Bad With Money

Private Equity Founders to Study, Based on Your Weakness DM me “PE” if you want to learn more about growing your company with private equity. GOOD WITH MONEY:
William E. Conway Jr. — Carlyle’s numbers-obsessed co-founder, built its financial discipline from day one.
Leon Black — turned steep-discount distressed debt buys into one of Wall Street’s greatest trades.
Harold Simmons — built his fortune on a disciplined theory of leverage, never overextending.
David Bonderman — priced risk better than anyone, pulling outsized returns from deals others passed on. GOOD AT SALES:
Stephen A. Schwarzman — built Blackstone almost entirely on winning rooms and closing relationships.
David M. Rubenstein — Carlyle’s designated rainmaker, raised billions through charisma alone.
Marc Rowan — one of the industry’s most persuasive dealmakers in insurance and annuities.
Henry R. Kravis — used his network and reputation to source deals no one else could touch. GOOD AT FINISHING:
Wilbur L. Ross Jr. — finished what others couldn’t, running full bankruptcy-to-turnaround cycles.
Sam Zell — closed the largest real estate deal in history, the $39B Equity Office sale.
Tom Gores — built his name on operational execution, actually finishing every turnaround.
David H. Murdock — still finishing major developments into his 90s and 100s. GOOD AT DELEGATING:
George R. Roberts — co-built KKR’s model of empowering management instead of micromanaging.
Robert F. Smith — built a standardized system so growth didn’t depend on his personal involvement.
Orlando Bravo — created a repeatable playbook so his team could execute without him in the room.
Romesh T. Wadhwani — stepped back from day-to-day ops to let strong management run his company.