Once you have even a small amount (say $500k) of perceived success you find yourself meeting "helpers" constantly, people who want to mentor you, people who wan

Once you have even a small amount (say $500k) of perceived success you find yourself meeting "helpers" constantly, people who want to mentor you, people who want to be your friend, and magically all these people want something from you. As your perceived worth goes up you start meeting more "interesting" people who want to help more, and of course they ultimately want something more from you. So you eventually have a big network through this process, and at a certain level its not even about trading favors, but trading the potential for a favor. And with this support group you can answer almost any question, market trends, merger opportunities, fund raising access, its all there for you.