Leith Street takes its name after a road in Penang, Malaysia, in tropical Southeast Asia.

On that street stands a majestic mansion where an illustrious Chinese tycoon once lived. And in that mansion, there lay three curious granite steps at the foot of a wooden staircase which led to the second storey.

I visited the mansion years ago and was told that the granite steps allude to one needing strong foundations as he takes the first steps in ascending to a higher plane. This is so true in life and in investing.

What also fascinated me was the multi-faceted life the business magnate led as an industrialist, financier, politician and even as the economic adviser to the Empress Dowager of China.

He rose from humble beginnings during the 1800s and had such an extensive business empire across Asia that he was known as the ‘Rockerfeller of the East’ – rightly so, as he became the wealthiest person in the region during his lifetime.