To whom it may inspire or concern:

Circa 2000, some remote village in the foothills of the Himalayas (Nepal) where a computer was still a luxury and the internet was unexplainable mysterious service on the computer.

I first automated business process when I was in 8th grade, it was my dad’s business. I saw that his team of four accountants is struggling with bookkeeping and payslip generation based on 12K daily transactions on multiple different accounts. By the end of the month, I gave him a barebone solution that made those 4 accountants redundant.

That gig at my dad’s biz laid the foundation for my accounting and computer background. I don’t mean to brag, but I never felt the urge or need to open any accounting textbook from schools ever after. By grade 9 my barebone automated solution was creating everything a double-entry bookkeeping needs (Cash books, journal, ledgers, Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet) based on one single point of data entry, dad’s business accounting was almost on autopilot. My solution never signed checkbooks or cashed them out, so almost autopilot.

While still in 9th grade, I was able to circumvent network adapters and share my dialup internet with others by dialing my number instead of internet service providers’ phone number. In a time where the cost of the internet was higher than a month’s salary, I was sharing my nightly internet subscription with others for pennies. I only shared the internet with those whom I knew personally. That list quickly grew because I knew almost everyone in the area.

Fast forward 2 years, that’s when my side hustle exploded. I was bringing in so much money that I was competing with what dad earned. In an Asian family, where the sole breadwinner is dad, it’s almost a taboo for a youngling like me to earn and bring twice the fortune home without a proper explanation of source and method. So, like any kid with a huge pile of money, I did what I knew best.

I stacked money in shoeboxes and buried these boxes out in the field without any markers. Trust me, I have many times forgotten the spot where I buried my fortunes. First, I wasn’t chasing money, second, there was no shortage of money, third, I was in love with technology I was fiddling with.

As evident, my attendance at school was dwindling, I barely attended accounting classes, I religiously attended computer science classes though. Dad received a complaint from school, and there I was listening to my dad, school principal and class teacher talk about me skipping classes. At the closings, I was asked if I improve and change the attendance? I giddily replied to my dad, “You will receive 3 more complaints like these while I am at this school.” I passed school with rosy colors (more than what they expected from me) but I knew I have more than what it takes for a passing score.

I don’t think I am qualified or at a capacity to sum the moral of this story, but do what your gut says. Better if data backs your gut. But remember, inaction is costly. Losses after actions are just expensive way of gaining experience.