Billion Dollar Backstory

Panels are everywhere in the asset management world. But let’s be honest, most of them aren’t exactly lighting the room on fire.So why is something that seems so simple, so hard to get right? Is it really that tough to throw a few smart folks on stage and ask them questions?To find out, Stacy called in her friend Dan Mikulskis. Dan is the Chief Investment Officer at the £31B People’s Partnership, and in his role, he’s become a go-to panelist for leading conferences across the UK and beyond.But here’s the thing: Dan doesn’t just sit on panels. He thinks about how to make them better. And in this Episode, he’s breaking down his 3-step playbook for taking panels from “meh” to magic.Plus, he and Stacy chat about:What most panels get wrong (and how to fix it)Tips for moderators who actually want to spark interesting conversations How panelists can stop sounding like walking white papersWhy it’s still worth showing up for a panel, even though they’re not always perfect and take some time to prep for About Dan Mikulskis: Dan Mikulskis leads the investment team at The People’s Partnership, where he oversees the strategy behind the £31B People’s Pension Master Trust—one of the largest asset owners in the UK, serving over 6 million members.A straight-talker in a noisy industry, Dan’s known for applying clear principles to complex investment decisions and always thinking with the asset owner in mind. He’s been in the investment world since 2003, with previous roles at Mercer, Redington, and LCP (where he was a partner). These days, he’s just as comfortable challenging the status quo on stage as he is behind the scenes shaping strategy.Want More Help With Storytelling?  +  Subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly email that helps you use your words to power your growth:https://www.stacyhavener.com/subscribe   - - -Make The Boutique Investment Collective part of your Billion Dollar Backstory. Gain access to invaluable resources, expert coaches, and a supportive community of other boutique founders, fund managers, and investment pros. Join Havener Capital’s exclusive membership ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

After exiting a successful startup, Rafael Loureiro went looking for a better way to do estate planning…and came up empty. The experience? Clunky. Expensive. Outdated.So like any smart entrepreneur would do, he decided to build something better.Today, Rafael is the CEO of Wealth.com, a FinTech firm backed by Google Ventures and designed to modernize the estate planning process for advisors and their clients.In this Episode, Rafael sits down with Stacy to discuss: Rafael’s backstory – How he went from Brazil to Silicon Valley to Wall Street Why his post-exit estate plan felt more like Mad Libs than modern finance How that clunky estate planning experience drove him to go from introverted software engineer to front-and-center CEOWhy it’s actually easier to raise capital before the product exists (yes, really)About Rafael Loureiro:Rafael Loureiro is the CEO and co-founder of Wealth.com, the industry’s leading estate planning platform. Under his leadership,Wealth.com has become the fastest-growing solution in the space, empowering 750+ wealth management firms to modernize the delivery of estate planning guidance. Backed by Google Ventures, Wealth.com is the only tech-led, end-to-end estate planning platform built specifically for financial institutions—helping advisors scale, drive efficiency, and serve clients across the wealth spectrum.Rafael was named ThinkAdvisor’s 2024 Executive of the Year in the financial planning technology category and also received the Advisor Choice Award for Technology Providers: CEO of the Year in the 2024 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards, where Wealth.com was recognized as the Best Technology Provider in the Trust category. A technology entrepreneur and product innovator, Rafael brings more than 20 years of technical and executive leadership experience across start-ups, growth-stage ventures, and Fortune 500 companies. Prior to founding Wealth.com, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Emailage, a global fraud prevention SaaS startup acquired by Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions in 2020.Rafael is a member of the Forbes Finance Council and an active community leader in the Phoenix start-up ecosystem. Originally from Brazil, Rafael has been in Arizona for over 20 years. Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, hiking the Arizona desert, playing pickleball, reading, and gaming. Want More Help With Storytelling?  +  Subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly email that helps you use your words to power your growth:https://www.stacyhavener.com/subscribe   - - -Make The Boutique Investment Collective part of your Billion Dollar Backstory. Gain access to invaluable resources, expert coaches, and a supportive community of other boutique founders, fund managers, and investment pros. Join Havener Capital’s exclusive membership ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

Founders don’t start firms because it’s easy; they do it because they believe there’s a better way.That was true for today’s guest, Ben Beneche, who left the comfort of a $200B+ global firm to launch his own boutique: Tourbillon Investment Management.In this Episode, he sits down with Stacy to discuss:His backstory: How his nomadic childhood shaped the independence and resilience he leans on as a founder todayThe rebel spirit (from class clown to contrarian) that gave him the guts to walk away from a top role and bet on himselfWhat durability means in investing—and why it’s the heartbeat of Tourbillion's strategyHow he built a fund powered by relationships, not just resumesThe real difference between investing and entrepreneurship (and what most founders miss)What to know before launching your boutique About Ben Beneche: Prior to founding Tourbillon, Ben was senior portfolio manager and co-lead of international equities at Pictet Asset Management. For 10 years, he managed all-cap international equity portfolios where he was primarily responsible for investments in Japanese and Asia-Pacific listed businesses. He began his career in 2008 as an analyst focused on US equities and the energy sector. ​Ben has a degree in Economics and Economic History from York University (first class honors) and is a CFA charter holder. He bought his first stock when he was 16 and hasn’t looked back. ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

There’s nothing worse than walking into a conference room full of investors. Suddenly, everything you thought you knew about running a great meeting goes out the window.You’re wondering who to make eye contact with, whether anyone is actually interested, and why no one is saying anything. Crowded meetings are awkward. They’re intimidating. But they aren’t impossible to rock. You just need a good strategy, and that’s exactly what Stacy’s giving you today. In this Episode, she breaks down: Her go-to strategy for preparing for a crowded meeting How to get the inside scoop on who’s attending ahead of time The trick that’ll help you stay laser focused on the RIGHT decision maker during the meeting Simple ways to shake out the awkwardness when no one’s talkingThis is Story Snacks, a bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund managers who are ready to master strategic storytelling in under 20 minutes a week.Want More Help With Storytelling?  +  Subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly email that helps you use your words to power your growth:https://www.stacyhavener.com/subscribe   - - -Make The Boutique Investment Collective part of your Billion Dollar Backstory. Gain access to invaluable resources, expert coaches, and a supportive community of other boutique founders, fund managers, and investment pros. Join Havener Capital’s exclusive membership ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

Whether you’re raising capital on your own or thinking about hiring someone to help, chances are… you’re focused on all the wrong things.The biggest lesson Stacy learned while raising $8B for boutique asset managers (which ultimately helped drive over $30B in follow-on AUM)? Flashy resumes, market hot takes, and smooth talkers don’t close deals.The fundraisers who consistently crush it in meetings share four specific traits, and in this Episode, Stacy’s breaking them down, plus:Why a CFA and a killer contact list aren’t enough to raise real capitalThe one thing allocators actually care about (hint: it’s not your market commentary)Why asking great questions beats delivering the perfect pitchWhat BQ is and why it might matter more than IQ or EQThis is Story Snacks, a bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund managers who are ready to master strategic storytelling in under 20 minutes a week.Want More Help With Storytelling?  +  Subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly email that helps you use your words to power your growth: https://www.stacyhavener.com/subscribe - - -Make The Boutique Investment Collective part of your Billion Dollar Backstory. Gain access to invaluable resources, expert coaches, and a supportive community of other boutique founders, fund managers, and investment pros. Join Havener Capital’s exclusive membership ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

Raising capital starts with real relationships. And in 2025, social media is the easiest way to make those connections…right?Well… not always.What if the allocators you’re trying to reach aren’t posting? You can’t comment. You can’t DM them. Heck, maybe they don’t even accept your connection requests on LinkedIn. Then what? How do you reach someone who seems impossible to reach? How do you start a conversation without sending an email pitch that gets buried?If these questions sound familiar, you’re in for a treat with this Episode because Stacy is breaking down: Why skipping LinkedIn could be a huge mistake (just because allocators aren’t posting doesn’t mean they’re not watching)What to do when an allocator really isn’t on social at allHow to use the give, give, give, ask framework to book more meetings when social media isn’t an optionThis is Story Snacks! A bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund managers who are ready to master strategic storytelling in less than 20 minutes per week.Want More Help With Storytelling?  +  Subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly email that helps you use your words to power your growth: https://www.stacyhavener.com/subscribe - - -Make The Boutique Investment Collective part of your Billion Dollar Backstory. Gain access to invaluable resources, expert coaches, and a supportive community of other boutique founders, fund managers, and investment pros. Join Havener Capital’s exclusive membership ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

You know storytelling is powerful. You’ve heard that facts don’t close deals—feelings do.But when it comes time to talk about yourself, it suddenly feels...awkward.When is the right time to tell a story? And how do you know if you’re sharing too much or sounding too braggy? Listen in as Stacy tackles these questions and breaks down: The #1 storytelling mistake fund managers make Why telling your backstory can feel awkward (and how to share yours without sounding braggy)How to ditch the boring resume speak and make your story stickThe secret to crafting a story that’s short, powerful, and memorable.This is Story Snacks! A bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund managers who are ready to master strategic storytelling in less than 20 minutes per week! Want More Help With Storytelling?  +  Subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly email that helps you use your words to power your growth:https://www.stacyhavener.com/subscribe   - - -Make The Boutique Investment Collective part of your Billion Dollar Backstory. Gain access to invaluable resources, expert coaches, and a supportive community of other boutique founders, fund managers, and investment pros. Join Havener Capital’s exclusive membership ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

As a boutique, blending in isn’t just a mistake; it’s a death sentence.You don’t need to be BlackRock. You need to own what makes your fund different. But let’s be real: finding your edge—and actually leading with it—can feel like showing up to a black-tie event in your pajamas. Awkward. Exposed. Uncomfortable.That’s why in this Episode, Stacy breaks down:Why trying to prove you’re “better” is a losing game for boutiquesThe 3D Model for uncovering what actually makes your fund stand outHow to flip your mindset and start viewing your “weaknesses” as strengths investors value (and spotlighting those strengths in meetings) The #1 edge boutiques have over the bigs in allocators’ eyes (and how to lean into it) This is Story Snacks! A bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund managers who are ready to master strategic storytelling in less than 20 minutes per week! ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

Raising capital isn’t about having the perfect pitch deck. And there’s no magic button that makes assets pour in.At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing: trust.If you want to grow your boutique, you have to build real relationships with investors. Take it from $6B CEO Conor Hoey. He’s spent over a decade raising capital, leading investments, and even securing the right backers for his football club. And along the way, he’s learned one simple truth: People do business with people.In this Episode, Conor and Stacy dig into:Why investors actually say yes (hint: it’s not just about performance)What football and finance have in common when it comes to finding the right investorsThe biggest mistakes boutique funds make when trying to break into new marketsWhy you need to stop hiding behind emails and start picking up the phone (seriously, just do it)If you know relationships are the key to raising capital but aren’t sure how to actually build them, this Episode is for you. Learn More About Conor Hoey:Conor is the CEO of Gemini Capital in Ireland, an organisation that provides an easy and cost effective way for Investment Managers from around the world to create and distribute UCITS funds.  Having been in the Finance industry over 30 years in London and Dublin, he has worked across insurance, consulting, asset management and securities services.Outside of work, he is well known for his passion for Drogheda United, a League of Ireland professional soccer club where his family’s involvement goes back 75 years.  Conor is a former chairman and current director of the club.  They recently won the Football Association of Ireland Cup, which he can be seen cradling in his profile picture.  This means European football for the club later in 2025.  He is also a keen musician, cook, traveller, pickleballer and soon to be author!   ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap

Most fund managers panic when investors push back.They freeze. They fumble. And they walk away from capital they almost had.Not because their pitch was bad but because they didn’t know how to handle objections with confidence.In this Episode, Stacy is sharing her best tips for handling push back like a pro. She’s breaking down: Why objections can actually be your best friend - and bring you closer to a yes - IF you shift your mindset The most common investor pushbacks you need to be ready for (and how to flip them)The underrated sales skill that turns “not sure” into “tell me more”And what Eminem can teach you about owning the elephant in the room (so it doesn’t own you)This is Story Snacks! A bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund managers who are ready to master strategic storytelling in less than 20 minutes per week! ---Running a fund is hard enough.Ops shouldn’t be.Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus- - -Thinking about expanding your investor base beyond the US? Not sure where to start? Take our quick quiz to find out if your firm is ready to go global and get all the info at billiondollarbackstory.com/gemcap