#agent jade

With such a team, it’s no wonder that we’ve been taking leaps forward. Our roles are expanding and the industries where we have been spending most of our time are taking off. Of course, that means documents are piling up with updated strategies, Jeremy’s phone is constantly alerting him, and future collaborations are making headway.

It seems like we are always looking to the future – we have chains of unending emails, back-to-back meetings, and conference calls galore. Eva and Michelle have been taking care of all of that, reaching out to every partner and potential collaboration, and then assessing the opportunities. Hao, as our mathematical genius (when he isn’t preparing for national mathematics competitions) has been staying on top of the financial modeling throughout this entire process, crunching numbers to keep it all moving along. All the while, Jeremy is checking in, refining the process, and managing the macro logistics.

Lately, we’ve been collecting our fair share of fortunes, conveniently ordering Chinese food and cracking open the cookies to reveal some not-so-revealing insights into the future.

Sometimes, I like to think that the fortune is the best part of the meal – it’s like a little test of fate.

And these small slips of paper can carry pretty bold statements. For instance, today I was told “the fellow who doesn’t need a boss is often the one selected to be one.”

This got me thinking: does this mean that we are our determiner of our lives, our actions, our decisions? Realistically, it’s just a phrase, a saying, some ink – but it unleashes a wave of philosophic ponderings.

It might not be the most clear (or clever) of fortunes, but it has a point (a debatable one, too). As independent as we can be, we still depend on others, especially in business. I mean, how else could a market exist?

Looking beyond this apparent fact, the be-your-own-boss and answer-to-yourself idea is a bit more profound. There’s an aspect of choice that goes into decision-making, into communications and interactions that rests upon this guiding nature. The independent are those who will drive directly to the solution. Yes, they need some help, but they will be the ones to reach out and get it.

If entrepreneurship could be bottled up and sold on a shelf, what would the label say? Could it even be captured in a label?

It certainly wouldn't be as straightforward as any typical nutrient label breakdown, contains 2% daily value of sodium, 10% calcium, 20% iron, etc., etc. Could it even be broken down at all? Well…

There’s the determination, the will that keeps the entrepreneur going day after day. A classic instance of such determination is waking up after way-too-little sleep and refusing to hit “snooze,” perhaps an all-too-relatable occurrence.   

There’s the passion, the heart of the entrepreneur. Passion is essential; it keeps everything moving forward and gives it value.

So, we put this all together. The determination, the creativity, the passion…and maybe a few cups of coffee. Do we have the “ingredients” of an entrepreneur?  This may be a close characterization, but something tells me that it’s not quite right – and it very well may never be just right.

From an insider’s perspective, the happenings of the outside world are magnified. The insider sees beneath the surface, aware of the intricacies that may not be apparent otherwise.

Press releases that reach the ordinary eye may present themselves as words to be consumed at the most basic level. People read them, maybe form options, maybe don’t – but these bits of information are scrutinized by someone who’s in-the-know.

Insiders don’t just see words; they experience the content like a web of knowledge.

All of these details are bits and pieces of the decision-making process – email content, specific costs, dialogue from meetings – and the information unfolds before the insider’s eyes.