GOLDEN GIRL

       All things that glitter might not be gold,but investment guru Tipa Nawawattanasub believes it is certainly gleaming despite the recession, writes Napamon Roongwitoo
       Sitting amongst 150 million baht worth of gold,it was hard to say whether the radiant glow in the room was coming from the eye-catching bars of gold or from the graceful lady 'Muse'was talking to.At 28, Tipa Nawawattanasub is the managing director at YLG Bullion International. In fact, she has held this position for a few years already. Though she may be born and bred in a family that runs a jewellery business, Tipa is not the kind of business heiress who spent her earlier years studying at a privileged school overseas before returning home to take the seat in the executive chair. The young businesswoman has spent her entire life working hard in the glittering business.
       "My family has a jewellery business and I have helped out since I was a little girl," says Tipa. She recalls that every day, when school was over, she would walk back home and once she got back she was no longer a student - she was one of the staff.
       Her business mind drove her to pursue a bachelor's degree in Business Administration at Thammasat University, and later an MBA from the University of Kent at Canterbury as well as a master's degree in Public Administration from Ramkhamhaeng University. Yes, two master's degrees. And that's not all.
       "I am almost done with my PhD at Ramkhamhaeng University, too," adds the brainy beauty.
       Her lifelong experience, coupled with her education background, gave her career a strong kick-start. Upon finishing her studies in the UK, her parents discussed with her about the opportunity to expand their business.Gold trading seemed like a tempting option since the jewellery market was beginning to feel the impact from India's and China's growth spurts.
       "My career in gold trading started about five years ago. We decided to go ahead with the expansion of our existing business line to include the sale of 99.99 percent pure gold bullion products. It took incessant braincrunching meetings but finally here we are!"
       The difference between 99.99 and 96.5 percent gold is the purity, which cannot be seen with the naked eye.Gold accessories are usually 96.5 percent, which makes them a little cheaper. Gold bullions, which are 99.99 percent, are a better option for investment. They might not look as pretty, but there is no goldsmith charge.
       "When selling your gold accessories, you have to go back to the shop where you bought them from otherwise the price would drop significantly. Gold bullions are accepted anywhere, and each bar has its own individual serial number for tracking and safety purposes," she explains.
       Tipa's job is not just trading gold - her policy is to make sure that her clients know exactly what they are doing with each order so they can make the most wellinformed decision when purchasing. The minimum investment is a one kilogramme pure solid gold bullion bar, which equals about one million baht. Such a big investment should not be done in a rush. If the market is not suitable for buying gold at that moment, her staff would suggest the clients to hold off on the purchase."We don't just trade gold. We want our clients to buy and sell at the most profitable times. It's business with ethics."
       Her clients come from all walks of life. She could tell you, interestingly enough, that her biggest clients are sometimes noodle shop owners or fish ball makers."They might wear ragged T-shirts and shorts, but some of these investors have bought over 100kg of gold. My delivery boys told me that some families stock the gold bars in their refrigerator! You really cannot judge people from the outside."
       The hard-working businesswoman feels blessed that she started off so young compared to most of her elder clients who feel she is one of their children. When Tipa would make a mistake in the beginning, they would give her advice instead of picking on her.
       "Without these kinds of clients, I would not be where I am today," she says with a smile. She also adds that her staff never go hungry because her clients always bring in snacks as a treat.
       Despite holding several degrees and having many years of first-hand experience in the gold business,Tipa does not consider herself much different from other women when it comes to investment. Both women and men, she says, have different preferences when it comes to taking risks. Men are typically higher on the financial risk-taking scale than women, and so gold investment is the preferred choice for many women now."Gold prices hardly ever come down. There are more factors to push the price up than there are that would drag the price down," she explains.
       "I'm not very adventurous when it comes to financial investment. And I choose to invest mostly in gold as well because I have seen its price grow 200 percent from the first year our business opened. While making profits for the clients, I thought to myself,'Why shouldn't I invest in this, too?' and so I embarked on this path as well."
       With more women nowadays seeing investment opportunities as equally important as a good and stable career. Her advice is to find the right investment as it is a subjective matter, not a one-size-fits-all choice.
       "Think hard and research well before you decide to put your money in any investment. You can't just think,'Okay, I will invest in gold today,' and run to the gold shop without any prior knowledge. Ask yourself what kind of investor you would like to be - short term or long-term. Assess your risk management skills. And most importantly, stay in the know about what's going on in the world around you. For example, gold prices and oil prices are interlinked, so you need to keep a diligent eye on this all the time. Moreover, the 99.99 gold price changes constantly as the price is global, so sleep with one eye open!"