Frog in the well

Mrs. X is the promoter of an educational institution that she started over 2 decades back with nothing more than a vision, some family savings and a small bank loan. After 2 decades she has built an institution that is credible and really sought after by the who's who in her city.

Now as she approaches institutional investors to help grow the business, I am worried. I am reminded of why I left the institutional funding business. After condescending to meet and review this case {"Oh! don't you know, we get 5 unsolicited business plans each day, where do I have time??"}, these "employed" money-managers will find out 10 shortcomings in the business and hasten to remind everyone how smart they are and how they will add value and scale the business.

Little do they realize that this franchise has been built by waking up at 5.30 am everyday, showing up at initially a small rented campus and doing the day's work honestly and diligently. From a humble beginning to a reasonable success, through hard work mostly and little else.

Funny thing is that many of these money managers themselves came from humble beginnings, worked their way through scholarships and hardships and having "reached there", seem to forget where they came from.

No different from Indian politicians or even the naxalites (a violent communist group in India), who start a movement to eliminate corruption, repression and injustice and whilst in power, become exactly what they started against. For example, I read an interview of a former naxalite woman leader who mentioned how she was "used" by the men and had to comply to stay alive.

I quit {my Private Equity employer, I wasn't a naxal ;-)}to try and find myself again. One of my "well-wisher" friends tried to shake me out of my well, rather aggressively. He can't possibly understand how someone can get out of the rut that he is in and live happily ever after. Well, I'm a frog in the wishing well.