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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

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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66:28

116: Best-Selling Ghostwriter Holly Crawshaw Joyner...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/09/24

Your story isn’t too messy, too boring, or too personal to share.It’s the very thing that sets you apart.And Holly Crawshaw Joyner has built her entire business helping leaders do exactly that.Holly’s ghostwritten 120+ books and built a standout brand on LinkedIn by being raw, honest, and far from perfect. She knows what it takes to turn life experience into the kind of authority that makes people stop scrolling, and start listening.In this episode, Holly joins Stacy to discuss: The

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58:36

115: Karl Heckenberg, Founder of $1B platform...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/09/17

People matter more than performance. Yes, even in a numbers-obsessed industry. Take it from Karl Heckenberg, founder of Constellation Wealth Capital, a $1B platform that takes minority, non-controlling stakes in large RIAs and wealth management firms.Yes, he understands the numbers and mechanics behind investing. But what actually sets him (and his fund) apart is the fact that he builds real partnerships. In this episode, he sits down with Stacy to talk about:His backstory: from investment

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66:50

114: John Bowman, CEO of CAIA, on Founder-Led Sales,...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/09/10

What if the most powerful thing a CEO can do… is show up?That’s exactly what John Bowman is doing. As the new CEO of CAIA, he’s not sitting behind a desk or delegating from an ivory tower. He’s on a plane, in person, listening to the very people his organization serves.In this episode, Stacy sits down with John to talk about the underrated power of founder-led sales (even when you’re leading a global organization), the ROI of empathy, and why success in finance is less about numbers and

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9:30

113: Why Mixing Up Job Stories and Brand Stories...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/09/03

You’ve got your pitch deck. Your talking points. Your “why us” slide.But if you’re telling the wrong story in meetings, none of that matters.In this episode, Stacy’s diving into the two MVPs of storytelling for fund managers: the job story and the brand story. Think of them like the hammer and wrench in your toolbox, you need both, but you’ve gotta know when to use each.Inside this bite-sized episode, you’ll learn: • What makes a job story different from a brand story (and why that mix-up

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50:21

112: Rewind: $1.5B RIA Founder Chad Willardson of...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/08/27

The impressively bold mindset that drove Chad Willardson to leave behind a million-dollar salary and a top 1% client base to build his own firm from scratch is the same mindset that grew his firm to $1.5B AUM and earned him the status of 5X bestselling author. In fact, Chad’s story is proof that thinking like an entrepreneur can take you far in the fund world–and beyond. But can this mindset be learned and developed? Find out in today’s episode. Plus, hear Chad’s full backstory and

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61:07

111: Rewind: $1.2B Manager of Managers Turned Fintech...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/08/20

Fund managers, it’s time to ditch the pitch deck of doom. It’s not helping you differentiate. It’s putting allocators to sleep. Take it from Lucy Walker, Founder of data platform AM Insights, who spent the bulk of her career as a manager of managers allocating over $1B at specialist firm Sarasin Partners in the UK.She knows this business inside and out, and today she’s sharing her wisdom on up-leveling your meeting game so you can land more investments. Listen in as she and Stacy

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55:22

110: Rewind: Ex-ING $20B Bond Mgr to 500k Macro...

Billion Dollar Backstory ·

2025/08/13

Alfonso Peccatiello built a following of 500,000 on LinkedIn by doing something radical – by being a real, authentic human in the fund world. And that authentic social presence helped him close investment deals for his new hedge fund, Palinuro Capital. Alfonso’s story is proof that it pays to challenge the status quo and to put people (and connections) first – even in a numbers-obsessed industry. Want the full story? Join Alfonso and Stacy as they discuss: Alfonso’s backstory: How a car

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130 results

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