One tough part about hedge funds is getting the clients. You're not selling lemonade, you're asking people to trust you with a lot of money. And anyone with money to invest in a hedge fund probably has been approached by dozens of other brokers and managers. You're up against a lot of well financed and experienced competition. I invited over the few high network individuals I knew for dinner at my house. I told them I wasn't selling them anything, but rather wanted to hear what they were looking for in investment opportunities. I explained where I was at the time, where I wanted to go, and that I needed their advice so I could tune my pitch and competitive advantage. I learned a lot from that night and subsequent conversations. Very few people pick their investments solely on returns. They'll want to know your transparency, your outlook, your communication style, and other hard-to-get-from-a-prospectus items. I work in a small shop, but I know ever investor's full name, the names of their kids, their attitudes towards volatility, and much else. It's a pretty personal relationship, much different than anything I'd done before in a professional world.