Episode 07: Working on the Buy-Side and the Sell-Side - with Harry Billen

To say today’s guest has had a diverse life is an understatement... 👇🏼Welcome to the SEVENTH episode of The Smart Money Show! We're joined by Harry Billen who started with a maths degree, became a musician featured on national radio, to now working in Investment Banking at Stifel Financial Corp. What’s more, he’s also the co-founder of Mirum, an events business, and is a Chartered Accountant. 🤯Sitting down with such a fascinating individual (for the 2nd time, after his appearance on our launch episode roundtable 😉) was a pleasure: we discuss how he’s managed to succeed in these different roles within and beyond finance and how he’s managed his career progression, given his unique pathway.Plus, we also get into key differences between the BUY-SIDE and the SELL-SIDE! As Harry has had the chance to work on both, he drops some crazy anecdotes and worthwhile lessons for aspiring finance professionals! 🫡Guest Contacts: ⬇️Life + Finance:https://www.youtube.com/@hbdoeslifehttps://www.tiktok.com/@hbdoeslifehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-billen-946a3682/Music:https://www.tiktok.com/@itsreallyhbhttps://linktr.ee/itsreallyhbhttps://www.instagram.com/itsreallyhb/Mirum:https://www.linkedin.com/company/themirum/posts/?feedView=allhttps://www.instagram.com/themirumuk/https://www.tiktok.com/@themirumukCheck out our work and connect with us here: https://linktr.ee/thesmartmoneyshowAs always, stay tuned to us weekly as we bring you unheard insights, professional guests and a few laughs! 💚Chapters:0:11 Intro 🎤0:49 Introducing Harry Billen ✨1:26 Harry's Journey & Advice 🚀2:14 Growing Up & Education 📚4:12 Aiming for Investment Banking 🏦6:31 Front Office Role & Exposure 📈9:00 Importance of A-Levels 🤔12:07 Frustration & Benchmarks 😠14:18 Deloitte & Internal Moves 🏢16:40 Getting into Public M&A 🤝17:55 Overcoming Doubts 💪20:39 Buy-Side Middle Office Role 📊22:39 Analyst to Fund Manager & CFA 💡25:46 Solving Problems at Deloitte 🧠28:52 Misconceptions of Investment Banking 🤥30:55 Advice on Finding Your Path 🧭33:51 Proudest Moment ❤️36:41 Buy-Side vs. Sell-Side Culture 👔38:53 Why Bankers Work Long Hours ⏰41:39 Choosing Buy/Sell-Side Factors ➡️44:46 Music & Entrepreneurship 🎶47:18 Starting Mirum Business 💡49:10 Balancing Passions ⚖️51:58 Future Plans & Tips 🌟54:37 Advice to Younger Self 🗣️55:51 Don't Give Up! 🙌57:52 Outro 👍Please be advised, none of our episodes constitute as financial advice and we will never attempt to do so.