IIM Americas

I started my career with the Macquire Group in their Sydney office. It was a huge, well recognized and very well respected organization, and while I loved my work there, it wasn't difficult to feel a little disconnected and lost. I was a mere Analyst, and it seemed like information in the organization had to flow through several layers before it got to you (an especially disconcerting fact when you are in the midst of financial crisis, and everyone around you is talking about layoffs!)
Life however brought me to Philadelphia, and after completing an advanced degree in Finance, I decided to switch over to a whole other world, filled with exciting new opportunities- well, that's one way to look at life in a start up!

I work for Spouting Rock Financial Partners. We are a small but rapidly growing Wealth Management firm, focused on liquid alternatives (the most happening market within the wealth
management business!). My job primarily entails analyzing various alternative strategies and helping build portfolios incorporating these strategies. But given that we are such a small organization; the scope of my work extends way beyond the job description!
I wanted to work for a smaller organization primarily because it suits my personality -I like to work in an environment where I have the flexibility to choose what I want to work on, where I'm not bogged down by hordes of processes and procedures, and importantly where there isn't any office politics or to deal with -which I believe can be detriment to productivity. The absence of formal policies also makes for some interesting opportunities- as the first female employee of my organization, when the time came for me to take maternity leave - I actually got to set my own terms, no questions asked!
Exciting and enriching though it may be, working in a start-up does come with big risks and uncertainties- not the least among which was the uncertainty surrounding the timing and amount of my first paycheck! To survive in this environment one really needs to value the sense of satisfaction seeing good ideas work out, over other monetary benefits.
Life in a start-up teaches you a lot. For one, you live in a start-up, not work for it! It teaches you to take responsibility for every action and decision -there's no turning back. It teaches you to take ownership of situations and opportunities, not pigeon-holing yourself into a single role. It forces you way out of your comfort zone - there are things that you just have to do, and there's no one else to do it. And every morning, it gives you a level of energy and excitement to face your day- because there is no better motivator than the joy of working at a job you love!migrated to the U.S.

Surya Mrunalini Pasipati

Investment Analyst. Spouting Rock Financial Partners