What Got You There with Sean DeLaney #209 Yen Liow - Managing Partner of Aravt Global- Lessons Learned on the Path to Excellence
Aug 30, 2020
Yen Liow, Managing Partner at Aravt Global and Harvard MBA, shares insights from his diverse career as an investor and educator. He delves into his immigrant story and the life lessons learned from his mentor, Peter Gunn, emphasizing work ethic and decision-making. Yen discusses the importance of embracing plateaus in mastery and the value of introspection in learning from success and failure. He highlights strategies for investment excellence, cultivating a strong team culture, and the need for transparency in decision-making.
01:37:07
Nomadic Strategy That Shaped A Firm
- Yen Liow was inspired by Subotai after reading Jack Weatherford's book and named his firm Aravat after Mongolian military structure.
- He learned that a single person with a great team can accomplish extraordinary scalable outcomes.
Warehouse Summers That Defined Ambition
- Yen grew up in Australia after immigrating from Kuala Lumpur at age five and credits his parents' sacrifices as lifelong fuel.
- Working summers in Peter Gunn's warehouses taught him humility, work ethic, and early business lessons.
Work Hard Early And Learn Systems
- Do hard work early: labor in real jobs to learn humility, relatability, and the value of systems over hourly labor.
- Seek mentors who force you to observe, analyze, and propose improvements after practical experience.
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Intro
00:00 • 3min
Subutai and the inspiration behind Aravat
03:15 • 3min
Yen's immigrant origin story
06:07 • 2min
Mentor Peter Gunn's lessons
08:05 • 5min
Applying a 25-year mentor framework
13:02 • 3min
Competitiveness and life's finite perspective
15:37 • 5min
Why Yen chose investing
20:19 • 4min
Game selection as leverage
24:17 • 4min
Authentic self and strategy fit
28:03 • 2min
Narrowing to one investment strategy
30:29 • 4min
Confidence from preparation for market storms
34:06 • 2min
Case study methodology and training
36:19 • 2min
Why few commit to intense training
38:31 • 2min
Plateaus, mastery, and mental preparation
40:30 • 2min
Truth, introspection, and becoming honest
42:13 • 4min
Learning from Aravat's difficult years
46:41 • 3min
Personal reflection process and accountability
49:28 • 3min
Studying success and failure together
52:13 • 2min
Strategy, skill, and structure for edge
54:06 • 4min
Hiring: culture, character, and teamwork
58:32 • 2min
Skill development through deconstruction
01:00:59 • 2min
Building a large energy 'tank' and recovery
01:03:27 • 3min
A model day: flow, punctuated work, recovery
01:06:45 • 4min
Night journaling and incubation
01:10:27 • 3min
Avoiding delusions with transparency
01:13:40 • 2min
Recommended books and influences
01:15:32 • 2min
Hardest traits to teach: self-awareness and patience
01:17:45 • 2min
Current research: compounding horses and capital allocation
01:19:26 • 1min
Biographies and studying resilience
01:20:53 • 3min
Life chapters and practical age guidance
01:23:50 • 6min
Codifying principles and living them
01:29:35 • 6min
Where to find Yen's teachings
01:35:26 • 1min
Outro
01:36:42 • 37sec
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Yen Liow is the Managing Partner at Aravt Global LLC, which is a fundamental global equity investment firm based out of New York.
Yen previously was a Principal of Ziff Brothers Investments, and prior to ZBI, Yen was a Consultant at Bain & Company in its San Francisco, Sydney, Singapore and Beijing offices.
Yen received his MBA from Harvard Business School, is a former Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School and guest lectures regularly at various universities around the country.
On this episode Yen discusses some of his life philosophies, Aravt's investing frameworks, mentors he's had a long the way, learning from difficult times and so much more.
We highly recommend checking out the show notes accompanying this episode that encapsulate all of the amazing takeaways and lessons!
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