The I CARE Framework
Business is always personal — invest in the relationships that matter.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 78%
The I CARE Framework is Perell's approach to building business relationships on a personal level, grounded in her belief that business is always personal. Across companies she acquired in Tel Aviv, Tokyo, and Australia, she found that despite cultural differences, everyone is ultimately just people. The framework centers on investing in the relationships that matter — going the extra mile, often in person — to build the foundation of trust faster. She illustrates it with flying to Tel Aviv to meet leaders face-to-face, which changed everything. The payoff compounds over time as trust deepens and people know you will act in their best interest.
Origin
Perell developed the I CARE framework over 20 years and many companies, acquiring businesses in Tel Aviv, Tokyo, and Australia and learning that across all cultural differences, relationships and personal trust were what closed and sustained every deal.
Core principles
- 01Business is always personal — at the end of the day, everyone is just people.
- 02Trust takes time, so the goal is to build that foundation faster.
- 03Investing in relationships that matter pays dividends in the long run.
- 04In-person connection can change the entire trajectory of a deal.
- 05Great leaders invest in the people who work for them and help them rise.
How to run it
- 1
Invest the time
Put real, deliberate time into the relationships that matter most, treating relationship-building as a core business activity rather than an afterthought.
Pro tip Going the extra mile in person can change everything in a deal.
- 2
Understand and deepen the connection
Work to genuinely understand each person and deepen the personal connection, so trust can form faster than it otherwise would.
Pro tip Always ask how you can speed up the time it takes to build trust.
Watch out Trust cannot be rushed carelessly — it still requires genuine investment.
- 3
Act in their best interest
Demonstrate over time that you will look out for the other party's best interest even when you are not in the room, cementing a durable foundation of trust.
Pro tip Investing in people who work for you — even funding their future startups — deepens loyalty and reputation.
In the wild
When Perell acquired a company in Tel Aviv, she flew there in person to meet the leaders and develop a genuine personal connection rather than managing the relationship from California.
→ The in-person investment changed everything and built the trust that made the cross-cultural deal work.
Common mistakes
Believing business is not personal
Perell calls this her tenth and one of her biggest mistakes — anyone who tells you business is not personal is lying, and treating it as impersonal undermines the trust that deals depend on.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders and leaders doing cross-cultural deals, acquisitions, partnerships, and long-term team building.
Not ideal for
Purely transactional, one-off exchanges where no ongoing trust relationship is needed.
From the transcript
“The ability to really I care, which is invest in those relationships.”
“Business is always personal. That is the number 10 biggest mistake.”
From the episode
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