Probably my biggest career mistake has been to not borrow enough. If you are in business and ambitious, then you need to learn how to obtain debt: ideally lots of it. Loans are required to develop companies and buy assets without dilution – unless you are lucky enough to own a self-financing business.
The period leading up to 2008 saw the greatest credit boom in history, when banks seemingly lent money against almost anything. And those who made the most money were those who employed the most debt. I largely missed the party, but at least I didn’t suffer too much of a hangover.
The leading borrowers were, as ever, in the property businesses. Real estate is usually the core of any bank lending book, and property developers and investors understand that half the secret of success is leverage. And in turn, the banks that had to be rescued were the ones with greatest exposure to property.