The Capital Raiser Show

In this episode of the Capital Raiser Show, Richard C. Wilson interviews Kevin Harrington—original Shark from Shark Tank, creator of the modern "As Seen On TV" model, and early investor in Celsius. Kevin walks through how he turned unused cable downtime in the 1980s into a billion-dollar infomercial engine, took his company public, and then scaled a global distribution business by syndicating only the proven winners worldwide. He explains why he exited TV at the right time, how he spotted Celsius at $0.10 per share before it became a $20B brand, and why influencer and digital marketing now beat traditional media for consumer products.

Kevin also breaks down his philosophy of becoming a Key Person of Influence (KPI)—building your personal brand, writing books, doing 100+ podcasts, and assembling a "dream team" so the best deals and JV opportunities come to you first. He shares lessons from mentoring with Richard Branson, running high-discipline studios, reviewing 1,000+ pitches, and what he looks for in early-stage consumer deals personally and through Cypress Ascendant. If you want to attract better deal flow, build authority in your niche, and operate at true high velocity, this episode is a blueprint.

To meet investors in person and plug into our ecosystem, visit https://familyoffices.com/. Our investor club offers 30 nationwide events a year, 10,000 registered investors, and 40 proprietary AI tools to help you raise capital and grow your platform.

In this episode of the Capital Raiser Show, Richard C. Wilson sits down with Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, co-founders of Barefoot Wine and New York Times bestselling authors of The Barefoot Spirit. Starting with $300,000 of unpaid grape debt, no wine background, and a "desk" in their laundry room, they spent 20 years building Barefoot into America's #1-selling wine brand—without traditional advertising.

Michael and Bonnie share what really moves the needle in brutally competitive consumer markets: ruthless focus on distribution, knowing every job in the chain, and making "friends in low places" with the people who actually move product—forklift drivers, merchandisers, and store staff. They explain why you don't get to choose your own growth targets; the metrics are already "written on the wall" by the last deal that closed in your niche.

The conversation then shifts to legacy, values, and storytelling. Michael and Bonnie unpack their Business Audio Theater model—Hollywood-style dramatized audio that captures a founder's real story, principles, and hard-won lessons in a format next-gen family members, employees, investors, and partners will actually consume.

If you're building a brand, raising capital, or stewarding a family office and want to scale both your business and your values, this episode will reframe how you think about distribution, strategic alliances, and the power of story.

To meet investors in person and plug into our ecosystem, visit https://familyoffices.com/. Our investor club offers 30 nationwide events a year, 10,000 registered investors, and 40 proprietary AI tools to help you raise capital and grow your platform.

Welcome to The Capital Raiser Show — the podcast where elite founders, operators, and investors reveal the exact strategies they used to raise millions (and sometimes hundreds of millions) in private capital.

In this episode, Richard C. Wilson sits down with Michael, a serial entrepreneur who scaled three different companies to seven-, eight-, and nine-figure exits — including a $104M exit in just 3.5 years.

Michael breaks down:

• How he spotted a regulatory gap and executed faster than anyone else

• Why emotional intelligence, not pedigree, determines entrepreneurial success

• What he calls the PHD advantage: Poor, Hungry, Driven

• The hidden downside of fast wealth creation (and how he overcame it)

• How he raised millions after burning through his own first $500K

• The moment Family Office Club training flipped the trajectory of his capital raising

• Why AI will create the largest wealth transfer in human history

• How to spot operators who will generate repeat wins — not one-time luck

• The rise of the "silver tsunami" and the trillion-dollar baby-boomer business sell-off

• Practical AI applications he's using today across sales, operations, and revenue recovery

• Why he believes the next decade will split society into two wealth classes

Richard and Michael also explore how speed, courage, and strategic relationships create asymmetric outcomes — and why entrepreneurs who embrace AI now will dominate their industries.

This is one of the most actionable conversations ever recorded on the show for capital raisers, operators, and investors hungry to scale faster.

The Capital Raiser Show uncovers real frameworks, deal structures, and investor psychology used by top-performing entrepreneurs, family offices, and private investors. No theory. Only what works in the real world.

This episode is brought to you by The Family Office Club, the world's largest community of private investors. Our investor club offers: • 30 nationwide events per year • 10,000 registered investors • 40 proprietary AI tools for capital raising & investor intelligence

Learn more or apply to join at: https://FamilyOffices.com

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Join Richard C. Wilson, founder of the Family Office Club, for a powerful announcement about The Family Office Formula — a 4-city live event series designed to help you think, negotiate, and invest like the ultra-wealthy.

Each one-day event features centimillionaire and decamillionaire speakers, pro athletes, and top investors revealing 50 proven strategies to: ✅ Grow your balance sheet faster ✅ Structure and close deals more effectively ✅ Apply the mental models of the ultra-wealthy ✅ Negotiate joint ventures and partnerships ✅ Build long-term, generational wealth

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The Family Office Club has hosted 300+ investor events over 18 years, bringing together 1,500+ investors and 250+ world-class speakers.

If you want to connect directly with family offices, investors, and fund managers — this is where it happens.

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#FamilyOfficeClub #InvestorEvents #PrivateInvesting #WealthBuilding #FamilyOfficeFormula

Learn more on the GoHighLevel YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@gohighlevel

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Connect with Steven here: https://www.vonfinch.com/

Get Brian's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Hands-Off-Investor-Insiders-Investing-Syndications/dp/1947200275

Learn more about Brian's fund here: https://praxcap.com/fund/

Connect with Bob here:

[email protected]

https://bobknakal.com/