I recently spent a few days around wealthy investors, family offices, attorneys and operators at an oil & gas symposium for accredited investors. We were given opportunities to invest in several companies before they went public, with minimum investments ranging from $50k–$100k. One thing that stood out to me was how openly attorneys, private investigators and verification processes were involved. They weren’t just investigating character. They were investigating capacity, leverage, liabilities, history, relationships and whether people actually had the ability to do what they claimed. A major mistake we still make as a community when it comes to business is viewing verification & asking questions as disrespect. Serious people view verification and transparency as responsibility and due process.