In this episode of the Capital Raiser Show, host Richard C. Wilson sits down with investor and family office founder Yayha Mahmoud to unpack his journey from big tech executive to building a $100M+ investment platform.

Yayha shares how he and his wife started as middle-class professionals investing in real estate right after college and gradually evolved their strategy into private lending, real estate investing, and building a single family office. Along the way, he reveals the mental models, decision frameworks, and hiring philosophy that allowed his business to scale.

The conversation dives deep into concepts like return on leverage, hiring leaders with ownership mentality, and how systems thinking from the tech world can transform investment operations. Yayha also explains why trust and character matter more than the deal itself when allocating capital.

You'll also hear his perspective on underwriting deals, risk management, and the barbell strategy he uses to balance risk-adjusted returns while still capturing asymmetric upside.

Whether you're raising capital, building an investment platform, or looking to partner with family offices, this episode offers practical insights on wealth creation, deal evaluation, and building sustainable investment businesses.

Key Topics Covered:

• Transitioning from corporate tech to entrepreneurship

• Scaling a real estate and private credit investment platform

• Why "return on leverage" beats traditional ROI thinking

• Hiring leaders instead of employees to accelerate growth

• How family offices evaluate deals and underwriting partners

• The importance of character, trust, and transparency in investing

• Risk mitigation strategies investors want to see in every pitch

If you're an entrepreneur, fund manager, or investor seeking capital, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at how first-generation family offices actually think about deals, partnerships, and long-term wealth building.

In this episode of the Capital Raiser Show, Richard C. Wilson interviews John Manes, Chairman of StoreSuite LLC and a self-storage entrepreneur who has helped build over $170M in storage assets and created companies worth more than $300M—including two successful exits totaling $200M+.

John shares the real story behind building and scaling a self-storage platform, from raising capital for his very first deal to assembling a portfolio that attracted major buyers. Along the way, he reveals how authenticity, relationships, and being in the right investor rooms helped him grow faster than traditional operators.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• How John raised $900K for his first storage deal and turned it into a $1.8M exit

• Why network proximity and relationships are critical for raising capital and scaling deals

• The strategy behind building and exiting $100M+ real estate platforms

• Lessons learned from costly mistakes with lenders, brokers, and deals

• How to stand out with investors in a crowded market

• Why transparency with investors matters more during tough cycles than easy markets

John also discusses the mindset required to scale from small deals to large portfolios, how he approached major exits, and the operational systems needed to run a vertically integrated self-storage company.

If you're raising capital, investing in real estate, or building a scalable investment platform, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to grow, exit, and rebuild successfully in the self-storage industry.

What separates scalable real estate platforms from everyone else?

In this episode of The Capital Raiser Show, Richard Wilson sits down with Joe Williams, Co-Founder of Keller Williams, to unpack the principles that helped build one of the largest real estate platforms in the world — now operating in dozens of countries with hundreds of thousands of agents.

Joe shares:

• The coaching moment that transformed Keller Williams from 60 offices to global scale

• The "Stable Table Theory" — the four foundational pillars every serious enterprise must build

• Why hiring talent is the most expensive lesson entrepreneurs learn

• How culture becomes a competitive moat

• Why real estate remains one of the most learnable and predictable asset classes

• The power of structure in scaling partnerships and investment platforms

• How relationships — not pitch decks — drive real opportunity

Joe also discusses land investing, the importance of systems in volatile markets, and why today's interest rates are simply a reset — not a crisis.

If you're building a family office, scaling a real estate portfolio, or raising capital in 2026's environment, this conversation will sharpen your framework for long-term growth.