Tips from Vancouver venture capitalist Lucas Birdsall on how to build trust with clients
Lucas Birdsall is a Vancouver based business executive and a graduate of the Beedie School of Business. He has served as Chief Executive Officer for GMBG Capital Corp as well as Castlebar Capital Corp, and currently holds a position as a Venture Capitalist with Parabellum Capital Strategies Ltd. Birdsall’s ability to make connections with clients has led to much of his professional success.
Q: As a Venture Capitalist, what is your role in relation to your clients?
Lucas Birdsall: Traditionally a Venture Capitalist acts as the liaison between entrepreneurs and the global business market. We work to help our clients succeed and meet their business goals. It is a unique opportunity to grow alongside your clients. I get to share in each of my clients successes, big or small.
Q: What is the most important thing to remember when building a relationship with a new client?
Lucas Birdsall: For me the most important aspect of building a new client relationship is creating a trusting and safe environment. It is important to make the client feel seen and show them that you have their best interest in mind. Take the time to learn about them as individual people. I think it is essential to see your clients as 3 dimensional people, because it allows you to invest in them and their future.
Q: You have experience in many different industries including venture capital groups, natural resource firms, and tech companies. Are there any differences when working with clients across these sectors?
Lucas Birdsall: Honestly there is not a huge difference working directly with clients across different industries. As I mentioned before, the most important aspect of building and maintaining client relationships is trust. No matter what industry you work in, if you set a good foundation for a working relationship it will help longevity. In many cases, you will have one main contact that you are building a primary connection with. In the case of working as a Venture Capitalist our clients are usually an entire company. In this case your working relationship might expand to more than one person within that company. It’s important to have very clear and open communication for everyone involved.
Q: What advice would you give young professionals in client facing roles?
Lucas Birdsall: Enjoy it! I know that may sound obvious but so much of our world is online today. It is becoming more and more rare to have face to face meetings or even phone calls. If you have the opportunity to create working relationships with clients, take those extra steps to try and connect with them outside of an email. Of course this is not always possible, but it is nice when it can happen. Taking that extra time and care really makes a huge difference.
Q: When you studied at Simon Fraser University you had a focus in Finance and Operations Management, how has this informed your approach to your work?
Lucas Birdsall: I am so grateful to have studied at the Beedie School of Business. In my time there I learned a lot about management and what makes an effective leader. I won’t bore you with all the important policies and procedures you implement as a manager. Those are very important and necessary, but a large position of managing a team or company employs interpersonal skills and understanding how to effectively communicate. Taking the time to understand and empathise with people has really informed my approach when holding a leadership position.
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