I missed a big chance for stock options a few years back.
Sad story coming up
In 2007 the biggest bus producer in China opened up share options of their very young motorcycle division to myself, my father and my step-mother as we all had been working with them supplying their marketing resources and acting as agents for the company.
At 100'00RMB (around 10'000 GBP) for 34% stake our family friends, also involved in the venture, stumped up the cash and jumped on it. My family and I, being sceptical, decided our money was better invested elsewhere and put a down payment on a new property.
The company is now turning profits in the millions and my family and I are still just doing simple marketing and operating as free agents for them while our friends have several new properties, as many nice cars and a château in Germany.
Yes, a slight lack of faith cost us fortunes.
Apart from that, I actually run (with my father) several quite successful ventures including the marketing for the biggest motorcycle expo in China, possibly the world (CEMA show) and we are the Chinese correspondents for the FIM* (Fédération internationale motocyclettes) in contact with Vito Ippolito. I don't know if that counts as stock because we co-own, between us, the companies that operate these ventures. They are automotive though.
*Got to be blaggin' some free press tickets for the Chinese MotoGP next year.
