Talking with thought leaders this month on my radio show has once again made me realize how inspirational it is to understand what motivated them to succeed. Often, it seems, the tougher the challenge is for them, the greater their success is when they overcome it.

Sandra Goldstein CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), a true pioneer in South Florida’s tough commercial real estate market, is an inspiration to everyone she meets. When she began her career in the 1970s and 1980s she felt that women were discriminated against in her industry. But that didn’t stop her. Instead, she found a way to even the playing field.

She says she pursued and secured her CCIM designation to be able to show clients that she had the same technical skills and the credibility that any man in her industry would have – and more. Today, she’s one of the most successful business people in South Florida.

Also this month, I wanted to focus on family offices – the asset management and protection industry focused on the ultra-wealthy. America is home to many innovative people, and when they monetize their business successfully, they’re able to create generational wealth. This wealth is typically managed by what’s known as a “family office.”4 Because family offices are a growing concept in the investment management marketplace, this will be a continuing focus of our show.

Richard C. Wilson founded the Private Equity Investment Group and is CEO of Richard Wilson Capital Partners LLC, where he works with alternative investment funds and institutional investors on a daily basis. He makes the market in family office networking and information and so provides individualized asset advisory services to some of the world’s wealthiest people.

Most impressive is that Richard is almost single-handedly creating a market place where service providers and families can network and exchange ideas. He brings innovative thinking to the issues facing his clients often by organizing conferences all over the world. These events have grown from just a few people to hundreds at the last event I attended.

We had another thought leader in the family office marketplace on our show the week after Richard.

Tom Handler, JD, PC, is a partner in Handler Thayer, LLP in Chicago. He designs the asset protection strategies for some of the wealthiest people in the world. We discussed how complex the family planning arena has become. There are many strategies that can be implemented, but if the wealthy are not careful, they can have a significant tax or business consequence that will severely impact their wealth and the ability to transfer that wealth across generations.

Tom assists families in crafting highly complex and individualized structures to protect their assets. He specializes in the careful planning and engineering required to pass significant wealth from one generation to the next. He discussed a number of very interesting strategies on the show – many of which need to be outlined in private meetings.

To hear more of these interviews or the other interviews on my show please visit www.FRIEDonbusiness.com. Make sure to listen to the show every Thursday at 5 p.m. on 880 AM live on the radio, or on your computer via bit.ly/jimlive. ?