Chapter I: The Foundation of Grit
I didn’t learn about business in a boardroom. I learned it in Jamaica at seven years old. I learned it watching my dad swing hammers on remodels in the heat. He was a master craftsman, but I watched him work himself to the bone because he lacked leverage. It taught me the most important lesson of my life early: Equity isn’t magic—it’s mornings at six and systems that don’t break.
Chapter II: Wall Street Engineering
I went through the gauntlet. Risk management at Bank of America taught me defense. M&A at RBC taught me deal structure. Tech-services Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley taught me valuation. I was the youngest ever hired into J.P. Morgan’s strategy group—an undergrad sitting in a room full of Ivy League PhDs. I had to learn faster, work harder, and speak clearer just to stay at the table.
Chapter III: The Pivot
Working in Lower-middle Private Equity showed me the gap. I saw brilliant financial engineers who couldn’t run a lemonade stand. They focused on debt arbitrage and ignored operations. I left to build Arnon River Partners because I wanted to run a firm that respected the sweat equity of founders. I am not a consultant. I am an operator who brings capital.
