How Entrepreneurs Can Build a Circle of Trust with Jonathan Hung

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As an entrepreneur you need to surround yourself with successful peers, mentors, and other people that suppor you. That’s why creating a circle of trust can create explosive business growth for your business. I discuss how to do that with my guest, Jonathan Hung.

Jonathan is a successful VC and entrepreneur. He has evolved from his role as a prolific angel investor with over 150+ pre-seed and pre-IPO investments under his belt to becoming the Managing Partner for Entrepreneur Ventures.

We dive into topics including:

The definition and examples of a circle of trust.
How you can start to intentionally build a circle of trust.
The types of people that should be in your circle of trust.
Why nobody that’s successful has done it by themselves.
How to approach the right people to bring them into your circle of trust.
Why you should practice being a “giver”.
How to maintain a circle of trust over time once you’ve built yours.
The role vulnerability plays in building your circle of trust.
Jonathan’s philosophy of “living your life in quarters” and how to embrace it.
The one thing, above all else, that you need to do to build a successful circle of trust.

…and other golden nuggets of advice!

Jonathan’s Story

Jonathan believes that everyone thinks entrepreneurship (especially in the tech space) is all about fundraising. That’s one aspect of building a business; but there’s a LOT more to it. Entrepreneurship is about building trusted relationships from successful peers to business partners to advisors and mentors.

The Importance of Being Real

Jonathan’s perspective on life is that you’re going to meet a lot of “fakes”. Those are people who try to sell you an idea by telling you it’s all going to be unicorns and rainbows, but really, will that philosophy be helpful to you in the long run? You must find people that you can trust to be honest with you especially when everything isn’t working out perfectly. You can easily like somebody, but can you actually trust them? That’s why the subtitle of Jonathan’s upcoming book is “Why trust drives venture capital success.”

Jonthan built his career based on people that he trusted, and who have trusted him. That’s how he’s built success.

First, let’s look at…

How to Build Trust

It’s the simple things. It’s not just saying “Let’s go into business together, I’m going to write you a check.” It’s about both parties communicating openly and meaningfully. That means doing things like giving each other regular updates. Jonathan believes having great communication is the most important rule. It also means asking for help when you need it. If you don’t ask for help people won’t assume that you need it. You have to ask for the sale. The number one rule in sales that you must ask. You have to keep going, you can’t give up when you get discouraged. Getting turned down is part of being an entrepreneur. You might have to hear a hundred no’s before you get to that one yes. But when you got to that yes, it was all worth it.

For Jonathan building trust starts with showing up. It’s doing the hard work. It’s not about just executing, it’s also about showing the people that work for you how you did it so they can duplicate your success. For Jonathan it’s also about growing as a human being and helping others grow too. It’s about finding those people you can trust that you know you can count on.

Jonathan is a big believer that you don’t over promise and then under deliver. He’s always about under promising and over delivering because he’s had people in his past who he’s invested in give that gave him crazy numbers. He would think, “How are you going to do that? How are you going to 10x your business in a year?” Sometimes promises like that don’t make sense.

Jonathan also loves people who give him a plan. It’s all about the execution. It’s how you successfully go through with something to get to your desired results. That’s one amazing way to build trust, in his opinion.

And is just the beginning!

Listen to or watch the interview to continue this story and get more golden nuggets of advice!

You can get my book here: “Idea Climbing: How to Create a Support System for Your Next Big Idea”

About My Guest

Jonathan Hung is a seasoned venture capitalist and entrepreneur with a proven track record in governance, strategic growth, and financial expertise. He led his family’s textile business across the U.S. and Asia before transitioning into venture capital, where he has invested in more than 250 companies and 50 funds.

Today, Jonathan is the Managing Partner of Entrepreneur Ventures, a fund he co-founded with Entrepreneur Media, deploying capital into innovative startups and helping founders build profitable businesses. He also manages his family office fund, J Heart Ventures. His success in raising millions for venture funds, combined with cross-border operational expertise, positions him as a leader in capital growth and value creation.

Learn more about Jonathan!

Website / Portfolio

Want to learn more about entrepreneurship? Check out “How to Create a Millionaire Mindset”!