OMDV — OMD Ventures

How I broke into the buy-side without a traditional background.

How I broke into the buy-side without a traditional background.

The road to getting an investing job is not straight forward, not instant and not easy. You know what they say: "Nothing worth having comes easy."

I've been getting a number of inquiries into how I managed to get a public equity investing job without doing any time in the sell-side, having a CFA, a finance major or having had a hedge fund uncle teach me about stocks at age 13.

In this essay I not only hope to tell you a story of my own personal journey to shed some light on the process but also share learnings that may be applicable to all kinds of career journeys.

EssaysDaniel LeeOctober 30, 2018Careers

Buying Time

Buying Time

This is a conversation I had with myself as I introspected after I quit my first job in accounting. It was one of many different conversations. But it was one with my lustful relationship for money.

EssaysDaniel LeeOctober 23, 2018Habits

10 Lessons on reading. Journey to read 1,776 books in a lifetime

10 Lessons on reading. Journey to read 1,776 books in a lifetime

I didn't think I read much... but apparently I do... So I decided to write about the lessons I learned on reading. This is not about the contents but the act of reading to learn.

If you look at my public book list there are about 60 odd books over a 4 year period. I think if you add the Audiobooks, it would be about 70-80.

EssaysDaniel LeeOctober 16, 2018Habits

The Gym's Silver Haired Teachers

The Gym's Silver Haired Teachers

People say wisdom comes with age. Decades of learning via experience probably helps with obtaining that wisdom. That can come to form in many ways like advanced knowledge in a particular field. The elusive "silver-hair" is associated with knowledge, expertise, experience and all kinds of positive factors that lead to "trust". Whether it's in obtaining funding to start your own fund or selling services, the business world looks for age. The bias is there. Where it isn't commonly sought after is in the gym.

EssaysDaniel LeeOctober 9, 2018Careers, Powerlifting

Forget Work-Life "Balance". Instead, seek Harmony

Forget Work-Life "Balance". Instead, seek Harmony

Life is like a well-made mechanical watch.

You are the craftsman. The Swiss master who tinkers with the vast arrays of gears to create a system to depict the passage of time.

EssaysDaniel LeeOctober 2, 2018Careers, Work, Systems

Start with Dots as Anchors for Creativity

Start with Dots as Anchors for Creativity

In school we used lined papers. Structured. Fitting to defined spaces. Every notebook was lined.

The way I come up with articles to write about is by scribbling in my notebook. Scribbling random ideas that would pop into my head after a shower, a walk or while training at the gym.

One day, I found the lines too restricting. I wanted to draw pictures, graphs and doddles to get my idea on the paper but the lines posed a mental blockade for me. So I decided to go out and buy a notebook that would allow me to have more flexibility. Dotted notebooks. Genius.

EssaysDaniel LeeSeptember 25, 2018Business, Creativity

Learnings from 200 Cold Emails.

Learnings from 200 Cold Emails.

Networking.

Dreadful word to many. Music to the ears of few. Extremely undervalued none-the-less.

EssaysDaniel LeeSeptember 18, 2018Careers, Work

Building A Mastermind Group

“You are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with”. We've all heard this before. It's one of the most repeated advice/factors mentioned by high performers of various disciplines. The advice comes in different forms like "work with people you admire", "find mentors who are doing what you want to", "choose a life-partner who will challenge you to grow". All focused on surrounding yourself with people that will aid you in your journey of growth.

EssaysDaniel LeeSeptember 11, 2018Relationships, Systems

No Luck Without Skill

I embraced this idea of skilled people generating their own luck. This doesn't mean I don't believe in luck.

To the contrary.

EssaysDaniel LeeSeptember 4, 2018Careers

Making conversation: Experiencing people in a world of screens and familiarity

Elevator to the coffee shop: three people staring at their phones. Lining up at Starbucks: two staring at their phones. In my seat as I type: two on the phone, one on phone mid conversation.

Per my weekly report over the past month, I've been on Instagram 37 minutes per day with an average screen time of 3 hours and about 73 pick ups of my phone.

EssaysDaniel LeeAugust 28, 2018Introspection

Building morning routines - Glimpse into 3 months of cold showers and making the bed.

Many of my friends still ask me: "So do you still wake up at 4:30am?"

I disappoint them by saying "No, that had risen from a need but I no longer have to."

EssaysDaniel LeeAugust 21, 2018Habits

Learning when to ask What vs. Why

Words are powerful. Even more so are great questions.

If this weren't the case no one should be able to make a living interviewing people, whether it be a therapist, coach, or talk show host.

EssaysDaniel LeeAugust 14, 2018Introspection

There are no adults

My mother became a mom at the age I am now.

EssaysDaniel LeeAugust 7, 2018Careers

Tragedy of birth

We refer to Romeo and Juliet as a tragic love story.

What I saw was two degenerate teenagers. What I think is a real tragedy is the life that unfolds the minute after our birth. Some may argue it's a miracle. I see that. The tragedy hits the minute after.

EssaysDaniel LeeJuly 31, 2018Business

It's not that you don't have time. It's just not a priority.

Every time you say "I can't I'm too busy" to someone or something, add on "it's just not a priority." This tactic was inspired by a podcast I listened to with Debbie Millman, designer, and podcaster among many other things.

EssaysDaniel LeeJuly 24, 2018Introspection

Why organizations will lose their high performers. Revelations of factors to motivation and flow state among employees

Over a six-week period, I ran a project with seven individuals. I pitched to them that we would work to find out who they were, where they were at in their life now and where they wanted to go. They were told this project would involve a series of talk therapy sessions and have them perform individual reflective activities as homework for the duration.

EssaysDaniel LeeJuly 17, 2018Business

Overcoming Obstacles

Eat your vegetables! Climb that hill! Go train at the gym!

You know it's good for you. But taking that first bite of that broccoli head can be really tough. You look at that spinach and it just hurts your taste buds. As you can tell, I'm not vegetarian... furthest from it.

But after a bite of that spinach. It's okay. It's bearable. Now it's part of your morning smoothie. Like climbing hills, the first one is hard but the others that come after it? Eh, not so hard. You've done it before already. I have the eating habits of an eight-year-old so you may not be able to relate here.

EssaysDaniel LeeJuly 10, 2018Careers

Innovation. Born from Constraints

How can you think outside the box if there is no box?

EssaysDaniel LeeJuly 3, 2018Business

Appreciating Empty Space

Josh Waitzkin, the famed chess prodigy, spoke about the importance of cultivating empty space. He learned this importance when he learned chess from Bobby Fischer. He's another famed chess player, obviously. Josh speaks about knowing how to utilize the empty spaces on the chess board.

It seems too common in life that I find myself drawn to noise. Fear of missing out. Everyone wants to be where the noise is. It's like staring only where the chess pieces are. Ignoring the space available. The space that can become your advantage.

EssaysDaniel LeeJune 12, 2018Business

Dealing with Rejection

No, doesn't mean never. Just means not right now. I swear this is a quote from someone famous.

Rejection is always tough. Sometimes such rejection is for good reason. It just never feels like it. I swear, when I struck out on my management consulting interviews I thought my world had ended. I mean, you'd think after 3 months of networking to get 3 interviews at the top firms you'd be set... guess not. Yet, my world didn't end. It continued operating like any other day. It was another day to squat and deadlift.

EssaysDaniel LeeJune 5, 2018Careers