How Founders Can Operate at a Family Office Level
At a Family Office Club event, Richard C. Wilson gives a presentation to attendees on applying founder and family office strategies.
Richard C. Wilson presents a framework for operating at a family office level, combining proximity to experienced entrepreneurs, AI, scaling strategies and mental models. He connects the framework to his Family Office Club events and portal, then discusses positioning, strategic investors, deal structure and execution.
In this video: Richard C. Wilson (Family Office Club presenter)
What they said
- Proximity to successful entrepreneurs. Richard describes the military model of observing, orienting, deciding and acting. He says that being in the wrong rooms can distort what a founder observes and send them toward goals with little to gain. (at 1:00)
- What you hear and read shapes behavior. Richard says the people and material you pay attention to can change your behavior. He points to choosing who you listen to, read and learn from as a way to shape what you become. (at 3:16)
- AI helps people adapt and move faster. Richard argues that AI can help people adapt and move faster. He compares using technology to travel with walking when the aim is to get somewhere more quickly. (at 5:06)
- Richard on strategic investors and deal terms. Richard says investors can contribute relevant experience as well as capital. He argues that founders should offer stronger terms to investors whose knowledge can help the company execute. (at 13:43)
- Richard on positioning and deal flow. Richard says clear positioning helps people understand whom a business serves and how it differs. He credits a speaker with the phrase that clarity multiplies action. (at 8:13)
In their words
"If you can't influence yourself, you're not going to be very influential to others because your actions won't be aligned."
"It's literally a thousand times less competitive to send someone something that adds value to them versus asks for something or tries to make a sale and do it in the mail."
Why it matters if you are building or preserving great wealth
Richard's biotech example gives a strategic investor's endorsement a second use. He says the next investor can look at the questions that person asked before committing, which can help build trust in a deal.
From Richard's exclusive Billionaires.com interviews
Lessons from Richard C. Wilson's one-on-one interviews, as published on each interview page.
- Anu Aga: Focus on one main cause. Her family found its giving more satisfying and impactful once it chose primary education for the underprivileged in India.
- Binod K. Chaudhary: Never chase a deal out of desperation. Stay cool and look at every part of the deal. Have your advisers and your finance team review it critically. Your counsel should review it too.
- Larry Connor: Learn from every mistake. Larry's team owns its failures and makes no excuses. They learn, change quickly, and keep getting better.
See the data
Frequently asked questions
How does Richard describe starting his business?
He says he started in a basement apartment in Harvard Square with less money in his bank account than rent due that month, and no window.
What does Deal Structure Ninja include?
Richard describes it as a library with a thousand deal structures and says it had structured well over 10,000 deals, probably.
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.