How do you build relationships with family offices before pitching a deal?
Short answer: Build relationships over time, show what you have, and don't pitch too hard. In sustainable energy, materials and transportation, conversations with subject matter experts can help show where a business fits and whether it has commercial legs.
At a Family Office Club panel recorded live at the Beverly Hills Investor Club Summit, moderator John Milanovich asks panelists about structure, strategy and communication.
Core Family Office co-founder on transparency
A Core Family Office co-founder says to show what you have and what you care about. They say integrity and transparency drive their interest in working with someone. (at 4:44)
Panelist on relationships over time
A family office panelist says they have people they have spoken with for years without doing a deal. They are waiting for the right opportunity to collaborate. (at 5:12)
Panelist on the first meeting
A family office panelist says not to try to prove something in the first five minutes. If the conversation is enjoyable, they may discuss the opportunity later. (at 7:06)
Stephen on subject expertise
Stephen's investment bank focuses on sustainable energy, materials and transportation. He says those fields change and have complex details, so they seek subject matter experts. Those conversations help show where a business fits and whether it has commercial legs. (at 6:10)
"I think it would be don't pitch too hard."
From Richard's exclusive Billionaires.com interviews
Lessons from Richard C. Wilson's one-on-one interviews, as published on each interview page.
- Fran Tarkenton: Get in the game. As a third string college quarterback, he put himself into a game and led a scoring drive. You cannot make things better from the sidelines, he says.
- Michael Lee-Chin: Find the person who is responsible. When a problem comes up, he asks who the agent was. He wants a specific person to call, not a department.
- Tony Robbins: Think like an owner. His biggest turning point was moving from operator to owner. An operator tries to supervise everything and cannot scale.
See the data
Frequently asked questions
How do you build relationships with family offices before pitching a deal?
Build relationships over time, show what you have, and don't pitch too hard. In sustainable energy, materials and transportation, conversations with subject matter experts can help show where a business fits and whether it has commercial legs.
How can a founder submit a pitch deck?
A Gen 2 family office representative says founders can contact her at the conference or use the intake link on her LinkedIn profile to fill out a survey and update their pitch deck. (2:26)
What areas is one family office interested in?
A Gen 2 family office representative says her family is particularly interested in AI and tech development. She also mentions fusion, blockchain and crypto, and says they are open to other industries. (2:54)
Sources
Quotes are copied from the video captions and checked against the transcript. Timestamps link to the moment in the video. General information only, not legal, tax or investment advice.