Grow your investment boutique 📈 Founder / CEO @ Havener ⭐ $30B AUM for boutiques w/ The Billion Dollar Blueprint™ 💲 Story-led sales & marketing for founders, fund mgrs, and teams 🎤 Speaker ▪ Podcast Host

Hi, I’m Stacy - a blue-collar girl from the Berkshires who turned a way with words and love of numbers into a business that has raised billions for boutique asset managers.
 
I’ve raised $8B+ for new/undiscovered funds that led to $30B+ in follow-on AUM.

Being a female founder in the male-dominated investment industry at the age of 30 required a huge leap of faith in connecting two tribes: talented boutique asset managers and early adopter investors.

The leap of faith was spot on. 

10+ years later, Havener Capital Partners leads the industry in helping investment boutiques grow. We help clients in three ways: (1) Embedded as part of your sales and marketing team (2) Consulting on sales and marketing efforts with you (3) Coaching you and your team in our membership community

Whether it’s consulting and masterminds, expanding sales and marketing capabilities, or connecting to our network of RIAs and family offices, clients benefit from an expert team and a time-tested framework that has raised billions for boutiques.

If I can be of assistance, please reach out at stacy@havenercapital.com

A little more about me: 

I’m obsessed with all things old school – hip-hop music, classic cars, craft cocktails and vintage furniture. My best lessons in life were learned on the soccer field where I went from picking flowers at the age of 9, to playing on all-boy teams, to becoming an Academic All-American in college. 

Most days you will find me at our office in the city-by-the sea, Newport, RI, sitting next to my reggae-loving husband (who is also my business partner), with a Dunkin Donuts coffee in my hand, and our rescue pitbull at my feet. In addition to building a business together, Erik and I are raising a daughter which is by far my favorite adventure. 

At the heart of it all, there is one thing I believe in – underdogs. Doesn’t matter who we are or what industry we are in, we all start from the bottom; we have all been underdogs. This rebel spirit fuels me every day.

Stacy Havener

Started the year at $400 million, now? $1.9 billion. And a heart of gold from Day 1. 

These flowers are for Sean Peche 

His success in building Ranmore is impressive and inspiring

But the true inspiration is who he is as a person, friend, and leader

If you have met Sean and his team, you know they are special

This year has been a breakout year for Ranmore as AUM crossed the $1 billion dollar mark (and counting, currently at $1.9 billion)

-- Have they got a differentiated portfolio, yes 

-- Have they got the performance, yep

-- But they have something more

Heart
Passion 
Kindness

And while performance and process and portfolio matter a lot

The people matter most

We got together yesterday to celebrate Sean

How he has built his business with an incredible team 

And how he lives his life as an incredible person

- Owning his roots and his heritage
- Helping people who really need it

- Believing when others don't 
- Showing up when others won't 

Sean is an inspiration 

And as we talked about yesterday at lunch
"You can't be what you can't see"

In order for people to believe they can do something, they need to see someone else doing it

We need to see someone like us achieving that same success 

For every boutique who is on the path 

For every founder / fund manager who has a dream

See Sean Peche 

You can do this
We can do this

Congrats Ranmore and Sean
These flowers are for you 💐
Thank you for all you do

Spoke on a panel with two friends yesterday… and left with many more. 🥰

Honored to join fellow boutique champions James Lindsay and Dani Hristova for a powerful conversation at AIMSE Europe Limited.

We dug into the landscape for specialist managers:
what’s good, what’s tough,
and what we can *actually* do about it.

Here were a few themes that hit home:

---

1️⃣ Resist the temptation to hide

Boutiques often hide when markets get rocky.
We shrink. We stay quiet. We wait for “better times.”

But hiding is a bad plan.

Because our uniqueness is the thing allocators remember.
Our edges, our insights, our craft.

It's how we do in tough markets, yes, and also how we show up.
How we own mistakes and headwinds and struggle.

Use our voice consistently in good/bad times, not conveniently when all is rainbows and unicorns.

---

2️⃣ Hold space with confidence

Allocators aren’t trying to build a lineup of samesies.
They’re building portfolios of complements.

That means there is often a seat at the table for us.

For differentiated thinkers
For specialists
For boutiques

But we have to hold our space.
Not with bravado.
With presence.

A quiet, grounded confidence that says:
We know who we are. 
We know what we do. 
We know the value our strategy brings to a portfolio.

Complement > Compete

---

3️⃣ Don’t change… and also, change

(This was one of my favorite moments from the panel. 😂)

Because it’s the nuance we never talk about:

✔️ Don’t change the essence—the thing that makes us special, distinct, compelling.

✔️ But do change the strategies, tactics, or approaches that no longer serve us.

Maybe those tactics weren’t ever meant for us.
Maybe they worked for “everyone else”… but not for specialists like us.
Maybe we’re meant to lead with something different...

because we authentically are. ❤️

Boutiques grow when they stay anchored in their uniqueness
and unafraid to evolve everything around it.

---

Grateful for the panel.
Grateful for the room.
Grateful for this community building the future of active management.

Lucky and honored to be a part of it

💐

My friends at a $10B fam office are my London lifeline (and British decoder ring). I underestimated something kind of big.

Yesterday, we talked about entrepreneurial spirit and growth mindset...

*Is this easier to tap into for Americans than the British?*

🤔

Many brilliant people struggle to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit.

Not because they lack ideas.
Not because they lack ambition.

But because they’ve been conditioned to believe:

- Growth should feel safe.
- Investing in yourself is risky.
- And if you stretch… you’ll be confronted, not supported.

(That word confronted is sticking with me as it's the opposite of what our clients feel.)

Entrepreneurial spirit isn’t a personality trait.

It’s a muscle.
One that anyone can build.

Here are 3 ways we can start tapping into it:

---

1️⃣ Make a micro-bet on ourselves

Not a moonshot.
Not a quit-your-job-jump-without-a-parachute bet.
A micro one.
The kind that expands our identity without collapsing our nervous system.

Sign up for a workshop

Launch a tiny pilot

Test an idea with 3 trusted people

Micro bets → micro wins → macro confidence.

---

2️⃣ Trade perfection for iteration

Entrepreneurs don’t wait for the perfect plan.

We take the next step.

Ship.
Learn.
Adjust.
Repeat.

When we stop insisting “I must be ready" before I make a move, we start discovering “I can figure this out” now while I move.

---

3️⃣ Surround ourselves with people who believe in growth

Environment is everything.

We rise in rooms where:

- Investing in growth is normal

- Stretching is celebrated

- Support replaces scrutiny

Progress > perfection

Entrepreneurial spirit is contagious, yes, but only in the right company.

---

Here's my promise to you:

Growth is worth investing in.
And it doesn’t have to feel painful.

It can feel supported.
It can feel expansive.

It can feel like the moment we finally remember who we’ve been all along.

(That last one 🙌)

👉 If this resonated, I’d love to hear which of these 3 help you tap into a growth mindset? 

And of course I am here for any additional learnings on American // British culture and personality nuances

PS I am your biggest fan. ❤️

= 
If you are going to AIMSE today in London, see you there! 

(Entrepreneurial spirit will be a vibe.)

"Traditions aren't about adding more to your busy schedule, but filling it intentionally."

That quote hits after a weekend of Thanksgiving and traditions.

The word "Intentional" gives things a different spin tho. A more heart-filled spin. More weight attached to even the lighter things we do. 

Here are a few of mine:

Is it even Thanksgiving if we don't... 

-- Start the day with a 3.1 mile "Pie Run"

-- Screw up at least 1 recipe 

(this year it was the pumpkin pie for me, made it twice if I'm honest) 😬

-- Have a dance party in the kitchen

-- Watch Christmas movies, drink red wine, and cry 😭 🥰

Those things could be happenstance
But I think they are intentional

Traditions don't always have to be shiny fancy sparkly
or highly starched tight collared stuffy

Sometimes they are messy and cozy and comfortable 

And those moments are some of the best.

My heart is full of gratitude going into the 49th week of the year.

Here's to more intention.

Your turn. 

👉 Add to the list! Is it even the holidays if we don't... 

(🥧 pie run over the years 📷)

"Don't look back - you aren't going that way." I disagree. Look back.
(Also important to look right 😘)

Play the way you are facing. 
Yes. ⚽
Plan forward. 
Yes. 📈

*And measure backwards.*

That’s the look back we need.

Because high achievers hit a goal and then we move the goal post on ourselves, don't we?

Next milestone.
Next level.
Next goal.

Between now and next there is a gap. We can get stuck there.

Measuring backwards is the breakout of that gap.

It's the gain - measuring how far we’ve come.

That’s confidence.
And we need to protect it.

Here are 3 ways to measure backwards ⬇️

1. Reflect in milestones, not miles.

Think back to the beginning of the year: where were you on key goals then vs now?

Go back 3 years: what problems or goals felt big then that you've checked off the list?

Progress compounds quietly.

2. Revisit your firsts.

The first client.
The first hire.
The first pitch that worked.

Remember when this version of normal was just a dream?

3. Re-read your own receipts.

Testimonials.
Notes from clients.
Screenshots of kind words.
Proof that your work is working.

Progress hides in plain sight.
We just forget to turn around and see it.

So before year end take time to look back.
Measure backwards.

We've come a long way, Friends. 

👉 Which of the 3 look backs are you vibing with? 

---

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I missed a big opportunity in our London expansion. Obvious, even.

UK fund managers want access to the US market. 

(Ohhhh - why didn't you just tell me! 😉)

We have been helping London-based fund houses sharpen their story,
build a narrative that moves investors,
embrace behavioral-finance-based sales strategies,
and leverage LinkedIn to grow.

I overlooked a foundational element, target market.

The outcome many UK boutiques want most?

Access to U.S. investors.

When I came to London this trip, I was struggling a bit with our offer, I decided to ask a point blank question

What do you want? 
Really. Tell me. 

And slowly but surely it answers started to make sense

On our AIMSE panel, Dani Hristova said how tough the UK market is for boutiques.

Conversations with fund managers and C-suite execs who point blank said, we want access to the US.

And me, v not Captain Obvious, saying: riiiiight, I get it (now)
🤦‍♀️

Because here’s the reality:

🇬🇧 It’s getting more difficult to grow in the UK.
Pension and wealth channels are 
consolidating.
Family offices are tough to crack.
Launching a boutique is still incredibly challenging.

And yet…

🇺🇸 The grass is greener in the U.S.
Not because it’s easy.
But because it’s *possible*.

Here are 3 reasons the U.S. market is a fit for non-U.S. managers:

1️⃣ Access to a broader, more diverse allocator ecosystem

Pension funds, endowments, foundations, consultants, multi-family offices, RIAs: the U.S. has depth and diversity that gives boutiques room to find their people.

2️⃣ A culture that rewards specialization

U.S. investors actively seek differentiated shops.
Story, narrative, and edge matter here, especially for boutiques who know who they are.

3️⃣ A more open door for global perspectives

Many allocators want outside-the-U.S. ideas: new geographies, new frameworks, new edges.

Being non-U.S. is an advantage.

The wild part?

This opportunity has been in front of us the whole time... and I nearly missed it.

So now, we’re leaning in. 

👉 Did I get it? What else am I missing? What is in the way of US  distribution?

I overheard a fund salesperson throwing shade at a conference.
Plot twist...

It was said about a multi-billion allocator (which is bizarro bc Hi, that's a dream client for you but ok)

The salesperson was ragging on the fact that this allocator posts on LinkedIn and has a newsletter.

(let's insert crickets chirping so we can process the absurdity for a minute)

Now, let's count the ways this is wrong.

1. If I heard them talking smack, others did too. It's not a good look generally. Call me pollyannic but nobody got time for negativity and nastiness. 

2. Shade is often a big glass of hater-ade in disguise. Whenever we feel jealousy or envy towards someone, it's actually a clue that we may want something they have. 

3. LinkedIn is right here for all of us. For free. And if you are still sleeping on its power, that's a you problem. There's a whole crew of us that got the memo and are making it count. 

(that's just 3 things but please add to the list bc there's so much more wrong and missing)

---

If you think (secretly or overtly) that LinkedIn and building a personal brand is "arrogant," I am going to politely suggest, in the words of Ice Cube, that you check yourself before you wreck yourself.

It's not arrogance to be sharing our thoughts authentically... 

it's ignorance not to.

👉 What would you add to the list of wrongs or what would you advise this shade thrower to consider?

=

+ In finance? Wondering if LinkedIn could help you build a brand (and a business)? We got you (and yes, it can)

+ Dec 12 workshop with Anna. No shade shall be thrown. See you there!

Growth unlocks hide in unlikely places. (This $1 billion backstory starts with a box in the garage.)

Check it:

$1 billion raised in 3 years.
For a new fund.
From a base of $1 million of the founder's own money.

No track record? 
No data?
No problem.

A new strategy and a new vehicle launched by an existing founder-led $4B hedge fund.

My mandate was the launch of this new fund and most of the firm was super skeptical about.

(like massive eye roll)

I wasn't. I was confident and I went right for the goods.

The founder's words.

A box of old letters
Commentaries over the years 

When I think back to my most successful capital raise, the thing that moved allocators wasn't the performance or the pitch deck.

It was decades of investor letters that were pulled into a collection.
Sitting in the founder's garage in a water logged box.
Yellowed pages.
Coffee stains.

The letters gave a glimpse:

-- Good times and bad times.
-- How they thought through the '08 crisis.
-- How they positioned when everyone else panicked.
-- What they saw that others missed.

The letters were gold.

Because here's what we forget:

Capital raising isn't about investing in numbers.
It's about investing in the people who generate those results.

How they think differently.
What they see that others don't.
What they do that others won't.

The allocators who took a chance on this new fund weren't buying a bulletproof process.
They were buying beautiful minds.

A way of thinking that had weathered decades.
A perspective that had been pressure-tested.
A voice that stayed consistent and edgy when markets went mad.

We spend so much time perfecting our pitch decks.
Polishing our performance charts.

But the real differentiator?

It's in how we think.
How we communicate that thinking.
How we've thought through problems over time.

That founder didn't just have returns.
He had receipts.

Proof of how his mind worked.
Evidence of his decision-making.
A paper trail of his principles.

And that's what moved the money.

Not the numbers.
The narrative behind them.

So before you update that deck for the 47th time
Before you add another shade of blue into the chart of those performance metrics 😘

Ask yourself:

Are you showing them the numbers
Or are you showing them the mind behind them? 

Because investors don't back businesses.
They back the brains that build them.
The people with the beautiful minds.
You. ❤️

👉 Do you think LinkedIn is collection of people's thoughts like a digital box of letters? 

=
+ Got words?

+ Join us Dec 12th to workshop how old letters and commentaries can fuel your growth flywheel.

+ (The gal in this pic is aces. Hint: it's not me )

6 little lies we tell ourselves as boutique fund managers


1. Investors will find me.

They are busy. They don't have time to search for you. 


2. It will only take 6 months to fundraise.

Double or triple expectations. 12 - 18 months average due diligence cycle. 


3. Large allocators will give us a small percentage.

They can't. It's not worth their time and energy to make 100s of small allocations. 


4. I can skip the marketing costs now and do it later.

If we don't market now, there may not be a later.


5. This cheap fix will last until I can replace it with something better. 

We get what we pay for. Cheap fixes break and then we have to fix them ... which is expensive. 


6. Once I hit $X, I will be able to relax. 

Bc markets move, bc clients need hand holding, bc people redeem, bc as high achievers we keep striving for more. 

👉 Which one of these hits hardest??

📌 I will be breaking 2 of these down for the next 3 weeks in beach walk and talks. 

Follow Stacy Havener and ring the bell 🔔 to get the 🎥🌊

"There are a lot of people in navy suits with red ties that command attention who are saying jack sh!*."

Is executive presence overrated and broken? Even the definition is unclear.

(Related to personal brand but not quite the same IMO)

Brene Brown and Adam Grant have been challenging the idea of executive presence. 

It's grab your popcorn and your notebook good. 

It's an important debate this idea of exec presence being overrated.

I still believe our exec presence, our brand, is important.

The construct is hellabroken but... As execs and founders and leaders we still need it. 

We need to redefine it.

Here's another Brene Brown quote:

"Executive presence is a prescriptive way of defining what a leader looks like and sounds like when often it is the quiet 'nerd' in the meeting who often has the best answers."

This hit hard for me especially in my work in finance and investments. 

BUT

We can't stay hidden and hope someone sees us.

We can't stay hidden and hope clients find our business or fund. 

We can't stay hidden and hope to grow in our careers.

Hidden and hopeful is not going to get it done.

Even if the quiet hidden hopeful ones often have the chops intellectually, they often lack em socially.

And that's ok. That's normal.

If we own where we are and build a plan to address where we want to go. 

It's on us to break the old mold of exec presence, redefine it, and build it with intention. 

My version includes dance circles as pitch practice. 🤷‍♀️

👉 Curious what you think about exec presence. Overrated and useless or poorly defined and important or somewhere in between?

And

🎧 Highly recommend listening to them on a pod or vid btw. Will throw some resources in below. 

=
🙌 Follow me Stacy Havener if you like this post and want to work on your exec presence/personal brand

Want to create urgency in your sales funnel? 
(Steal this framework.)

It's based on the age old classic sales narrative from a Harvard professor of the drill and the hole in the wall. 

First, let's back up. 

A well-crafted narrative moves people to do something.

But before people will do something they need to feel something. 

So to catalyze people on our funnel to take action, we need to make them feel something first. 

Framework: What How Why 

What is the product or service
How is the action it delivers
Why is the result it creates

Get clear on that for your target client

Then

Invert it

For maximum impact

Urgency comes from the feeling we create. 

Hearmenow: The. Feeling.

(yes, even in investment biz dev we all up in the feelings here my friends)

-- We don't buy a drill
-- We don't even buy the hole in the wall 
-- We buy the peaceful beautiful feeling we have from the art we hang on said wall

Feel something => Do something

👉 How else can we tap into feelings in sales and biz dev??  

Breaking it down at the beach 
🎥🌊🙌

---
Art of storytelling +
Science of human behavior =
New Playbook Success

Havener + Marmite. Behind the scenes with a client 

(and flowers to an allocator friend)

Marmite. You either love it or you hate it.

This is what my friend Simon Evan-Cook told me in one of our first chats. 

He explained that this is the type of fund managers he likes to see. People who have strong beliefs and high convictions and aren't afraid to attract and repel. 

Many of our fund clients at Havener are marmite.

One of them is British. 

He loves marmite. Specifically twiglets. 

(Stay with me bc this American girl was v lost too) 😂

So at one of our events a few years ago, Jonathan brought twiglets. 

And we made a video of a few of us tasting these bitter little snacks at the Castle Hill Inn Summit by the Sea.

I won't spoil the results of this experiment but I will say...

I get it. I get why Marmite is a good metaphor for managers who think differently and bravely. 

-- Whether you like Marmite or not, maybe you like managers who aren't afraid to take a stance and go against consensus. 

-- Maybe you think emerging markets are having a moment and want to hear from someone whose been investing in them for 20 years. 

If that's you, join me for a chat with Jonathan Binder next week. 

It will be fun. 

BYOM. (Bring your own marmite. Or gin as the case may be. No judgement here)

👉 Are you thumbs up or down on Marmite? Twiglets? 

💐 To our great allocator friends and clients. You remind me why I love my job. ❤️

🎥 video credit: Anna Robinson and cameo appearance by Arun Kaul

=
+ Join Jonathan Binder and me for a chat on frontier emerging markets on Dec 10 at 1 pm EST

+ Register: https://acesse.one/XFmQ5

1 move has 3Xd quality and quantity of prospect meetings for our clients
(Do it from your desk)

(Literally "from the desk of..." is the vibe)

1/ Prep before we play

- Tier your funnel
- Identify your faves
- Regardless of stage
- Your A Team like 20ish 

Faves = prospects you would *love* to have as clients

Like run thru a wall to have them bc they are ideal clients for you

(ideal doesn't just mean big $$$ aum btw)

2/ In addition to your newsletter that goes to everyone on the funnel and distribution list

Fund managers write a custom note ad hoc to Tier 1 prospects

3/ "From the desk of" 
As in it is sent by the fund manager (not the salesperson)

-- Thoughts on the market
-- Updates on a position 
-- Developments on the biz side

Think of what you would write to your internal team

Adapt it for Tier 1 prospects externally 

Do this with no ask of them
It's a give 💐

4/ When you're ready to build a trip, reach out to them as anchor meetings.

Watch your meeting calendar fill with meetings so good you'd drag your suitcase down the street in the snow for 'em 

🙌

💡 Why does it work?
Science of human behavior

People like to feel special

We have a fundamental need to feel valued and unique

And in typical sales that's watered down mass everything (even more so with AI) human-first actions like this stand out.

👉 I am not saying AI isn't cool, but outsourcing the special bits is a mistake. Feel me?

=

PS these are the types of campaigns we create for clients to help them get more meetings with better prospects

and then we help close em

if you like more better meetings, call us ☎️

VisionSpark   

I have always enjoyed building relationships, and am a people person at heart. I strive to understand where people are coming from, and what motivates them.  I have been working since I was just 14 years old and spent two years implementing EOS on a leadership team.

I work hard helping others to grow their businesses. The best part of my job at VisionSpark is brainstorming with Visionaries and entrepreneurs.  Let me work for you, to help in your journey of finding your next A-player or aid in your team's health with our Team Heath Services.

Client Strategist

Brynka LLC

Director of Sales & Marketing

Update CRM, sales calls, book online demos, marketing, company surveys, proposals & meetings.

Admin

I have always enjoyed building relationships and I am a people person at heart.  I strive to understand where people are coming from and what motivates them. My secular life work has been working hard helping others to grow their businesses. Working since just 14 years old my employment experience includes holding seats in sales or sales leadership. I have been and spent the last two years implementing EOS on a leadership team.

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