BIO: Thomas J. Powell, founder of The Powell Perspective™, is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and advocate for founders, bringing clarity, strategy, and resilience to leaders building at scale.

STORY: Thomas invested $3.6M in a friend’s cannabis company, where he ignored his own due diligence framework. Because he skipped key governance protections and didn’t document alignment or exit terms, the investment became frustrating, hard to control, and nearly impossible to fix—proving that breaking your own rules is the most expensive mistake.

LEARNING: Never mix friendship and business. Make sure both you and the founder are solving the same problem.

“They say good fences make good neighbors, good documents keep good friendships.”

Thomas Powell

Guest profile

Imagine navigating the high-stakes world of capital, strategy, and legacy with a guide who has raised billions and structured ventures worldwide. Thomas J. Powell, founder of The Powell Perspective™, is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and advocate for founders, bringing clarity, strategy, and resilience to leaders building at scale.

Worst investment ever

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Never mix friendship and business.” Thomas learned that lesson the hard way.

His story starts with good intentions. When his kids’ grandmother battled breast cancer, cannabis was the only thing that eased her treatment side effects. So when medical marijuana became legal in a few US states, investing in the cannabis industry felt like the right thing to do.

But here’s where things went wrong.

A close friend brought him the deal, and because of that personal connection, Thomas skipped many of the due diligence steps he usually followed through his family office. No detailed governance clauses. No proper reporting framework. No accountability structure.

It wasn’t a small investment either—about $3.6 million. As time went on, the cracks began to show. The company missed financial reports, accounting systems were weak, and when COVID hit, things only got messier. To make matters worse, taking over the business wasn’t even an option since he didn’t have a cannabis license. The emotional toll of this situation was significant, as Thomas had to face the reality of his investment failing due to trusting a friend blindly.

The worst part? Having to look a friend in the eye, knowing he’d broken his own investment rules.

Lessons learned

Verify alignment: Make sure both you and the founder are solving the same problem, and that you share the same exit goals. Ask questions like, “If someone offered to buy this company for $25 million today, would you sell?” If your answers don’t match, you’re not aligned.
Watch the hubris: Just because you’re smart or successful doesn’t mean you can see around every corner. Understand the legal and regulatory landscape before investing, especially in industries like cannabis, where compliance is complex.
Enforce accountability: Set clear reporting expectations from day one and include consequences for missed deadlines. Thomas admits that if his deal had stricter enforcement clauses, it would’ve saved him time, money, and frustration later on.

Andrew’s takeaways

Many startups underpay themselves. It might sound noble, but it actually distorts valuation and creates problems later.
Make sure founders are paying themselves a market-rate salary. That way, when the business is valued or acquired, there are no nasty surprises about hidden costs.
Define roles clearly. Being a founder is different from being an employee. A salary compensates for your work; ownership rewards your risk. Mixing the two confuses things.

Actionable advice

Align the capital and exit terms from day one—and write them down, even on a napkin. You don’t need a 30-page legal contract to start. Even a handwritten summary that defines the key terms, goals, and triggers for selling or exiting can prevent misunderstandings later. Because once the ink dries, or worse, once the money’s wired, it’s too late to wish you’d had that conversation.

Thomas’s recommendations

Thomas recommends these books, principles, and resources for smarter investing.

Read The Richest Man in Babylon – A timeless classic that teaches simple, lasting lessons about money management and investing in what you understand.
Invest in problems you understand. Don’t chase hype. If you know how an industry works, you’ll see both the risks and opportunities clearly.
Take advice from people with a “bigger pile.” In other words, learn from those who’ve already achieved more than you in that field. Theory is cheap—experience is priceless.
Use structured tools. Thomas’s Founders Office provides frameworks that evaluate pitch decks for both founders and investors, helping you spot weaknesses and strengths before committing capital.

No.1 goal for the next 12 months

Thomas’s goal for the next 12 months is to expand his Founders Office cohort program, connecting entrepreneurs and investors to create better capital alignment. He’s passionate about free enterprise and founder advocacy, believing that capitalism—done right—can lift people out of poverty and fuel innovation worldwide. Whether in the US, Europe, or Sub-Saharan Africa, his mission is the same: empower founders and investors to build lasting, ethical wealth together.

Parting words

“Learn from other people’s experiences. When you see someone make a mistake, don’t repeat it because we don’t learn from the wins, we learn from the failures.”

Thomas Powell

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