Entrepreneurship implies a struggle: taking an idea, starting a venture often involving employees, producing or selling, and making it become successful. But the term can cast a larger net too; it can include the stock market speculator who risks personal capital to generate income.

Barry Adams is one such variation on the theme. Once a full-time educator in the Vancouver public system until the age of 52, Barry loved teaching and coaching. But he also played in the stock market starting in the late ‘60s and, for over 12 years, his dabbling earned no money. In fact, he says, “I lost good teacher salary dollars.” So, he decided to either quit the market or do it properly - and Barry is no quitter!

Instead, Barry applied himself to his avocation and read every book he could on the stock market and penny stocks. In 1987, he passed his Canadian Securities exam and slowly grew his portfolio. He found, however, that mixing his vocation of teaching with his avocation was proving to be too much. He could only check the markets very early in the morning before work or at the end of the day when he had coaching obligations. When an opportunity to take a year’s leave of absence presented itself in 1995, Barry took it.

He extended his leave twice and, from ages 52 to 55, Barry went on a self-imposed apprenticeship. Though he had no mentor, he read voraciously on trading and focused on market newsletter writers, carefully researching the commodities and junior mining stocks before speculating. He proved to himself that, although it was a high-risk, high-reward field, he was prepared to navigate it.

So, at age 55, Barry retired from his position in education and has spent the last 13 years as a successful speculator. He never viewed it as a hobby but as an alternative to his teaching career. There was never a push from education, only the pulls of being a market investor. Barry says he has had more fun with the market, especially with the successes. He enjoys the fact that it is not a 9-to-5 job, so he has more flexibility to pursue other interests, like travelling and training and competing as a serious Masters athlete.

Investment in the stock market, especially commodities, requires knowledge and nerves. “There is adversity in an ever-changing market; you always have to have your antennae out,” Barry muses.

Good times mean profit, but crashes can “crush all those gains.” And there have been a few of those cycles for Barry to manoeuvre through.

In 1987, the American Savings and Loans corporations collapsed causing a 25 per cent decline in stock values. Called Black Monday, October 19, it slowed economic growth in Canada until approximately 1995.

In 1997, the so-called Asian Collapse occurred. Growing debts, especially in Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia caused enormous instabilities and the International Monetary Fund had to step in with $40 billion in aid to currencies. Nick Leeson and the downfall of the Barings Bank in 1995 were indicative of this instability and the focus of the 1999 film, *Rogue Trader*.

In 2000-01, the “dot.com” bubble burst. There was a “growth before profits” investment in IT businesses such as Nortel, but extended losses, Y2K investment, and the 9/11 terrorist attack caused a severe downturn as high-tech companies spent their venture capital.

In 2008, the world suffered a global meltdown fuelled by the sub-prime mortgage rate housing loans that brought down Lehman Brothers.

Barry doesn’t fear these ups and downs, but he does follow some rules.

First, Barry believes in thorough research before speculating. He extensively researches new mining finds like potash and gold, gets in early, and rides that stock for capital gain. As a result, his portfolio has improved and he says it has gained “10 times more net equity now than when I left teaching. That is a measure of my success.”

Although he is principled, Barry feels it is best to approach investment with a certain air of situational ethics. For instance, he will not invest in dangerous or risky areas of the world, such as Iraq or the Congo, nor will he invest in blood diamonds. But he admits that speculating in commodities is essentially disrupting the Earth. He believes in harvesting resources as ethically as possible. “Right now western Canadian coal is huge with sales to China, but I remember watching a big yellow fog rolling down the Pearl River to Hong Kong when I was having a coffee there and am loathe to invest. At the same time Ontario Hydro uses scrubbers and contributes to Canadian pensions.”

The Internet is the biggest improvement to Barry’s enterprise in the last 15 years. All the research and platforms available to a broker are now online and allow maximum flexibility. Now, he can stay in touch with the markets from anywhere in the world and he has, from Australia, Borneo, Singapore, and China to mention a few.

As an entrepreneur, Barry has more time not only for travel, but also for his passion of athletics. He just missed out on representing Canada in track and field in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, a team that included Bruce Kidd, Bill Crothers and Harry Jerome. He placed 2nd in the qualifying but only one could go. Also, he was part of the 1964 University of Oregon sports hall of fame team, competing in steeplechase.

Barry still loves competing. In fact, he still owns the record for the Canadian Men 40 - 1,500 metre set in 1983. He also won the Canadian Men 65 pentathlon and holds the record for Canadian Men 60 outdoor pentathlon. The five-event sport requires fortitude, discipline, and persistence; skills carried over to the market place.

Barry’s entrepreneurial spirit in the retirement years doesn’t mean stopping, just changing gears.

MARCH 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER ISLAND