Finding and targeting the right investors

Family Office Hot Seat: Founder and Investor Feedback Webinar

Family Office Hot Seat: Real Capital Raising Advice for Founders & Investors | Monthly Webinar

Founders, fund managers, lenders and advisors who want direct feedback on structuring, messaging and finding investors.

The 5 big lessons

1. Avoid the word guarantee. Richard C. Wilson said nothing in a raise should be called guaranteed. Many sponsors talk to a securities attorney about how to word this. Collateral or a royalty can add security, but it does not remove risk.
2. Use an existing business as proof. The seed founder runs an agency with 100K MRR. Richard suggested stressing that track record, and possibly exploring a royalty tied to the core business until investors are repaid.
3. Trust differs by type of raise. A sports fund has high industry trust but may lack trust in the manager. A futures fund faces the reverse, since few people understand the industry. Friends and family often start because trust in the leader is high.
4. Use investor data for meetings. Richard said blanket email blasts to purchased lists often get poor results. Richard said the better use is booking more meetings in cities you already visit. Few buyers retarget or build lookalike audiences from the data.
5. Pair pull and push marketing. Eric built books, a newsletter and podcasts to draw leads in. Richard said push marketing improves when thought leadership is strong, and that calls, mail and in-person follow-up stand out as email volume grows.

The short version

Richard C. Wilson cautioned against using the word guarantee when raising money. That point came up when a seed-stage founder, whose agency reported 100K MRR, offered investors a money back guarantee. Richard C. Wilson said collateral or a royalty can add a sense of security, but it does not remove risk. He also suggested talking to a securities attorney about offering paperwork.

The 116-minute monthly webinar also covered a lender building an AI platform for first position real estate debt, a Bitcoin advisor weighing business names, and a futures manager asking about investor databases. Common threads were trust, calling instead of only emailing, and using purchased investor data to set up local meetings rather than blasting a pitch.

On the record

• Richard C. Wilson said the Family Office Club has 16 million registered members in its LinkedIn groups and has run for 19 years.
• The seed founder prices the product from $249 per month, using block pricing per service plus metered token usage.
• Doug cited 2.3 million real estate agents, with 86% closing fewer than five deals in 2025, as the pool for his broker-based lending platform.

General education only. Not legal, tax or investment advice.

Talk to a securities attorney to explore options around guarantee language, offering documents and investor data use. Do not use AI to write your own legal agreements.

Quotes from the session

Related questions

• How do I close a funding round?I close a funding round by focusing on investors who fit the opportunity and moving each interested prospect through clear, consistent follow-up.
• What documents do investors request during due diligence?Prepare a clear, organized package covering your operations, investments, compensation, team, and track record.
• How do I raise capital for my business?I raise capital by building a repeatable system for attracting the right investors, establishing credibility, and developing relationships before asking for money.

Questions about this video

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