Greenhouse Conversations – Shabbar Kothari
My name is Shabbar Kothari – I’m an independent business consultant at Balance Business Advisory (BBA). We work with founders of young companies looking to raise capital to empower growth. We prepare materials and aid in business strategy before founders meet potential investors.
Shabbar Kothari: While in business school, I dabbled in management, international business, and organizational behavior. I attended GUST Kuwait before heading to the U.S. to the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Soon after graduating, I was offered an analyst role at a young research firm in Kuwait called KIP Capital (KIP) – where I remained and blossomed for over a decade. Today I owe everything to the mentorship of the firm’s CEO – Mr. Husain Kothari. While KIP focuses on research for the buy-side and public markets, BBA supports clients in selling assets and raising money.
The related fields of business research, strategic analysis, and investing in public and private markets are now a passion. I get excited over research work and collecting data – including the often overlooked practice of speaking with business folks like management, customers, and suppliers. Moreover, the science of investing struck a chord – which at its core is about business quality and reliability of future cash flows.
A decade into my work life has revealed a broad truth – I enjoy bringing information together and unlocking patterns. Today it is manifesting in finance and business research – yet I’m open to the idea that tomorrow it may be something else.
I seek places that push my limits. If in five years I look back and say, ‘man, I can’t believe I was ignorant of so much!’ – I’ll call it a success.