Callum Laing

I take companies public and run a $100m MAS regulated fund. 
I am a partner at the Unity Group, the founder of Global Investment Leaders Directive (GILD) for capital raisers.  And I run the Veblen Director Programme, for first time board members.  
Author of 'Boardroom Blueprint - Boost your career with a board seat in 60 days'
My exclusive network of UHNW individuals meet every quarter for lunch at the 'Captable' Singapore (coming to Dubai soon) 

Founder & former CEO / Chair of MBH Corporation PLC, an agglomeration of small, profitable companies from around the world.  Grew it to $180m in revenue.
Advisor to multiple public and private boards.  

Involved in more than 100 M&A transactions and $500m in shareholder value creation.

Best selling author of 3 other business books, I've published over 2500 interviews with Entrepreneurs and Investors around the world. EnterpriseZone.cc
Host of the daily 'CallumConnects' micro-podcast (top 5% worldwide, top 25 for entrepreneurs, 500+ episodes).

Previously served as Singapore High Commissioner to the World Business Angel Investment Forum, an Ambassador to DealGateway.com and on the Board of Advisors to Kinguin, a $100m turnover eGaming business.

The Agglomeration model helps small businesses to scale using publicly listed holding companies.

If you're interested in taking your business, investments or career to the next level, press the blue Follow button above.  

Author of: 
"Progressive Partnerships - The Future of Business" 
"Entrepreneurial Investing - Connecting sophisticated capital to talented small business"
"Boardroom Blueprint - Boost your career with a board seat in 60 days"
Co-author of:
"Agglomerate - Idea to IPO in 12 months"

Member

The Veblen Director Program is designed to get you that elusive first PLC Director position and to provide you with an enviable global network of other Directors that you can call on at will for the rest of your career.

One of the fastest ways to get what you want is to help someone else get what they want.

When I first admired the work of Jeremy Harbour, I didn’t ask him for a job or a role. Instead, I offered to set up and promote his companies in Asia on a zero-risk basis. I would do the work, generate sales, and he would only share in the upside.

That simple offer led to something far bigger. Jeremy liked the way I operated, shared another idea with me, and we ended up becoming business partners.

Years later, I applied the same approach to Tiger 21, one of the most respected networks for ultra-high-net-worth individuals. I wanted to work with them, so I reached out and offered to introduce them to prospects in Asia and the Middle East. That led to the creation of a feeder business which is opening up incredible opportunities.

The principle has never changed: start by creating value for the people you admire.

Today, the internet makes this easier than ever. Affiliate marketing is the most obvious version, almost every business will pay for quality leads. If you already have a network, no matter how small, you have something you can start with.

So ask yourself: who would you love to work with, and what could you offer them right now that makes it a no-brainer to say yes?


Send me a connection request and I’ll show you exactly how to apply this.

Successful Investor / Entrepreneur and M&A practitioner. I also help ambitious people to raise money, get board seats and take companies public.

I was in a room recently where everyone had a networth of at least $30m. 

You would think that level of wealth would kill off any insecurity, but it was the opposite. Almost everyone in there admitted they felt like they didn't belong.

I see this all the time with the directors I work with at Veblen and even with my own kids. If you care about what you're doing, you're going to feel some doubt. 

The only real difference I've noticed with high-achievers is they don't wait for the insecurity to vanish before they show up. They just do it anyway.

We often mistake "readiness" for "fearlessness." But if you wait until you aren't nervous, you'll probably be waiting forever.

What's something you're currently overthinking instead of just doing?



For free copies of my books and other goodies, please send me a connection request

Jeremy Harbour told me to sell. I ignored the advice.

At the time, my business was profitable and I was having a lot of fun running it. It had prestige and it was a great lead generator for my other ventures. I was convinced it was a keeper. 

Jeremy’s take was simpler: "The best time to sell a business is now. You never know what’s coming around the corner."

I thought he was wrong. Then the global financial crisis hit.

My two biggest sponsors defaulted on what they owed me. What could have been a massive exit turned into years of grinding just to sell for a fraction of its former value. It was a brutal lesson in the cost of pride.

The upside was that Jeremy and I became business partners later and have been building together for over ten years. But that missed exit still stings when I think about the timing.

When it comes to exits, do you think it is better to sell a year too early or a day too late?


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For free copies of my books and other goodies, please send me a connection request

One of the best indicators of whether a project is worth pursuing has nothing to do with the project itself.

For me, the real question is: who am I going to meet along the way?

There are projects I wouldn’t normally be interested in, but I’ll say yes because of the people I’ll get to spend time with. And there are others that look exciting on the surface, but if the people involved aren’t the kind I want to be around, it’s an easy pass.

Opportunities are never just about money or prestige. They’re about proximity.

If a project gets you in the room with people who energise you, challenge you, or open doors to new possibilities, that’s worth far more than the project itself.

Question: How do you decide if an opportunity is worth your time, the project itself, or the people it brings you close to?


Send me a connection request and I’ll send you a load of cool assets.

Happy Birthday Dolly Parton!

I've been an entrepreneur for most of my adult life (and much of my childhood!) and so it often surprises me how few people understand the value of owning assets.

Dolly Parton turns 80 today, and she's a great example of someone who understood the difference early on.

In the 1970s, Elvis Presley wanted to record a cover of "I Will Always Love You." His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had a standard rule: the artist had to hand over 50% of the publishing rights if Elvis was going to sing it.  

For a young songwriter, having the biggest star on the planet cover your song was the ultimate "I've made it" moment. Most people would've leapt at the chance.

But Dolly said no, she walked away from the deal because she was confident in the long term value of her intellectual property. 

Decades later, that single decision has earned her tens of millions in royalties. It's the reason she has the capital to build theme parks, hotels, and her incredible philanthropic foundation today.

For many people, your ‘Elvis’ opportunity is keeping the ‘safe’ job.  A predictable revenue stream today, rather than building an asset that can deliver tomorrow.  
It might not be the wrong choice, but remember that it is a choice.

As you think about what you’re building and creating in ‘26, you need to ask yourself is it something that just satisfies a need now, or is it something that will build a foundation for you in the future?

Happy 80th birthday to an amazing deal maker and philanthropist in Nashville.

Stop sending your pitch deck as an opening move.

I’ve seen founders spend weeks on 30-page business plans and beautiful slides only to have them completely ignored. 

When I first started raising capital, I thought the deck was my ticket into the room, but I was wrong.

Leading with a pitch deck usually marks you out as an amateur. High-level deals don't start with PDFs; they start with informal conversations, text messages, and casual chats. That’s where you actually build the trust and interest required to move forward.

You should only send the assets once someone has agreed in principle that they like what you’re creating. The deck is there to back up the vision, not to sell it for you.

What’s the most effective way you’ve seen someone spark investor interest without ever showing a slide?

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For free copies of my books and other goodies, please send me a connection request

Don’t Apply for Board Seats. Create Them.

At the Veblen Director Programme, one of our core mantras is: don’t apply for board seats, create them.

It’s not just about board seats, it’s about agency.

Too many people spend their careers waiting for permission. Waiting for someone else to open the door, to hand them the title, to play by rules they didn’t write.

The people who really change their trajectory don’t play someone else’s game. They design their own. They create opportunities rather than compete for the scraps.

It’s a subtle but profound shift: from asking “Will they pick me?” to declaring “Here’s the value I’m creating, here’s the room I’m building, come join me.”

And it applies everywhere: careers, businesses, relationships, even health.

So the question is, where in your own life are you still waiting for permission, when you could be creating the opportunity instead?

I have watched many founders kill deals through desperation. 

I’ve been on both sides of the table, and I’ve learned that capital raising isn't really about the pitch, it's about the positioning.

When I’m advising founders, I tell them the second you look like you need the money, you’ve already lost. I’ve found it’s much more effective to position a deal as just one of many you have access to, which changes the dynamic from a "please" to a "perhaps."

Instead of opening a laptop, I start by asking the investor about their last win. If my deal doesn’t match their criteria, I don’t pitch it. I’ll actually tell them it’s not a fit and offer to find them something else later.

It’s incredibly hard to do when you’re close to a project, but it transforms you from a founder looking for a check into a dealmaker looking for a partner. 

Relationships close deals, not slides delivered to the wrong person.

How do you filter an investor's "real" criteria before you ever show them your deck?

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For free copies of my books and other goodies, please send me a connection request

Stop Treating Your Goals Like They’re the Finish Line

One of the mantras at the Veblen Director Programme is simple: a board seat is not the final board seat, it’s just a stepping stone to the next.

It’s a mindset that goes far beyond the boardroom.

Too often we idealise our goals; fitness, money, career, you name it. We tell ourselves, “Once I hit that, everything will be fine.”

But two things usually happen:
We reach the goal and immediately shift the bar higher.

Or we miss it, and it feels devastating.

That’s why I think it’s much healthier to view goals as stepping stones rather than finish lines. Each milestone is just part of a longer journey.

That perspective removes the pressure and gives you freedom to keep moving forward.

Question: What’s a goal you once thought was the “end game” that actually turned out to be just a stepping stone?

I spent thousands on a business program I barely remember now. At the time, I thought I was buying an education. I’d just finished my business degree and was hungry for mindset shifts and "non-traditional" ideas.
Looking back twenty years later, the curriculum wasn't the prize. The real ROI came from the people in the room. Some became my closest friends, others became business partners I still work with today.

That one community triggered more deals and opportunities than any textbook ever could. It’s why I spend so much of my time now building communities like Veblen or helping others build their own. Content is easy to find, but the right room is rare.

When you're looking at joining a new group or program, what's the one "green flag" that tells you the community is actually high-quality?


For free copies of my books and other goodies, please send me a connection request

At a certain point in your career, opportunities start chasing you.

In the Veblen Director Programme, I see it all the time. Once someone has secured three or four board seats, suddenly the floodgates open. Invitations multiply. The real game becomes swapping out low-value boards for high-performing ones with the people you most want to work alongside.

I experience the same thing. I’m inundated with board opportunities, and most of them I filter into the Veblen network. But there are a few boards I would pay to be on. Not because I need the board experience, but because of who else is sitting at that table.

That’s the real superpower: knowing who you want to work with and then figuring out how you can help them get what they want. It’s the fastest way I know to go further, faster.

So here’s the question: if you could choose, who is the one person you would most want to sit on a board with?


Send me a connection request with ‘Veblen’ for more info on how we could get you on a board in the next couple of weeks.

I’ve seen talented people lose deals because they can't explain results. I see this constantly. You know the value you bring, but if it isn’t articulated clearly, you’re effectively invisible to the people who need you most.

It is the same here on Linkedin.

I’ve been watching Daniel Priestley’s recent media run and it’s a masterclass in solving this. He’s successful because he’s a master at turning complex ideas into frameworks that anyone can understand. 

Most of us aren't Daniel, but we can all stop making our LinkedIn profiles a guessing game.

If someone lands on your page today, do they instantly see the solution you provide? Or are you leaving it to their imagination?

How do you simplify what you do for someone who doesn’t have your expertise?

Last year we created a tool that shows you exactly what headhunters and recruiters are looking for when they come to your profile.  It’s completely free.  Try it out and let me know in the comments how well your profile scored  https://lnkd.in/gdC2HyMB



Free Linkedin Profile Analysis Here: https://lnkd.in/gdC2HyMB

I see this constantly in my M&A work: small companies envy the balance sheet of the giants, while the giants envy the agility of the small guys. It’s a classic case of the grass always being greener.

When I was running smaller outfits, I used to look at the reach and influence of big firms with real envy. But now, working with larger boards, I see them looking back at the "little guys" and wishing they had that speed and those tiny payrolls.

The real danger is trying to play the wrong game for your size. If you’re small and you start applying big-company bureaucracy, you’ll kill your only advantage. If you’re big and you try to act like a nimble startup without the right structure, you just create chaos.

The trick is taking advice from people who are one step ahead of you, not ten. A billion-dollar strategy will usually bankrupt a million-dollar business.
In your experience, which stage of growth has the most "identity crisis" moments?


For free copies of my books and other goodies, please send me a connection request

24% of Americans over 50 never work again after a layoff. I’ve seen some of the most talented leaders I know get blindsided by this. They spend decades building a career, only to realize they were one management decision away from being replaced.

Relying on a single paycheck is the riskiest bet you can make. It’s why I’m always pushing the directors I work with at Veblen to build multiple "opportunity streams."

Board seats are the ultimate hedge. They don't just provide income; they provide the kind of leverage that keeps you relevant regardless of your "day job." I’m actually walking through exactly how to land your first seat in an upcoming masterclass AND how we can guarantee you a board seat in less than 30 days:

 https://lnkd.in/g-Ezybdn
At what stage of a career does a single income stream become too risky?


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For free copies of my books and other goodies, please send me a connection request

Luck isn’t random. It’s manufactured.

Steve Jobs said you can’t connect the dots looking forward, only looking back.
It sounds clever, but what does it mean?  Reflect on what you’ve done so far?
That’s only half the story.

I think it’s actually about looking forward.  It’s about deliberately creating lots of dots.

You can increase your luck by creating more dots.

Start more things.

Launch more products.

Publish more content.

Meet more people.

Go more places

The more dots you put out into the world, the easier it becomes to connect them later.

What looks like coincidence is usually just compound interest on your past actions.

So don’t wait for luck. Create it.

What are some new dots you’re focused on putting out?

The 3 Habits I See in Clients Who Succeed

After working with hundreds of ambitious professionals, I’ve noticed that the ones who actually land board seats and transform their careers share a few distinct habits.

They line up almost exactly with what Psychology Today describes as the habits of “superperformers”.  Let me explain it with our best performing Veblen members:

1. Identity-based goals.
Our successful clients don’t say “I’d like to get a board seat.” They decide: “I am a board-level leader.” That subtle shift changes everything.  They start behaving like one.  They move from ‘employee’ mindset to one that takes ownership and starts delivering solutions.

2. Backward planning.
Instead of obsessing over the first step, they start at the destination: “I want to be on board X in 12 months.” Then we work backward: What board seat would you need to be serving on to attract their attention?  Who do you need to meet to make that happen, what credibility markers do you need, what needs to happen this month, this week, today?

3. Ruthless prioritisation with space for curiosity.
The winners focus 80% of their energy on proven levers; Connections, Knowledge, Profile, Value & Leverage. But they also leave space for experiments: an international board seat, exploring unfamiliar industries, testing unconventional approaches. That’s often where the breakthrough comes from.  As Steve Jobs said: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward.”

Almost all Veblen members make these shifts. 

The ones who succeed? They build identity, work backward, and double down on leverage while staying open to discovery.  And they get started long before they feel ready.

Which of these habits do you already practise, and which one do you need to adopt?


Send me a connection request and I’ll forward you more information on how we can get you on a board within weeks, not months.

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