I don't know. An answer I love giving when I'm asked questions I don't like answering.
Also the kind of answer one would get when he/she said, "if you venture into business, I want to join you."
Seriously?
At 25, I am the (relatively) least business-minded person I know. Not because I am not interested in it, but I am just clueless on how and where I can go about. I don't stay long enough in a job to recognise what kind of things could be a stepping stone for me to build my multi-billion dollar imaginary upcoming business. Though I've dated guys with contacts - and even my current one, apart from being a handsomely-paid employee in a bank, he runs his own business too - I am just not sure how to initiate a conversation about how I can build my own empire. From their stories, they made them sound breezy. But I know for a fact, it is not easy unless you're lucky.
Yet, I do have plans for my own real business. I am still figuring out what to do due to my lack of experience. Though I know some people failed for the their first times, or second times, and so on, to me failure is definitely not an option. Once I am in there, I have to make it in there. I simply, JUST CAN'T FAIL.
Truthfully, being an employee, I am not the friendly kind. I have walls. I don't get engaged in a conversation too long. I don't linger. I talk, act friendly, feel weird, then walk away. Unless, it's with someone I know long enough, well enough, or feel comfortable enough. Even in Twitter, I was rarely having conversations with people, most of them are just touch'n'go-s. My point is, I'm better being a leader, being a boss. I know I always have been.
My partner, knowing me well, has been supportive. He never gives orders or instructions, just ideas for me to bounce off of. And yeah, some capital contributions as well. So, if I am finally on the stone, he's one to keep me plunging.
Which brought me back to the purpose of this rant; why I said 'I don't know' to my best friend who wanted to venture into any business with me.
Here's what she is like on normal days:
- Kan bagus kalau aku kerja dekat library dan dapat RM2,500 sebulan?
(Isn't it great if I could work as a librarian and earn RM2,500 monthly?)
- Bila nak start bisnes semprit? Aku nak join. -> question directed at me.
(When are you starting a semprit [cookies] business? I want to join.)
- Aku minat nak cuba buka Elianto outlet sebab staff boleh join bengkel untuk tahu cara-cara dia. - she quit a few weeks later on the job.
(I'm interested to open up an Elianto outlet because as a staff, we can join their workshop to learn how to go about it.)
- Nanti aku kerja, aku nak kumpul duit, nak beli baju banyak-banyak macam Nurulcakapcakap.
(Once I start working, I want to save money to spend on lots of clothes, like Nurulcakapcakap.)
- And so on.
We all know RM2,500 is not enough. Yeah if you just finish college and are new to the real, ugly world, that kind of paycheck can put you at the top of the world. Believe me kids, it's slippery as hell up there. You won't feel on top of the world too long. RM2,500 per month is just not enough. It's worse when that amount is the paycheck of your dream.
I love her as a friend, but knowing her long and well enough (we've been best friends since we were 3 years old I think), I don't think she has the attitude and the personality I look for in being a business partner. She doesn't mind borrowing money she would have trouble paying back later just so that she could buy something she likes but doesn't need. If I don't know any better, I still know one thing that I learned from reading Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad; rich people buy luxuries last, while the poor and middle class buy them first. It kinda seems out of context when I quoted it that way, but you will agree if you read the whole book.
My point is, you don't buy things when you don't have money to pay for it. You don't spend on unnecessary luxury you can't afford now just to appear as if you can, when it immediately becomes your expense at the point of purchase instead of income. You don't jump into someone's lap to join them in their business without your own initiative. You just can't.
Friends or not, people should know; friends are friends, business is business. You can't mix the two, else one of them is bound to get hurt. None of us wants to hurt a good friend, nor a good business now, do we?
I am not perfectly sticking to this philosophy of becoming rich, but my friend right here is not even aware of it, yet, she wants to be rich. Or maybe, appear rich.
Every day I try harder to accept the fact that I couldn't afford certain things until later (my first job after graduating allowed me to splurge on relatively1 expensive holidays and Louis Vuitton bags and relatively2 inexpensive watches, but I quit the job due to the pressure) - but all is well. I don't mind carrying a Baby Phat or Padini bags now. Because as for now, that's all I can afford.
Learning things on how to start a business taught me to be humble in spending. Though these days, it's not always my money being spent. What upp?! (Barney's style).
I don't plan to catch up on my dreams only when I am old and wrinkly.
But you know. If we do wind up having a business together, I shall remove this post. :D
*
1 Expensive because most young people whose earnings can take them to cheap holiday destinations, like Indonesia, Thailand, etc, and I could go somewhere a little bit expensive but I still couldn't afford Europe trips or the USA.
2 Inexpensive because I'm comparing mine to Omega watches.
