Why You Must Do Your Own Capital Raising Push-Ups
We Can't Do Your Capital Raising Pushups
Sponsors, fund managers and business owners who hope someone else will deliver a list of qualified investors for their niche deal.
Five points worth keeping
- Nobody can do your push-ups. Richard does not think capital raisers should look for someone else to find 20 or 30 investors for their project. In Richard's experience, relying on an outside person to send qualified leads often does not work. Many sponsors talk to a securities attorney before setting up any such arrangement.
- Family offices invest in everything. He says there are 10,000 plus family offices in the world, possibly 20,000 plus. They invest across the risk scale, from venture capital and startups to operating businesses, apartment buildings and hotels.
- Intermediaries can only be known for little. The club can be known for being the Family Office Club, a thought leader association and great events, and maybe one or two other things. A billionaire talking with Richard will bring up those topics, not every niche deal he has done.
- Build a reputation in your niche. Plant seeds so people keep you in mind when they meet someone who might want your niche, such as self storage. Provide education, speak at events or host a podcast on your specialty to become a recognized educator in it.
- Let investors come to you. Richard says the club knew about a dozen billionaire family offices when it wrote its book and now knows about 85 to 90. Richard says all of them came to the club, with no cold calls or requests for meetings.
The short version
Richard C. Richard says the Family Office Club cannot find 20 or 50 investors for every sponsor who asks. With 375 people at a recent Times Square summit and up to 1500 emails in a day, the team gets many requests for niche deals such as hotels, healthcare funds or oil and gas in Oklahoma. The club is not known for those niches, so it cannot fill that matching role well.
He lists what the club does offer, including a coming book, events where 30 investors say what they want to be pitched, capital boot camps with 50 strategies and investor databases. His main advice is to do the push-ups yourself. Define a niche, educate others in it and let investors come to you, as the club did with its billionaire family office relationships.
Key facts
- The Family Office Club had 375 people in Times Square for its family office deal flow summit, and some days it receives 1500 emails.
- Richard says there are 10,000 plus family offices in the world, possibly 20,000 plus, investing across the full risk scale.
- The club knew about a dozen billionaire family offices when its book was written and now knows about 85 to 90, and Richard says all of them came to the club.
Sources
From Richard C. Wilson's Centimillionaire Strategies YouTube channel: We Can't Do Your Capital Raising Pushups. 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 finder fee arrangements, investor outreach rules and offering documents. Do not use AI to write your own legal agreements.
In their words
"I really don't think you should be looking for someone else to do your push-ups for you."
"You need to do the push-ups yourself. You need to position yourself. You need to define yourself within a niche, and that's how you attract capital."
"In my experience, the investors have a better relationship when they're coming to us and we're never reaching out to them."
Related questions
- How do I negotiate valuation with an early investor?Start with a valuation you can defend with traction and numbers, then expect the investor to push back.
- How do I value an early-stage company with no revenue?You value it on proof instead of earnings.
- What is a pre-seed round and who invests in it?A pre-seed round is the earliest outside money a startup raises, often before it has real revenue.
Questions about this video
Why can't the Family Office Club find investors for each specific deal?
The club is known for events, thought leadership and the Family Office Club name, and maybe one or two other things. It is not known for niches like oil and gas in Oklahoma, greenfield development or hotels.
What does Richard say to do instead of relying on others for investor leads?
He says to position and define yourself within a niche. Plant seeds with people, provide education in your area and speak at events or host a podcast on your specialty.
What resources does the club offer to help capital raisers?
Richard lists a coming capital raising book, events where investors say what they want to be pitched, capital boot camps with 50 strategies, investor databases and training programs. He also mentions his 300 page book on the single family office.
Put this into practice with the family office fit check. See all capital raising mindset resources.
