The Future of Investor Relations: Building the Deal Maker Network

Chris Williams: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the Investor Relations podcast. My name is Chris Williams and I'm sitting here with the man, the brainchild, the myth, and the legend. Joshua Wilson. Today, here's a couple of things that we want to be able to do. I think it's really important that we help you all understand exactly, not only where we're going in the vision of the investor relations podcast, but also what's been happening.

Who are we talking to, what things are going on in this. In this ecosystem, in this space right now. Very exciting time. Very exciting time of the year. But more importantly there's so many things to get into. So we're gonna take some time and we're gonna do that today. Josh, man, listen, first of all incredible start of the year and month, but let's start really quickly with, let's talk about some of the exciting things that we've been able to do and some of the conversations that we've been able to be a part of in and around investor relations.

Joshua Wilson: Yeah. Chris so glad to be sitting in the studio with you. You're up in Charlotte, North Carolina and I'm freezing my butt off at the time of recording and beginning of February in central Florida. And, for people listening in, they're like, who? Who's Chris? This is so exciting. So Chris is the one who's been doing all of production behind the scenes.

And he himself had built. A ton of podcast shows and done hundreds of interviews. And we're recently making the move to expand our network. So we currently have four shows that we produce and Chris is doing a lot of the behind the scenes work there. But what we've started to do, especially here on the investor relations podcast, is to pull in.

More people other than just myself. So I said, Chris, saddle up buddy. Let's get you in the co-host seat of the investor relations podcast, so that way we can, bring you different vantage points from different different markets, different conferences and stuff like that. So what we're building.

So let me just say this, Chris. Welcome to the Investor Relations podcast as co-host, man. Excited to have you. People will be hearing both of our voices and seeing a bunch of our content around the topic of investor relations. And I think at the core of investor relations, what it is this a relationship with an investor.

People overcomplicate things and make it too weird. It's investor relations is relations with investors. Communications, how to communicate in a way that's legal, in a way that's compliant, in a way that, sets proper expectations in a way that's honest and truthful and full of integrity and clear to investors.

So the Investor relations podcast covers those kind of topics ranging from startups raising capital, reg a, all the way up to some of the biggest funds. We just got off a a call with a pension fund and they're. At 8.5 billion in a so like we covered those kind of topics and how people communicate with investors.

So Chris you take it away here, man. We're putting you in host seat today, man. Go for it. 

Chris Williams: Yeah, man. I think that one of the most interesting things, to your point about what investor relations is that. You're right. It's not only, it's not only that, but it's the strategy behind the communication and the effort and the best way to make somebody understand what's happening in the moment.

Yeah. Your brain as we've been working together, is built on strategy. You hear red and blue and you find a way to make it green. And then everybody's oh, that all worked together. So I think one of the interesting parts about what is going on and what is happening going forward is that being able to see the vision that you have around how do we start making it so that family offices, private equity funds, all those different people can really understand the value of building a real investor relation ecosystem and not just.

Reacting and hoping that people will understand it, but having something built in. And man, let's do this. It's 2026, it's the beginning of the year. Let's start with some vision. What's your vision around the investor relations podcast and what do you think are gonna be some of the things that you look at and you go, these are some of the areas that we're gonna be tackling and here's some of the spaces that we want to be in.

Joshua Wilson: Yeah. I personally have done 2000 plus interviews over the last 10 years of doing podcasts. Built 20, sold two of them. Now we run four in our ecosystem. What I'm finding from our guests and from our audience, and is this, is, they want to do podcasts because it's fun. It is so much fun connecting with people and asking good questions and learning.

It's a way to educate yourself. It's a way to expand your knowledge. It's a way to accelerate deal flow. It's a way to accelerate and relay trust. And so it's a great platform and I especially think it, it catapulted over the last few years because everybody, started going remote or that they were, they were, alone in their home office or apartment. So I think podcasts gave people a way to connect with others and then watch those interviews. And you've seen people like Joe Rogan just do really well in the world of podcasting for all of us. And we're super grateful for some of those thought leaders who have made this network in this community so much more valuable.

So what we're hearing from this is. People want to know the, about the who's of the world of. Deal making and what we've learned in our network of now running four shows, we're looking to buy, build, and expand our network. So you're gonna see other shows, like lower middle market deal makers, we're building more of those out.

So that's gonna, you're gonna see those expand. But what I think people are interested in is like niched deals or niched kind of communities. So we have the investor relations podcast. We have one, the SPAC podcast focused on special purpose acquisition companies, hosted by myself and Michael Blankenship.

We have the D SPAC podcast Focus on the whole process once a SPAC happens, like how do you prepare for a spac or what do you do after the SPAC happens? And that's with Chaz Churchwell. And Chaz is doing a great job over there. And Chaz runs d and o insurance for public companies, so directors and officer insurance.

And then we run a podcast, the Deal podcast with our friends from Lafayette, Louisiana focused on sell side advisory work for lower to middle market companies, right? So we're building this ecosystem of. You called it like an investor relations ecosystem and a network of people who are talking about deals all day long.

And we get to share wisdom. We get to share knowledge. We get to take our guests through our partnerships with IR firms and PR firms across multiple podcast shows, and we get to cross pollinate our audiences across those different networks. Really excited about building that network out. We're looking to launch more shows.

We're looking to buy existing shows and communities and you're gonna see some cool things pop up about that. So we're looking for good talent, good strategic partners, good deal makers, good service providers, and as always incredible guests. 

Chris Williams: Yeah. You know what's interesting about that is it's not only, it's not only such a large vision, but it's.

A critical need in this space and middle market. Number one congratulations obviously to you and having the vision. But here's the other interesting thing is that this ecosystem that that we're building and the fund that we're having is what we're finding is that every last one of the spaces that you just talked about all need each other.

Joshua Wilson: Yeah. 

Chris Williams: The investor the IR team that's working really hard for their client needs a place and someone that they can go to that can help them with the strategy for their clients, right? The middle market, family office and private equity fund. Needs to find either the target or be able to say, Hey, you know what?

We've got something that we need to, divest of, right? So they it's so interesting how when you look back you step back about 10,000 feet, you realize actually we all need each other. It'd be great to be able to have. Something like this being built. The great thing is with the four shows that's already been built they're all being able to continue to work tirelessly to be able to support one another.

And it's once you build it right and people can see, wow, everyone wins when we're all working together in this capacity. So here's something I wanna know from you. When you think about the. The, some of the conversations that we've had even recently, like in the last six weeks.

Talk about some of the ones that have gotten you the most excited when you started thinking about this vision and the ones where you go, this is why we need this. What's been some of the conversations? Who have been some of the opportunities that you look at and you go, this is why we're here and this is why we're doing this now.

Joshua Wilson: Yeah. That's a great question. Here's what happened just last week, right? You and I three weeks ago flew out to Lafayette, met with a team back to back interviews in the studio in Lafayette, Louisiana with FA mergers. We did 12 interviews with some incredible guests. One of the interviews went two hours long.

That's my longest interview I've ever done. And, we. One of the people we met there, they built and sold the company for 200 plus million, then built and sold another company and sold it for eight 80 million. Then we had another conversation with a guy who, con did a rollup strategy with Jims, and he became one of the largest, Jim, privately held gym owner.

In the US right. And then sold it did pretty well for themselves and now's doing it again. We met with, just a bunch of great people. What we heard there was it's so nice to be able from, this is from the guest perspective. It's so nice to be able to share our story because so many times we get caught into the minutia of building a business.

So it's so nice to be able to share. Highlight some of the wins that we had in our team. Highlight our friends, highlight some of the struggles, and share that wisdom. So I think that's important. But then something else cool happened, last week was we interviewed a guy Brady Cuomo, and he actually was.

Taken his motor home over to Florida. So we met him in Florida at the World Equestrian Center and he introduced us to a bunch of friends and people like recognized him. And it was so cool that all of these like ecosystems are like merging into a powerful relationship building system. And I just thought that was so cool and he gave my kids some cake.

And he got them all sugared up. So thank you Brady. And Jude and Chase, flew in to, to meet with him. The relationships are what I think are the most valuable thing. 'cause people will do business with people they know and trust. Podcasts give the audience a way to hear into someone through their conversation to see if, do I like them?

Can I build trust with them over time? And then the interactions that our hosts have with the guests also give way for that. So that's what I think is so needed is healthy relationships with fellow deal makers and allies. 

Chris Williams: Yeah, I love it. So let's do a little quick rapid fire around that same topic, shall we?

Joshua Wilson: Yeah, man. 

Chris Williams: So we've got business owners who listen to this platform, who listen to the other shows that are sitting on this platform today. Talk to the business owner on why they need a strategy whether they're ready to sell today, tomorrow, or two years from now, around how things are communicated and what is being shared and how it's being shared about their business.

Joshua Wilson: For sure. When it comes to investor relations, which this shows about, communications with the investors of what's going on, here's the struggles that we're having, here's the challenges, here are the opportunities, right? So it's, communicating that with, investors early on, build strong relationships.

So when you do need help or support. It's not throwing them off. And you, the worst time to raise capital is when you need capital, right? You start raising capital and building those relationships way early on. So when you do need it or desire it's a warmer conversation when it comes to building and selling a company or exiting a company.

What's so nice about the Deal podcast, one of the other shows we have in the network and the Investor relations podcast this show is like the glue that sits between all of them. This is why we could talk about our different shows. This is the kind of the launch of the network.

It comes from this show. So what we're hearing on the Deal podcast is we've interviewed probably close to 40 people so far on that show, and we're gonna do a lot more. We wanna share stories of. Buy, build, sell, or family gen, generational family, business people who've exited. We want to hear those stories.

'cause a lot of times what they'll do is they'll share the fears that they had before selling. They'll share some of the thoughts or concerns or maybe their, what, what it looked like on the other end. What we're seeing and why I think this is so valuable, at least in today's world, is we're gonna see the largest transfer of wealth called the silver tsunami.

The baby boomers built these businesses, so we're gonna see they're gonna exit their business whether they like it or not. And I really hope that they have some level of control or succession that benefits them and their family in perpetuity. But everybody exits their business, whether they die, whether they give it away, or whether they sell it right?

There's, I don't know if there's any many more options. So what I love about that show, especially paired with FA mergers and their team of sell side advisors. Which they're the best in the business. One of the things that I love about that, those conversations is talking with people, real people who have gone through that full process and then they look back and they go, I would've done it differently this way or that way.

And hearing those things makes the community so much more prepared and so much more wise. Wisdom is learning from other people's. Mistakes or actions. So I, that's why I think that is a a great platform. 

Chris Williams: I love it. So let's now talk about private equity companies, funds family offices, they're looking for targets and you've got, all these opportunities that happen.

Why why today should those funds and those family offices be looking at their content strategy? Their investor relations ecosystem differently. What things are important and why should they be listening to the shows that we have, like SPAC and the D Spac show in order to be able to continue to move their businesses forward?

Joshua Wilson: Yeah, for sure. Spoke with a a group this morning and they had an awesome platform. And the thing is nobody knows about them. So they might have a platform that is scalable. They might have a great offer, they might have an ability, I think they've been doing this for over 10 years. Like the word of mouth is great, but un unless you're top of mind, unless you're creating valuable content, especially with these deals that take 1, 2, 3, 5 years long, people tend to forget.

I tend to forget, sometimes I forget my dog's name, right? For remembering someone that got a business card or that you did a deal with, a few years ago that could really escape you. I'm a human and I forget things all the time. So what I think that, like for these groups that are looking for great opportunities to come to them, unless they're actively hunting, which is exhausting, but it's effective.

Unless you have something that, that draws people to you, then you're, you're. One cold away from, not being able to make a phone call that day or missing out on a business opportunity. You know what I mean? So that's why I think creating these kind of strategies are important. Go hunting for sure.

We're all hunters, we're deal makers. But if unless you have a farming method too, then I think you're really gonna miss out on some great yields, some great crops. 

Chris Williams: Great point. Recently, man, we've had some really cool things happening on a couple of the platforms. Let's talk about the SPAC podcast.

Mike Blankenship and what he's been doing over the last year. Incredible guests, but he even has. Done some new things and now we've got this spac conversation that he's starting to really dive in and giving people his conversations and his ideas. Talk a little bit about what that's going to do and how how that even came to be and getting Mike comfortable with saying, yes.

Let's start having these kind of conversations. 

Joshua Wilson: Yeah, man he's so great to work with him. And I first met doing a podcast on the investor relations podcast, and we were talking about the dynamics of, the legal aspects of capital raising and investor relations. We stayed in co in touch, we built a relationship, we became friends, and then one day I reached out to him, I bought a bunch of domains and domain properties, and I reached out to him with a vision and I said, you know what you're one of the top spac.

Attorneys in the world, I was like, you know what we should do is we should start a show for SPACs. And he goes, I love it. I'm in Right? I couldn't even stop talking about it. And he's I'm in, shut up let's go. And we started out the SPAC podcast with a short strategy.

This. You know what we do on U YouTube and we started out with a short strategy on YouTube, and it became one of the top rated shows on SPACs. Now there's not many, but being a new show it quickly took off and we've had incredible guests. And one thing I've learned about Mike is he's really sharp.

He's extremely bright. So we went from that short strategy that got the ball rolling, and now we're going more into longer detail and into more in the weeds of strategies and tactics within a spac from startup to the finished product. So something to expect moving forward are longer conversations with SPAC investors.

Now guys, these are deals that are like hundreds of millions of dollars. These are not like. Small things, so like hearing the strategies and how these people think and how they raise capital and how they go about looking for targets. Is something you do not want to miss, especially if you're in the world of, private equity and mergers and acquisitions because man, you might be sitting in front of a gold mine and have a SPAC opportunity that could be, super helpful for your portfolio.

So that's what we're really excited about. And Mike's doing a great job. 

Chris Williams: Yeah, absolutely. And then obviously the next conversation that kind of came about was like. DPAC process. And then it was this morphing of there should be a conversation. Or if you Google it, where is the dpac conversation happening?

There wasn't one until you decided to call another relationship and say, you know what? We should probably do something about that. Talk a little bit about that particular show and like. How cool is this that like you could go from the SPAC conversation on one platform and go right into understanding D spac and saving people, which I love this saving people the headaches.

That they tend to run into because they're, they don't have a conversation like what we've got going on now with the DPAC podcast. 

Joshua Wilson: Yeah. Chaz is a friend and a mentor of mine, and when I was going through, the process of becoming an investment banker and going through all of that, man, it was super tough.

And then when I got into investment banking myself and started going down that process, Chaz was a guy who. Who like held my arm and wiped my tears away when it was, tough days. 'cause, big deals take time and sometimes they don't work. And if you're, a hunter and you don't, don't close a deal, you don't eat right.

It's a tough world and for all the deal makers out there who are living that and hats off to you guys, we do it. We live it every day. We understand. So Chaz came to me one day, and we started talking. He's Josh, you should be building out more media. You need to build this. So he's the one who's been encouraged me to be more like diving in and dialing in and leveraging.

What we have on the investment banking side and the this niched ecosystem. So he's the one who really encouraged me there. So thank you Chaz. Eternally grateful. And I was like, you know what, Chaz, you're really good. He is some, he's an actor by the way. Like he he's been in some indie film stuff in the past and modeling stuff.

And he's really good on camera. He's charismatic, he's very honest. And I was like, man. Cha, you're encouraging me to get into media. If anything, then you should be getting into it too. And he goes, cool. Let's do it together. And he's the one who came up with the, we should focus you, you got the SPAC side covered.

We should focus on the other side. Talking with private companies and helping them go through the process of preparing for a spac or should you do a SPAC or not. So like it was really his brainchild that I. Launched with your help. You're an executor, Chris you got your, the working genius of, enablement and tenacity.

So you, with your help, we were able to take a vision, turn it into a machine. So yeah it's Chaz is doing a fantastic job and he's a great mentor and a great friend and he's a fantastic podcast host for sure. Gonna be one of the best, for sure. 

Chris Williams: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, man. Listen to everyone listening.

And, for those of you who are in this world of investor relations, first of all, thank you for your ear. Thank you for your attention to the show. Listen more information, anything you wanna know, if you wanna reach out to Josh or myself, the information will be down in the show notes.

But listen, we've got much more coming and I'm so excited. If you want to partner with us, if you're looking at, Hey man, we got some things that, we're looking to do. We wanna know use, some of Josh's creative genius to be able to, work together and really build out something powerful.

Feel free to reach out. Information will be down below. But until then, guys, man, thank you all so much for tuning into the Investor relations podcast, Josh, man, great day. Let's go, continue to make an impact. We'll see you guys in the next one. Peace, everybody.