Raising capital from family offices
7 Strategies to Raise More Capital with an Investor Club
7 Strategies to Leverage Our Investor Club and Raise More Capital (Webinar Recording)
Founders, fund managers and deal sponsors who are starting or growing a capital raise and want a repeatable way to find and engage investors.
5 key takeaways
- Leads alone will not fix a raise. New capital raisers often think a few introductions will solve everything. Richard C. Richard says top raisers still contact 150 to 250 investors to find 12. A system that keeps attracting leads matters more than a short list.
- Position around one investor type. He advises knowing competitors, focusing on one niche investor set and reflecting on the team's own strengths. Messaging for a busy doctor differs from messaging for an ultra-wealthy family office. Skipping this can mean innovating in ways investors do not care about.
- Keep several structures ready. Investors complain about high fees, fake skin in the game and money tied up too long. Having several structure ideas to discuss can help a raiser respond when an investor dislikes the first one, and many sponsors talk to a securities attorney about which structures might fit.
- Keep improving your deal flow. Richard says many people dismiss deal flow, but a deal that looks good alone can look average next to thousands of others. Better deals can bring word of mouth referrals before anyone invests. They also improve the track record over time.
- Add value before pitching. Richard notes that many investors receive 100 to 300 emails a day, so generic email blasts often get little attention. Richard suggests adding value first with webinars, white papers or newsletters. He also suggests using text, video and direct mail, and many sponsors talk to a securities attorney about how outreach rules apply.
Summary
The best capital raisers contact 150 to 250 investors to find the 12 who close their deal, according to Richard C. Wilson. He uses that numbers game to argue that investor leads alone will not solve a raise. A steady system that attracts leads matters more, along with clear positioning and a focus on one niche investor type.
This 2020 webinar covers seven strategies tied to the Family Office Club. They are investor leads, positioning, investment structures, deal flow, databases, an investor funnel and a library of capital raising strategies. Databases are described as useful but not a magic bullet. The funnel moves people from articles to talks, meetings and capital. The session ends with membership options and Q&A.
Facts from this talk
- Richard C. Wilson started the Family Office Club in 2007 and says the team has hosted 130 live events and published 13 books.
- The club offers 42 niche investor databases and says more than 2,000 investors are registered.
- Pitch deck coaching and deal analysis is free with membership once every three months and includes 20 points of feedback.
Sources
From Richard C. Wilson's Centimillionaire Strategies YouTube channel: 7 Strategies to Leverage Our Investor Club and Raise More Capital (Webinar Recording). Quotes come from the video captions, lightly edited for readability. Figures are the speakers' own estimates and experience.
General education only. Not legal, tax or investment advice.
Talk to a securities attorney to explore options around investor outreach rules, investment structure options and offering documents. Do not use AI to write your own legal agreements.
In their words
"The best of the best in the world go to 150 to 250 investors to find those 12 to get their deal done."
"They'd rather invest in someone they trust who has high conviction."
"If you're not sure what to do, just do the opposite of everyone else."
- 1Articles, interviews and podcasts
- 2Reports, white papers and surveys
- 3Publish a book
- 4Give public talks
- 5Meet investors in person
- 6Raise capital
Related questions
- How do I find the decision maker at a family office?Start by meeting the family through advisors, events and the people who manage their investments.
- Do family offices invest in funds or only direct deals?Family offices do both.
- How long does a family office take to make a decision?There is no standard timeline, and I would not trust anyone who gives you one number.
Questions about this video
Why are investor leads not enough to raise capital?
Richard says the most common mistake is thinking a few introductions solve everything. Even top raisers contact 150 to 250 investors to find 12, so a system that keeps attracting leads matters more.
Is an investor database a magic bullet?
No. Richard calls it a helpful tool that everyone should have, but only one of about 30 things needed. It works best with strategy, a niche focus and genuine relationship building.
What is an investor funnel?
It is a system that attracts investors and moves them toward investing. The layers shown are articles and podcasts, reports and white papers, a published book, public talks, in-person meetings and then raising capital.
Put this into practice with the ready to raise checklist. See all raising capital from family offices resources.
