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PODCAST

Billion Dollar Backstory

Host Stacy Havener brings you the storytelling tips, sales strategies, behavioral secrets, and inspirational stories that help YOU turn your words into dollars. Learn from sales and marketing experts. Meet finance and investment leaders, founders and fund managers who have made it, and the ones on the rise. Because there are people behind the portfolios. Their stories matter. So does yours. Presented by: Ultimus Fund Solutions // www.ultimusfundsolutions.com GemCap //

business investing

All Episodes

9:16

136: Founder First, Team Second (Here’s Why) | Story...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2026/02/11

Most founders lead with the team because they’re trying not to sound egotistical.But allocators aren’t sitting there thinking, “Wow, great org chart.” They’re thinking: “Do I understand this firm yet?”In this episode, Stacy breaks down what allocators actually want in the first meeting and why you’re better off leading with a crisp origin story (even if the founder isn’t in the room to tell it).Listen in to learn: How to tell the founder story without it sounding like “me, me, me”What to do

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15:00

135: Be the Jimmy Fallon: The Secret to Meetings That...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2026/02/04

If your meeting goes off the rails, it’s not because your prospects are “unruly.” It’s because no one’s driving.And with the right moves, you can take the wheel fast without making it weird.In this episode, Stacy breaks down how to prevent unhelpful tangents before you ever walk in the room (hello, champion prep call) and what to do in real time when someone hijacks the conversation.Listen in to learn how to:Prep with your champion so you walk in knowing who’s who in the zoo (and who might

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11:32

134: Do Different Audiences Need Different Versions...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2026/01/28

Ever felt the urge to tidy up your story before sharing it? You scan the room, see the impressive bios and the blazers, and think: “Oof... maybe I should skip that part.”You’re not wrong for feeling that way, and you’re definitely not the only one.In this episode, Stacy opens up about her London panel debut, where she felt that pull to edit out the messy parts of her story on the fly. She’s explaining why she chose to dig in her heels and tell the raw version, even though it was

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12:56

133: If You’re Still Using the Traditional Sales...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2026/01/21

If you’re still following the traditional sales funnel framework in 2026, your firm’s growth is sure to stall. Because the “inverted triangle” view of a funnel is oversimplified, and it’s starting to feel like the fundraising version of that tired investment process slide that makes everyone want to poke their eyes out. It flops because not everyone in your funnel needs the same thing, and “just checking in” isn’t a follow-up strategy that actually moves people forward.That’s why in this

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11:00

132: Brushed Off or Ghosted After a Meeting? Do This...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2026/01/14

You thought you nailed the meeting. The conversation went well, heads were nodding, and everyone seemed engaged. Then you followed up with a thoughtful email and… crickets.Or maybe you got hit with the four words every fund manager dreads hearing: "We’ll watch you."Most people take either of those as signals to retreat and move on. But what if they're actually something else entirely?In this episode, Stacy explains why hearing "no" (or radio silence) doesn't always mean your deal is

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10:25

131: You Keep Making the Final Meeting—But You’re Not...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2026/01/07

You made it to the final investor meeting again. You were sure this one was yours because your pitch was on point (no surprise, given that you rehearsed every line). But still... no deal.What gives? Why are you always the bridesmaid but never the bride? In this episode, Stacy is breaking down why so many fund managers find themselves stuck in this frustrating loop. Listen in to learn: Why trying to win allocators over in the last round is a losing gameThe kind of meeting prep that actually

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27:52

130: How to Create a Business Plan That Actually...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/12/31

If you’re like most founders, “creating a yearly business plan” is one of those tasks you keep bumping to the bottom of your to-do list. Maybe you tell yourself you’ll get to it when things slow down, but they never do. And before you know it, you’re steamrolling into the new year without a plan, which leads to overthinking every single decision and drowning in busy work. And somehow you end the year wondering how you were so busy… without feeling like you moved the needle at all. Stacy

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73:09

129: From a $5M Cold Call to a $1B Comeback: Cole...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/12/22

Everyone loves a success story, but what we don’t talk about enough is what it costs to get there.And what it’s like before the money is wired or anyone cares. Before all of that, there was a guy with a phone, a thesis, and a long list of people telling him no.That guy was Cole Wilcox.In this episode, Stacy Havener sits down with Cole, CEO & CIO of Longboard Asset Management, to talk about what it really takes to build an investment firm when you don’t start with pedigree, proximity, or

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60:52

128: From Harvard Endowment’s $4B Agriculture Team to...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/12/17

“Be authentic.” “Own your story.” “Sharpen your edges.”We say these things at Havener Capital all the time (and Stacy says them a lot). But here’s the real question: do they actually move the needle?Mike Denklau, founder of Dorset Agriculture, is here to tell you they do. Today, he’s giving us a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when you stop code-switching… and start building from your real story.Before launching Dorset, Mike was part of Harvard’s endowment, helping manage a $4B+

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80:15

127: Ops That Actually Work: Real Stories from the...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/12/10

In this industry, everyone talks about innovation. But innovation rarely starts in a conference room. It starts when a client hits a wall. When they’re overwhelmed, under pressure, or staring at an opportunity they can’t quite reach alone.That’s where Ultimus Fund Solutions steps in. This team doesn’t just throw tech at the problem. They roll up their sleeves, pick up the phone, and build real solutions, side by side with their clients.In this episode, you’ll hear what that actually looks

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7:49

126: Three Ways to Make Panels Less Awkward and More...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/12/03

Panels are weird. Everyone’s trying to look smart without sounding rehearsed. And somehow you’re supposed to introduce yourself and tell memorable stories in just a matter of minutes. It’s not easy, and it’s not something you want to wing (especially if you want to make sure your participation is worth your while). That’s why, in this episode, Stacy’s breaking down her top dos and don’ts for showing up sharp and human on a panel. Whether you’re intro’ing yourself or riffing off someone

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63:11

125: Seb Stewart, Partner at $20B Pacific Asset...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/11/26

Most people love to talk about the “boutique advantage,” but very few can show you what it actually feels like from the allocator’s side of the table.Seb Stewart can.Seb is Partner and Head of US Institutional BD at Pacific Asset Management (~$20B AUM) and Chair of IMI, the global think tank for specialist firms. In this episode, Seb and Stacy sit down at NASDAQ Studios to discuss what allocators actually value, why boutiques win when they stop acting like large platforms, and how human

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9:00

124: The First Step to Bringing Your Fund to the U.S....

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/11/19

If your firm’s outside the U.S. and you’re thinking about bringing your fund here, you’ve probably already started googling and found yourself a million new to-dos. But before you start checking off all of the boxes (structure, fees, compliance, product, etc.), make sure you’re not skipping the vital first step most fund managers miss.In this episode, Stacy breaks down the underrated first step that sets successful firms apart when they expand into (or out of) the U.S. and why the smartest

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54:13

123: Devon Drew, From Sales Exec at a Trillion...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/11/12

You know those Wall Street movies where young, hungry salespeople make 500 dials a day?That was real life for Devon Drew.He built his career in distribution at some of the biggest asset managers in the world—including Vanguard—before walking away from it all to launch AssetLink, a tech platform designed to disrupt how fund distribution gets done.Because Devon realized something: the model wasn’t just archaic, it was broken.Now, he’s putting powerful tools in the hands of fund managers

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6:50

122: Your Founder Is Stepping Back—Now What? | Story...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/11/05

The founder is retiring. The team is evolving. The story… gets archived?Not so fast.In this episode, Stacy shares what to do before you toss the origin story and how to transition from version 1.0 to 2.0 without losing the magic.Inside the episode: • Why “retiring the founder” ≠ “retiring the story” • How to pull legacy threads into your firm’s next chapter • What to do if the original story was never that strong to begin withThis is Story Snacks, a bite-sized, jam-packed series for fund

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65:42

121: Chat Reynders, Co-Founder of a $4B RIA Reynders...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/10/29

Some RIAs slap ESG labels on products and call it impact investing. Chat Reynders has been doing it for real, since before it was cool.In this episode, Chat sits down with Stacy Havener to unpack the story behind Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, the $4B firm he co-founded after starting his career… raising money for a whale documentary.Yes, really.In this episode, you’ll hear about:The wild backstory of how raising $4.5M for an IMAX film on whales sparked Chat’s lifelong mission to

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76:18

120: Lon Stroschein, Founder of Normal 40 and...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/10/22

Out of more than 100 episodes, this is the one that brought Stacy to tears.And once you hear it, you’ll understand why.Meet today’s guest, Lon Stroschein, founder of Normal 40, where he works with high-achieving professionals who look successful on the outside but feel stuck on the inside.In this episode, he and Stacy talk about:His backstory – how he went from farm kid to D.C. insider to leading billion-dollar deals in corporate AmericaWhat made him walk away from all of it with no backup

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56:34

119:Toussaint Bailey, Exited Founder of a $2B RIA +...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/10/15

A lot of people build firms.Very few sell them.Even fewer?Walk away from it all to start again.But that’s exactly what Toussaint Bailey did.After building and selling a $2B RIA, he’s back on the founder path, this time leading Uplifting Capital, a values-first platform rethinking what private market investing could look like.In this episode, he sits down with Stacy to discuss: His backstory – How growing up in SoCal shaped his belief in “actionable faith in possibility”Why he left a law

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69:22

118: Joe Greco, Founder of Palio, From the NYSE...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/10/08

The finance and investment industry is a tough club. It’s known for being money-centric, number-focused, aggressive… even cutthroat.And few places capture that intense energy quite like the trading floor of the NYSE, where today’s guest, Joe Greco, cut his teeth.He started as a floor trader and media commentator, appearing on CNBC and guiding real-time market decisions.Today, as Founder & President of PALIO, Joe coaches executives in wealth, finance, and investing, helping them make

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6:18

117: Do This Before You Post Another Chart on...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/10/01

The chart you shared on LinkedIn isn’t flopping because people “don’t get it.”It’s flopping because you made them work too hard to understand it.That’s one of the most common content mistakes fund managers make:dropping data without enough context.The good news? It’s an easy fix, and in this episode, Stacy shows you how.She dives into: • 3 quick rules to make your chart posts actually land • A better way to use data to tell a story • Why one great chart beats four cluttered ones every

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137 results

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