every HDB door was opened (at least over 50% of the occupants open doors) in those old style 1 striaight line of HDB flats..while current designs are all C or U shape that encourage closed doors, so if doors are closed in nearly 95% of the HDB occupants, no eyes are visible to potential crimes. Having said that, sometimes, its better to stick to the old school, but being in a capitalist nation, it’s no longer possible, unless you have cash, yet govt are tearing down and rebuilding more C and U shape apartments that actually help improve crime rates from my own perspective (having lived in both old and new style HDB flat)

3. Government’s focus on financial growth over the basic principles of moral education in the past when I was growing up, where we were told to respect the elders, give way, give seats to elders or people who need it more than us..but these days..just one-look at how the primary, and secondary school education system, and the behaviors reflected by the students is freaking obvious. Immediate showing signs of ill-bred, uncouth kids who didn’t even know the basic respect, having to force them to obey the rules by punishment, which doesn’t solve the root of the problem, so to speak.

There are so much more lessons to which we can learn from Japan, both from their moral education, fast pace of economy power-house at least before the natural disasters took place that is.

It actually is easier to impart moral education from young with the right direction as reflected in the above video, than to teach grown up kids and adults moral education that seem useless and does not help in any way to grow their financial ability that is their main concern. But looking at the way education system is going..there’s nothing can be done..except for the “Fine” policies of Singapore to keep the rouge citizens from harming people, which is a waste of resources. Ignoring the basics, moral education has taken a impact on majority of the nations, not just Singapore alone.

The other thing to applause and salute Japanese is their selfless personality in general. Just when more and more nations are rejecting and closing her doors to Japanese food imports, Japanese themselves are showing their faith in their own food, so as to help reduce the strain on farmers in the nuclear radiation hit  zones by buying those food that’s considered at risk in other nations’ view.

There also have being new reports of shoppers purposely buying less amount of food so to allow other victims to buy food back home too, instead of what most people would do in disaster hit zones are to selfishly buy or even steal food for their own.

Such is a behavior that cannot be easily duplicated in any other countries due to the difference in education upbringing.

For businesses, it is a extremely important to learn and pick up lessons from Japan. If they can educate and impart such education to their employees, than the businesses will be saved when trouble strikes both the big and small companies, thus companies are still able to keep little sum of money from their own people’s support even if outsiders deny to trust them.

It is the key to determine the success or failure of any business.

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Vigilance in dictionary terms is to have a sustained attention over long period of time.

In modern days, where employment, job security, plentiful food at our disposal,  man have eventually evolved into a state of laziness to such there’s a lack of natural alertness in majority of individuals these days.

From being alert to problems and solving it by ourselves in the back old days (centuries ago), man today has largely involved into easy preys if man were all to be placed and live on their own in the jungle or forest at the mercy of the animals out in the wild.

Reason being so is primarily due to the contentment with the government, security from lack of predators for our lives, thus we fall into a sense of comfort zone refusing to utilize our natural assets namely our brain, using wits to solve problems. Instead, we turn to officials, politicians, security personnel to solve our problem when we can easily solve it on our own if we just work together.

Simple things like a theft, can be easily avoided by simply concealing if not hide the valuables, jewelery from view that only encourage crimes to take place. if it’s in the wild, like how the animals search for food, once they successfully hunt and killed it, they will either hide it, and prepare for rainy days, else take a few quick bites before keeping it at a safe place from other animals who will find an opportunity to  snatch away the food. Just like cheetah trying to keep the kill away from lions, hyenas and vultures.

In the urban environment/habitat, while such animals are kept out of man’s reach and harm, there are however other preys and predators, namely man hunting on man, just that it’s in a different setting. Whereby the rich profits from the poor, sometimes, if not majority capitalizing on the gullible, naive employees like how loan-sharks squeeze their debtors dry. The only difference is that business owners, investors conceal and camouflage their  killing/hunting strategies to themselves so as to maintain and hold off any potential impending predators wanting to get a slice of the market where the money is.

One such example that’s happening every day is in the property, insurance, banking and other sales industries. Every year, globally, news articles reports of scams, frauds, business bankruptcies are all signs and tell-tale signs of modern urban war unknown to majority of the people. Failure to be aware of the urban warfare and struggle for food (money) will ultimately lead to more people going broke and end up in debts.

Even another sector/area that majority if not all (except for the health professionals) will over-look falls into taking care of their own health. Failure to do so, results in lost of income with immediate effect, so health should always be the top priority.

Being aware of our surroundings, and know the risk involved in signing any contracts for sales of anything from small gadgets to credit card, bank loans and even loan guarantors will help individuals avoid the falling into the hands of the mercenaries.

Learning the rules, skills to navigate the modern war in urban habitat will increase the odds of oneself in gaining advantage to fight against the percentage of going broke being an employee.

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Survival is the best bet against anything in the world.

Having watched documentary of the week: Surviving Disaster – Avalanche, it gave me new insights and reminder to on survival and the basic guidelines and principles to live. Linking it up with what I myself experienced on my progress in Entrepreneurship, it gave me a actual blueprint on surviving the hardships of entrepreneurship.

I’ll just summarized what i’ve just learned and convert it to make it business-proof.

In an ski trip with an injured ski-mate with a open bone fracture, and with a handful of team mates, with night approaching, the best bet is to set up a snow cave to spend the night waiting for day light before attempting to find help.

Check for any injuries, in this case, it’s a open bone fracture, cover the open wound with clean cloth to prevent infection, without pressing on the bone, put it on top of it, break the ski stick in the correct length and tie the leg tight against the sticks to prevent anymore movement. Lay person on a ski board, move injured head downwards with leg on top. So in event of hitting an object, wound will not incur any additional damage, with head protected by helmet. With sun setting, it’s time to build a snow cave for the night.

The snow cave allows all ski members a safety cover from the elements, shelter from the wind (which speed up heat lost), allows members to stay together to have the warm air in the cave stay there while the cold air drops to the entrance.

Once the cave is built, immediately move the injured team mate inside, as motionless individual stand greater chance of hypothermia. Lay the injured person on the, while other ski members take turns to take care of each other. Giving the injured as much food as possible to encourage more heat generated, but don’t let injured drink alcohol which speeds up hypothermia. One person in-charge of the injured, another in-charge of keeping the entrance partial open for air to come in, the other one to check for every team member’s health status (preventing death sleep in the cold), and rotate duties every hour.

Next day comes, day-break, leave behind the slowest team mate to take care of the injured in the snow cave while the rest seek help.Member staying behind uses urine and ski board to mark a clear X (cross) sign on the top of the mountain while the rest find help (instead of all waiting to die).

In the process, downwards, they faced an avalanche, 2 team mates trapped in it. Using avalanche survival kit to track (20 yards effective radius) members trapped under the snow and dig them out of it before they die of suffocation and hypothermia. Moving in a zig-zag direction to cover the whole distance of the avalanche path.

Upon finding trapped member, dig up, and wait for help, use binoculars to reflect light to the helicopter, and create a landing zone (L.Z) preferrably on a flat surface. Wait for the search and rescue dogs to search for team mate who’s survival kit was not placed with him, and instead a bag further putting oneself in danger.

Than inform the rescue team about the injured at the top of the mountain.

Now for the entrepreneur conversion. The food is the important fuel that allows members to live, in business wise, minimal food to fill our stomach.

Put aside emotions, which is vital for wealth creation, follow and obey leaders who can grow money, not reduce it.

Follow all basic ethics and the laws to observe discipline, so you will not have your efforts gone down the drain one day when you’re caught for any crime.

The snow cave refers to a shelter over our head as a protection.

Team members: Select only a handful who will not put you at more risk. Example: spilling your business secrets/strategies, waste your resources, burn bridges of trust, creditability and reputation critical for success.

Search and rescue team refers to new sources of income when your financial reserves are depleting fast. Seeking help is not a sign of failure, it is to live to die another day.

Proper medical, survival knowledge with experienced leader: Vital in a process, to tell exactly what’s happening, what will happen and how to minimize risk of failure and look out for safety.

PS: In ski, dangers are bears, elements of cold, but in business, it’s the eagles and vultures, seasoned players who gradually/openly steal your strategies, food, business partners, networks and turn them against you!

So weigh your own skills set, financial reserves, networks, expertise, knowledge and flexibility to adapt to new changes, such as temporary going back to employment to first solve the fundamental money issue before you resume your entrepreneurship.

Last but not the least, be damn aware of your own surroundings, keep your strategies and wealth generation sources to yourself. In the absence of team mates, depend on yourself and your own resources.

Never ever give in to opposition of your family and love ones (that’s logical) knowing they will want to be in the rats race suffering together for a short-term most risky employment without any job security.

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Black is result of the lack of light. In the absence of light, it is complete darkness in pitch black.

There are many words associated with black or darkness. Negativity, underground groups such as gangsters, mafias, criminals along with other natural habitat creatures such as bats, underground, caves and explorers often risk death trying to venture into the unknown.

Darkness is not considered to be anything negative but rather it is just another kind of living habitat which is not suitable for most of the living organisms.

Only the creatures with the strongest will power will survive and evolve to change themselves and learn the ropes of survival in complete darkness, in this case a cave.

Having just watched “Planet Earth” from channel U, while it seems dark and creepy looking at the caves from the outside where there’s light, pitch black never fails to give off a sense of misery which attracts dare devils to test out their guts.

Thanks to modern technology and the documentary shows, it is possible to understand and be mesmerized by the allure of the hidden beauty in complete darkness under within the cave.

As the common sayings goes: The most beautiful is often the most lethal and deadly which is true in nature, cave exploration has got its high risk and is filled with nothing but danger, especially if you decide to explore under water.

It is when you live and learn the rules of survival in the darkness, depending on your senses for food and your life that makes it much easier for you to survive out in the wild when there’s light.

Survival is a testament of certain success, regardless of whatever situation and environment, even if it is pitch dark, one must learn and navigate through the routes and find the way out.

The creatures living in darkness and daylight both have their own ways of survival, but man on the other hand can survive both in light and in complete darkness thanks to technology and learning some crucial survival skills.

While we are mesmerized by the beauty of nature we also must respect nature. Likewise, to live, succeed and win, we need to learn the rules of survival in a highly competitive society just like how cave creates evolve through thousands of generations to lose their eyes and be born blind.

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Language is a system of study for both encoding and decoding of information as communication process.

There are many different variations of languages, from pictorial diagrams, to words, calligraphy, verbal, visual, body and even natural weather predictions and even the use of symbols in some instances.

Man has multiple systems for information processes such as facial, visual, verbal, hearing, body and emotional communication plus breathing rhythm if in close body contact.

Animals on the other hand especially in the marine life have an extensive communication channel which is a common language in different species. It is similar to man having a common language such as English across the globe. Having watched “Water Colours Part 2 of 3”, with a new knowledge of how colour works.

While fishes cannot talk, they compensate it for their brilliant variety of colours. The colour as a language of communication is the same among all the reef animals in particular those animals that does cleaning.  The colourful display of colours and the ability to change colours is how marine animals in particular those living near the coral reefs and sea bed communicate with one another, colours is the language, used by shrimps, fishes, octopus, squids and rays.

Different body parts of colours serves different purposes, either for survival, sex or to allow other cleaners to clean off parasites from their body. Changing of colours represents the appreciation the cleaning services, and for acceptance of partner for the opposite sex during the mating season for fishes.

Colour changes also happens when the fishes are growing up, having completely different colour and body shape so as to remain completely different from the adult fishes to reduce the association and competition thus increasing their chances of survival living next to the adult fishes.

Man also communicates, but unlike the marine animals, we express ourselves more through body language and via sound. While we cannot change our colour, our body also grows more developed as we grow into adulthood, having either more muscular body for  or more curves which increases the sex appeal and attraction from the opposite gender.

Master the art of understanding language, the system of communication via different means so as to increase your chances of survival and to grow up stronger without putting yourself at risk as you grow.

Reduce risk and increase your odds of survival by mastering the language in different variations not limited to only speech.

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Reliable is the reliability in which a person or a system to perform and maintain its routine circumstances, as well as in hostile and unexpected circumstances.

In dictionary definition, reliable and dependable is related words but I myself have different meaning and understanding of this two completely different words.

Reliability is the basis of dependability, without reliability, there is no use even if a person or a system is dependable.

It is the basis and fundamentals of able to perform what is expected of him/her in the situation and environment a person is situated in.

Simply put it this way, it is to do the right thing without mistakes, do it right and repeat the same thing like a well run system like a routine manner.

Should something out of the unexpected surface, the person or system should be able to rectify and solve the problem on hand without much difficulty and that is what I understand of being a reliable person.

Common examples will be in a typical employment setting whereby each of us will just do what is expected of us, do not do anything more and anything less.

Doing anything more means you are poking your nose into other people’s business which means you want to increase your workload without pay increment.

Doing anything less means you are underperforming and putting yourself at risk of being place on the slaughtering platter and getting yourself either fired by the boss or you fire the boss either way works.

In short being a reliable person to me means to do what is expected of you, yourself and doing it within your limits and ability.

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