I remember when I was a rookie investor back in 2005. After reading a few investment books on value investing and Warren Buffett, I believed I had sufficient knowledge to dip my toes into the stock market. As with most beginners, I had limited capital as I was new to the corporate world. I proceeded to load up on smaller, fast-growing companies such as C&O Pharmaceutical, Sembawang Kimtrans, Global Voice, Olam International Limited (SGX: VC2) and offshore and marine support firm Ezra Holdings. The prevailing thought I had back then was that these fast-growers could multiply my capital quickly. A nasty surprise But what I had conveniently neglected was that such companies were also inherently riskier. Pharmaceutical distribution companies can be squeezed by larger players while commodity businesses face boom and bust cycles. Suffice to say it was a hit and miss affair as some companies did well while others flopped....