Continuing legacies

They say not to mix business and personal. But for me, all business is personal. Whether it’s an idea that I had or my way of executing things, everything is influenced by my person. Who I am. How I grew up. What I believe in and what I don’t.

To explain who I am, here’s a short intro. I’ve been taught what it is to love and be loved unconditionally by my birds. My family taught me to put my own needs first. I love everything related to the sea. I believe that each one of us carries inside himself small bits and pieces of all of our ancestry. So to me, my ancestry is very important. I believe in fighting for what you want. I do not believe in making excuses nor do I believe in being a victim. You want something, go out and get it. And if you haven’t achieved it yet, either learn from your mistakes and try again (differently) or accept that you do not have the ability or desire to do so. But don’t blame someone or something else.

On my mother’s side, my ancestors were artists and business oriented. One of the direct branches were diamond dealers.

On my father’s side, they were travelers and artists. My great-great-grandfather traveled and documented his travels with pictures that he drew.

These are things that I find inside of myself. The ease I have in business and the desire to travel. I cherish freedom. My goal was to find a way to be free and do something that would continue the legacies I have inside of me. Which is how I came to do what my current projects.

I am a salesperson at heart. I like the game of chess that is involved in influencing someone’s decisions. It is still as exciting to me as on the first day I started on this path. I still study it and am still intrigued by it. It’s my passion. I’ve been in the financial industry for over a decade and in that time I’ve worn many hats. Due to a mix of fortunate timing, a desire to do something different and the deep-seated need to close one chapter and open another, I started looking for what I could call a project that is truly mine. Something I could be proud of and something that would be a continuation of my family’s legacy. That’s how I came across the idea for building the world’s first tradable diamond index - the IDXUSD. Is it easy? No. Whenever something new is introduced, there are many barriers to overcome to make it a success. But is it happening? Yes it is. For more information on it, click here -> IDXUSD from Live Rates Feeds.

My second project is related to my great-great-grandfather, Gaston Vuillier. I have had a few friends die very young. My father died when he was young. So for me death is a reminder that you need to live now because you have no idea when it will be your last day. Gaston had a very interesting life and the adventurous part of it started pretty late (compared to the life expectancy at the end of the 19th century). He traveled to many areas around the Mediterranean and documented the life and culture of the people there. And he certainly didn’t sugar coat things. I have decided to recreate his voyages and continue his legacy. My drawing abilities may be above average but nowhere near good enough to want to put anyone through the pain of having to lie to me about how "incredible" it is. I intend to document things with a good camera. This is a labor of love. If you have any interest in following this project, just leave me a message here -> Gaston’s Legacy contact page.