Poor Charlie Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Fun article. Was mentioned in Confidence Game also. http://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2012/06/29/the-fishing-guide-who-hooked-hedge-fund-titan-bill-ackman/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolveus Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Very interesting story. In a way it parallels Michael Lewis's "Don't eat Fortune's cookie" speech because though never explicitly mentioned, an undercurrent of the story is White's luck to have been Ackman's guide. That chance meeting opened the door, then of course White had to be competent enough to walk thru it. I guess a little bit of luck never hurts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsad Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Very interesting story. In a way it parallels Michael Lewis's "Don't eat Fortune's cookie" speech because though never explicitly mentioned, an undercurrent of the story is White's luck to have been Ackman's guide. That chance meeting opened the door, then of course White had to be competent enough to walk thru it. I guess a little bit of luck never hurts. - I saw Berkshire Hathaway listed amongst the holdings of AIC Mutual Funds, which I owned. - I looked up Berkshire Hathaway on this thing called the "internet" on my Microsoft Webtv in 1998. - I stumbled across the new Berkshire Hathaway website and read one of Buffett's shareholder letters. - I started selling all of my investments to buy nothing but Berkshire Hathaway B's when the share price fell. - Searching on the internet, I found the MF BRK Message Board. - I met John Zemanovich (Lotsofcoke) on the MF Message Board. - He invited me to the Yellow BRK'ers Party in Omaha in 2001, where this skinny guy who still had some hair named Mohnish Pabrai was hanging around. - Standing in the reception area of the Omaha Golf and Country Club, I almost walked into Warren Buffett & his daughter Susie...Susie took a picture of me and her father. - I left my job and worked in the mutual fund and insurance industry after meeting Buffett. - I started buying stock in a company called Fairfax Financial whose website I stumbled across. - MSN Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Board launches for me and a few Berkshire friends. - We start to interview people like Mohnish Pabrai, Tim McElvaine, Larry Sarbit, Andy Kilpatrick, a young Sardar Biglari! - Hordes of Fairfax shareholders start flooding the board, because of the short attack on Fairfax. - I leave a message on the Investor Relations contact for Fairfax telling them something is happening with their stock, and it looks like a coordinated attack. - I write a letter to Prem Watsa thanking him for the letters he writes...he invites me to come to Toronto, but I could not go at the time. - Two years later I finally get to my first Fairfax meeting. Prem, JoAnn and Francis have arranged for me to spend the day at Fairfax's office...I start the Fairfax Financial Shareholder's Dinner with nine people and Francis surprises us! - I come back and quit the mutual fund and insurance business and start Corner Market Capital with my cousin Alnesh...our very first partner is our future director and part owner Andrew Cooke...who happened to work as a consultant to Fairfax! - We hold our annual meeting alongside Fairfax's meeting and the dinner. - Three years later, JoAnn passes away from colon cancer and we hold the dinner in her memory with proceeds going to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada. - Sold a portion of the General Partner to our two directors...Andrew Cooke and Glen Rollins...they are an intricate part of CMC and MPIC Funds now! - The shareholder's dinner now has 145 people attending, with 12+ speakers, and we raised $13,000. - CCFC asks me to help organize the first ICE Gala in BC with a goal of raising $200,000! - Corner Market Capital passes it's 6th Year of Operations! While there may be a certain amount of opportunity in the above, the bulk is sheer dumb luck...fortunate enough to stumble across good people, good mentors, good partners and good friends! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftcoast Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 It's both. You've had some luck, but you also created a lot of luck through initiative, hard work, and integrity. Being smart and humble enough to recognize the value of the opportunities you're being handed helps too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twacowfca Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Very interesting story. In a way it parallels Michael Lewis's "Don't eat Fortune's cookie" speech because though never explicitly mentioned, an undercurrent of the story is White's luck to have been Ackman's guide. That chance meeting opened the door, then of course White had to be competent enough to walk thru it. I guess a little bit of luck never hurts. - I saw Berkshire Hathaway listed amongst the holdings of AIC Mutual Funds, which I owned. - I looked up Berkshire Hathaway on this thing called the "internet" on my Microsoft Webtv in 1998. - I stumbled across the new Berkshire Hathaway website and read one of Buffett's shareholder letters. - I started selling all of my investments to buy nothing but Berkshire Hathaway B's when the share price fell. - Searching on the internet, I found the MF BRK Message Board. - I met John Zemanovich (Lotsofcoke) on the MF Message Board. - He invited me to the Yellow BRK'ers Party in Omaha in 2001, where this skinny guy who still had some hair named Mohnish Pabrai was hanging around. - Standing in the reception area of the Omaha Golf and Country Club, I almost walked into Warren Buffett & his daughter Susie...Susie took a picture of me and her father. - I left my job and worked in the mutual fund and insurance industry after meeting Buffett. - I started buying stock in a company called Fairfax Financial whose website I stumbled across. - MSN Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Board launches for me and a few Berkshire friends. - We start to interview people like Mohnish Pabrai, Tim McElvaine, Larry Sarbit, Andy Kilpatrick, a young Sardar Biglari! - Hordes of Fairfax shareholders start flooding the board, because of the short attack on Fairfax. - I leave a message on the Investor Relations contact for Fairfax telling them something is happening with their stock, and it looks like a coordinated attack. - I write a letter to Prem Watsa thanking him for the letters he writes...he invites me to come to Toronto, but I could not go at the time. - Two years later I finally get to my first Fairfax meeting. Prem, JoAnn and Francis have arranged for me to spend the day at Fairfax's office...I start the Fairfax Financial Shareholder's Dinner with nine people and Francis surprises us! - I come back and quit the mutual fund and insurance business and start Corner Market Capital with my cousin Alnesh...our very first partner is our future director and part owner Andrew Cooke...who happened to work as a consultant to Fairfax! - We hold our annual meeting alongside Fairfax's meeting and the dinner. - Three years later, JoAnn passes away from colon cancer and we hold the dinner in her memory with proceeds going to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada. - Sold a portion of the General Partner to our two directors...Andrew Cooke and Glen Rollins...they are an intricate part of CMC and MPIC Funds now! - The shareholder's dinner now has 145 people attending, with 12+ speakers, and we raised $13,000. - CCFC asks me to help organize the first ICE Gala in BC with a goal of raising $200,000! - Corner Market Capital passes it's 6th Year of Operations! While there may be a certain amount of opportunity in the above, the bulk is sheer dumb luck...fortunate enough to stumble across good people, good mentors, good partners and good friends! Cheers! All of that couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Belated happy birthday, Sanjeev! :) Frank Tim Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onyx1 Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 Very interesting story. In a way it parallels Michael Lewis's "Don't eat Fortune's cookie" speech because though never explicitly mentioned, an undercurrent of the story is White's luck to have been Ackman's guide. That chance meeting opened the door, then of course White had to be competent enough to walk thru it. I guess a little bit of luck never hurts. - I saw Berkshire Hathaway listed amongst the holdings of AIC Mutual Funds, which I owned. - I looked up Berkshire Hathaway on this thing called the "internet" on my Microsoft Webtv in 1998. - I stumbled across the new Berkshire Hathaway website and read one of Buffett's shareholder letters. - I started selling all of my investments to buy nothing but Berkshire Hathaway B's when the share price fell. - Searching on the internet, I found the MF BRK Message Board. - I met John Zemanovich (Lotsofcoke) on the MF Message Board. - He invited me to the Yellow BRK'ers Party in Omaha in 2001, where this skinny guy who still had some hair named Mohnish Pabrai was hanging around. - Standing in the reception area of the Omaha Golf and Country Club, I almost walked into Warren Buffett & his daughter Susie...Susie took a picture of me and her father. - I left my job and worked in the mutual fund and insurance industry after meeting Buffett. - I started buying stock in a company called Fairfax Financial whose website I stumbled across. - MSN Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Board launches for me and a few Berkshire friends. - We start to interview people like Mohnish Pabrai, Tim McElvaine, Larry Sarbit, Andy Kilpatrick, a young Sardar Biglari! - Hordes of Fairfax shareholders start flooding the board, because of the short attack on Fairfax. - I leave a message on the Investor Relations contact for Fairfax telling them something is happening with their stock, and it looks like a coordinated attack. - I write a letter to Prem Watsa thanking him for the letters he writes...he invites me to come to Toronto, but I could not go at the time. - Two years later I finally get to my first Fairfax meeting. Prem, JoAnn and Francis have arranged for me to spend the day at Fairfax's office...I start the Fairfax Financial Shareholder's Dinner with nine people and Francis surprises us! - I come back and quit the mutual fund and insurance business and start Corner Market Capital with my cousin Alnesh...our very first partner is our future director and part owner Andrew Cooke...who happened to work as a consultant to Fairfax! - We hold our annual meeting alongside Fairfax's meeting and the dinner. - Three years later, JoAnn passes away from colon cancer and we hold the dinner in her memory with proceeds going to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada. - Sold a portion of the General Partner to our two directors...Andrew Cooke and Glen Rollins...they are an intricate part of CMC and MPIC Funds now! - The shareholder's dinner now has 145 people attending, with 12+ speakers, and we raised $13,000. - CCFC asks me to help organize the first ICE Gala in BC with a goal of raising $200,000! - Corner Market Capital passes it's 6th Year of Operations! While there may be a certain amount of opportunity in the above, the bulk is sheer dumb luck...fortunate enough to stumble across good people, good mentors, good partners and good friends! Cheers! Lead on Sanjeev! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrB Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 While there may be a certain amount of opportunity in the above, the bulk is sheer dumb luck...fortunate enough to stumble across good people, good mentors, good partners and good friends! Cheers! "The more I practice the luckier I get" - Gary Player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbitisrich Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 It's both. You've had some luck, but you also created a lot of luck through initiative, hard work, and integrity. Being smart and humble enough to recognize the value of the opportunities you're being handed helps too. Yes, but I bet that Parsad could also link those traits to fortunate bumps like good role models, friends, etc... Plus, it's way easier to be ambitious when you see a pathway to be rewarded for effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yp Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Fun article. Was mentioned in Confidence Game also. http://www.forbes.com/sites/monteburke/2012/06/29/the-fishing-guide-who-hooked-hedge-fund-titan-bill-ackman/ A "middle-class southern kid" with a philosophy degree, working as a fly fishing guide in one of the most exotic parts of the world gets picked up by one of the greatest hedge-fund managers ever to work in NYC. Including the kidnapping and the endorsements, does anybody else see this turning into some sort of Action movie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now