Third Martini Investments

One thing you should probably know is that I’m not an alcoholic…yet. In fact, I’m not a huge martini fan either- I prefer scotch. So, the question then: Why “Third Martini Investments?”

The best investors are always contrarian; they see the value in places others are too afraid to even look. And the contrarians who make the investments are oftentimes labeled as crazy. “You’re investing in what? You’re crazy!” Yup. Crazy…or possibly drunk. But the crazies are the ones making big money. The optimal number of drinks most people would need before they agree that certain contrarian or risky strategies are a good idea is three. Three stiff drinks. Three Martinis, to be exact.

So how does the three martini investor think? Well, to put it simply, after three martinis you:

1.      Have a lot more fun: Stop worrying about making money, and start doing, experiencing, and thinking about other things. Your perspective widens, and you start to see more of the possibilities that the world offers. You need perspective to come up with new ideas.

2.      Become more reckless: You gotta take risks at the bar, and with your net worth. It may take us three martinis to go up and talk to that leggy blonde who throws a glance our way from across the room. It also takes three martinis to throw our money at inner-city real estate or the Turkish stock market.

3.      Are more motivated: Good ideas are out there, you just gotta find them.

I’m hoping to get a few things from this blog:

1.      It will be my personal soapbox to preach on investing and business success, which I see as one and the same. This is not about picking stocks and running numbers- its about ideas. And ideas only come with perspective

2.      I’ll be able to present a few back-of-the napkin (cocktail napkin wet with gin and vermouth) ideas on businesses or assets to invest in.

3.      I’ll look forward to having you tell me that I’m crazy, or that I’ve had one too many.

So who am I? I’m an investment banker at the bottom of the totem pole. If the Eagle on top is my MD, then I’m the squirrel on the bottom. As a banker, I’m currently suffering from creativity-scurvy. And unfortunately, the cafeteria does not serve martinis. A few lines from two of my resumes:

• Participated in buy-side transaction for X’s $215 million acquisition of Y Corp; prepared detailed DCF model, comparative companies and acquisitions analysis and valuation memoranda; contributed to formation of bidding strategy and due diligence process
• Founding member of Tokyo office of  “X” a real estate investment and asset management firm; significant role in business development and client interfacing
• Completed two week, informal, unpaid internship at Michelin two-star restaurant in New York. Experience includes peeling tomatoes, chopping parsley, and observing service.
• Business level fluency in Japanese and Spanish

Theres more on me in the “about” section. Lastly, remember that this a Blog. Take it with a grain of salt.