For those of you who haven't been on the board for more than a couple of years, I thought I would pass on how I found out about ET, and what transpired a few years ago....FWIW.
We had a couple of ex-managers, both of whom got involved in starting other Firms...and they had put some weird compensation package together to "recruit" (poach) traders from Bright.
So these guys started making ridiculous (even libelous) statements about my brother, me, our firm etc.
I came on to simply clear things up with the facts, and when I signed up I though I would take the 'high road" - not use an alias (no big deal, just thought it made sense). I went through months of clarifying, discussing, answering questions, and doing my best to "keep my cool" - some of these kids were gawdawful (make you guys seem like long lost friends, LOL).
Well, after a few months I noticed that I was getting mailboxes full of emails, very complimentary, and we ended up getting traders from other firms (withou soliciting I might add)... dozens to begin with, maybe hundreds by now, from ET (don't tell Baron, it may go to his head, LOL). Since I have been on message boards since the early 1980's (The Source, before internet)...I felt comforable in the community and actually started to enjoy spending some "down time" here.
I started getting good questions for my column in Stocks and Commodities, many of which ended up in print. Good ideas for the radio show, etc. Sure, some of the verbal assaults were just plain vicious and wrong, and some of things mentioned actually helped us adapt our business model when justified (things have really changed over the years)....
The really interesting side bar to all of this is that if those initial firms were to have benefitted from the growht that we enjoyed from ET, they would have doubled or tripled the size of their firms. A bit of justification in the long run for spending time here.
90+ of the people I speak with are super, ask good questions, answer questions, and when we get together we enjoy some laughs....and some, for whatever reasons (some perhaps justified, some not)...seem to enjoy what I call the venomous nature of some discussions (too many to point out, and I stay out of those that don't concern us)...and this is too much like the "Neo-Cons vs. the Libs" - (an attitude that I really think has hurt our Country overall, I am a registered independent, FWIW).. I don't like "flaming"
As far as prop firms go, there are a small handful left (literally hundreds back in the day)...we know each other pretty well... some have made "cold calls" here on occasion, just to see what we're doing...I don't really care, I am honest with everyone... and all the supterfuge has pretty much gone away.... we have grown, added affiliates and partners, and continue to do our best.
I always suggest doing homework, become aware of all the details involved in any business venture...and yes, (you knew it was coming)...."check the balance sheets"......
All this done with a smile...gotta keep your sense of humor....
Sorry for the long post, I just thought some might find it to be of interest...
