Access, Networks and Relationships
This topic page covers how relationships shape business development, investor access and deal making. Richard C. Wilson describes positioning a firm for likely clients, offering useful value before asking for business, and choosing where to spend time at investor events. He says to listen, be helpful and give relationships time to grow. For family offices, he outlines ways to source direct investments and the steps that follow, from assessing a company and its founder to managing an investment through exit.
Fran Tarkenton says asking experienced people questions helped him learn, and that he told IBM plainly his company was small and losing money before they formed a partnership. Michael Lee-Chin says to find the person responsible for a problem rather than call a department, and to build people who take ownership and accountability. Tony Robbins says time around investment bankers led him to one of the biggest deals of his life. He also describes his shift from asking how to get something done to asking who would do it best.
Start with the 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.
Videos
- Richard C. Wilson on Positioning a Business to Attract Leads: Learn how Richard defines a market position, builds authority and focuses effort to attract better-fit leads.
- Why Influence Matters in Capital Raising: See how Richard C. Wilson connects influence, investor decisions, and positioning in capital raising.
- How Family Offices Source Direct Investments: A practical map of sourcing channels and their tradeoffs for family office investors.
- Reciprocity as a No Cost Way to Build a Business: Learn how Richard uses useful resources and experiences to build business relationships through reciprocity.
- Capital Raising Mindset: How to Approach Investors: Richard's opening module explains the mindset and habits he considers useful when raising capital.
- How Richard C. Wilson Builds a Family Office Network: Learn how Richard C. Wilson finds relevant family office contacts and builds relationships that lead to introductions.
- How to Be 1 out of 1,000 in the Family Office Industry: Richard C. Wilson's performance framework and what other speaker groups said about standing out.
- How to Use an Investor Summit: Learn how Richard C. Wilson approaches investor events, useful connections and deal opportunities.
- Fran Tarkenton on Initiative, Partnerships and Customer Fit: Fran Tarkenton connects his Georgia playing days to the choices he made in business.
- How Wealthy Connections Shape Deal Structures: Richard explains how wealthy people use relationships, strong teams and deal terms to move opportunities forward.
- How Large Family Offices Assess Fit and Build Trust: Learn how multifamily offices assess prospective clients, build trust, and explain the work they provide.
- How to Get More From Investor Events: A practical guide to turning investor event time into better conversations, clearer positioning and more focused follow-up.
Questions answered
- How can investors build deal relationships at family office events?: Richard C. Wilson said returning for 18 or 24 months can help attendees learn investment structures, deal negotiation and due diligence.
- 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 mat
- How can a startup get in front of family office investors?: Phil described a Brooklyn startup that received an investment after he connected its executives with leaders at a French retail business. The family had a busin
- How do you build trust with ultra-wealthy families?: Richard described a family that dropped a planned $5 million allocation after one sentence from a CFO. Fit can matter even after due diligence is complete.
- How do wealthy investors build trust before doing a deal?: Richard says familiar faces emerge as people return to the club over time. That makes it easier to do business and help one another.
- How can founders get a family office to consider their pitch?: Jane says founders can research the investment themes she discusses publicly. Brandt describes his office's criteria and says to keep the email short, with the