Seeing a food influencer recently get scammed out of their investment money, I figured I’d share some street-level wisdom for everyone to learn from.
1 — In today’s world, never go into business with someone you don’t know inside and out. Anyone can craft a persona through careful social positioning in a short amount of time.
When I, Master Chi, do business, I only ever work with people I’ve genuinely known for at least three to five years — people whose business history I know clearly.
At the same time, I’m firm about not touching anything I don’t understand. I stick to my own patch of ground and push the things I’m good at to their absolute limit.
I’d much rather take the small business in my hands and slowly build results than cling to some big tree hoping to pluck the big fruit in one leap.
Because the most likely outcome is that once the cards are on the table, everyone does whatever it takes to win, and the weakest player gets pushed out while the winner takes all.
2 — I’ll say it again: don’t chase fast money or get-rich-quick schemes. And don’t expect to latch onto someone powerful and skip a whole class tier in one jump — it doesn’t work that way.
After so many years of social development, the ecosystem hierarchies in every field were carved up long ago. The circles your parents couldn’t break into, odds are you won’t either in this lifetime.
So whenever some big brother or big sister says they’re going to “take you to the top,” that’s almost always a red flag.
Your only real shot is to build up your own original capital, gather a group of trusted, vetted partners you know well, start a new small business together, and grow it steadily.
3 — Stay far away from construction, foreign trade, and finance deals — and anyone who boasts about having special connections that can get you in on some “insider deal.”
Anything touching these areas is practically guaranteed to be a disaster zone.
If you really can’t help yourself, maybe cover some dining and entertainment expenses. But don’t put in serious money — you will get burned.
4 — Don’t blindly worship so-called big players. Yes, some of them have genuine depth. But plenty of them are just shells — pure products of luck and timing, with no real skill behind them.
Another possibility: they had real chops in some traditional field, but in a new arena, they’re actually worse than a fresh entry-level player.
These past few years, I’ve lost count of how many 60s- and 70s-generation big shots I’ve advised to stop chasing new ventures and just enjoy their retirement in peace. I’ve seen far too many of these “I don’t believe in limits” veterans crash and burn in unfamiliar territory.
5 — One more thing to add: the more someone needs you to organize lavish dinners and put on an impressive show, the more likely they’re a fraud.
Even if they actually bring in some heavyweight figure, that doesn’t mean the deal itself is real.
As Master Chi has said before — what era do we live in now? Who’s lacking for a table of food and wine?
If someone truly has the power to make a deal happen, why would they need all that fuss? Real players have already built years of tacit cooperation and consensus. They know how things work and how to arrange them quietly.
The last thing they’d want is anything flashy. Why would anyone pay for an outsider’s seat at the table, just so they can slip in? Unless they planned from the start to treat that outsider as the mark — let them foot the bill while everyone else eats, drinks, and has a good laugh.
6 — Last and most critical: no matter how good an opportunity looks, it’s never worth betting everything you have on it in one go.
If you’re genuinely interested, you can put in time, energy, and social resources. Just don’t put in cash.
If it’s truly a good business and the people are solid, you’ll still get your share of the pie.
Bottom line: hold steady, don’t make moves you’ll regret. In times like these, not making mistakes is the smartest strategy.