Like any other story, it started back during university when I was tasked to develop a business idea. My idea at the time was to enable people to rent animals for the day. It was an idea that came about when I realised the dangers of women walking home alone late at night, especially after work. The concept was to allow the user to rent an animal as a companion. At the same time, they proceeded to return to their homes. Users would be able to return the companion the following day, all while simply paying a small fee for the service. The idea sounded great and exciting at the time. Still, it never really materialised because people never realised the necessity of it. Feedback on the concept from peers and mentors were not ideal as similar to most people's point of view; safety of that nature was not a priority at the time.
Fast forward a couple of years later, I saw my idea brought to life with mobile applications such as "Borrow My Dog" and "Walkzee". It was highly successful across the United States, with many owners of companions being able to earn some money on the side to subsidise their pet expenditure. Users of the application were having the time of the lives being able to rent animals without the commitment required and develop short term companionship. The ability to see the concept turn into a reality taught me the ultimate lesson. If I had an idea, I believed would be something special, I would work hard to push it forward and see it become successful. That was going to be my motto moving forward with future business ideas.
After the whole fiasco of a missed opportunity and several tons of job applications, I was invited to join a multinational company called MKS Precious Metals. The company was involved in supplying precious metals as raw materials to both local jewellery manufacturers and retailers. MKS Precious Metals is a Swiss-based entity and one of the earliest companies engaged in refining precious metals and bullion trading. For those unfamiliar with the term 'bullion', it refers to physical gold or silver of high purity that is kept in the form of bars or coins. The group comprises two refineries and twelve offices for bullion trading located across the major financial centres of the world. Many of us will know the famous products they have had tremendous success with: the "Lady Fortuna" and "Rosa". Of course, let's not forget about the big chunks of 999 purity cast bars that jewellery manufacturers, private equity firms, and financial institutions crave for.
I was recruited into one of the group's subsidiaries called 1StopGold. A company engaged strictly in managing individual investors' precious metals portfolio. My role was that of a project leader tasked with developing the business on the digital front: campaign preparations, website development, system automation, and many others. I had learnt many things from the company, both the upsides and downsides of running a high-value commodity. The business journey saw many investors experiencing difficulties such as; learning how to invest in precious metals, understanding market movements, how political and economic factors play a role in affecting precious metals and many others.
Furthermore, I believed many companies within the industry either chose to forgo resolving these struggles or attempted to provide a solution. Investors could not find a company or several entities they can rely on as the definitive problem solver.
The big push to venture into my own business came about during the Covid situation that saw many companies halt for some time. I left the job shortly after and came back on strictly a consultive nature. It would allow me to begin planning for my own business. Many people advised me against the thought of starting something new in this pandemic as there was too much uncertainty. However, I thought it was the perfect time to zone in on my investors' details and begin planning my approach to resolve these issues.
A couple of months later, I started AME. AME is an all-in-one platform that comprises a variety of investment and non-investment products and services. It became a platform that enables cross-selling with the use of gold as a multi-functional currency. I came out with four distinct brands called AURUM 79, AVOIR, FIKA, & DUO, representing my mission of resolving problems and providing a product or service. In its own nature, each brand has a task to achieve but, when combined together, meets my vision of developing the next generation of investors through solid community building, a range of products and services, and most importantly, knowledge.
If you are interested in learning more about AME, click the link below: -
