Join us as Phil Telfer talks about the gritty reality of UK entrepreneurship! From battling policy hurdles to seizing global markets, Phil's journey from tech agency founder to industry leader is packed with insights. Discover the secrets to thriving in a challenging economic climate and why collaboration is key. Don't miss this conversation between Rachel and Phil on the current UK business landscape!You can follow Phil here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-telfer/______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Do you truly know where you are and where you're going with your business?Start with your Founders Scale Readiness Assessment. A quick diagnostic to understand where you are on the journey from founder-dependent to systematically scalableđ https://founders-assessment.thegrafter.com/______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ready to create your business value?Our GREAT programme (Grow Raise Exit Acquire Transform) is a strategic business growth strategy and planning service designed for founders of ÂŁ1-10M companies ready to create their business value and start planning for their next chapterGuided Programme â Work directly with our Exiteers⢠for personalised strategy and hands-on support over a 12 month periodSelf-Service Programme â Access our complete framework and resources to prepare at your own pace, in your own timeFind out more đ https://thegrafter.com/services/great/______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at â â â â â exiteerspodcast@gmail.comâ â â â â -More of Rachel Murphyâ â â â â LinkedInâ â â â â â â â â â Instagramâ â â â â â â â â â Xâ â â â â â â â â â The Grafter
In this conversation, Gareth shares his extensive journey from sales to successful CEO, detailing the pivotal moments and lessons learned during his career. Gareth and Rach talk about the challenges of scaling through acquisitions and the emotional impact of exiting a business. He talks to his current venture, BizCrunch, which aims to innovate the process of buying and selling businesses, and reflects on the need for better government support for SMEs in the UK.You can follow Gareth here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gareth-hawkins/His latest business BizCrunch: https://www.bizcrunch.co/Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at â â â â exiteerspodcast@gmail.comâ â â â -More of Rachel Murphyâ â â â LinkedInâ â â â â â â â Instagramâ â â â â â â â Xâ â â â â â â â The Grafter
Kathryn Strachan started CopyHouse in 2020. This was weeks away from a global pandemic kicking off. What began as a solo venture quickly scaled into a content marketing agency with 32 team members and over ÂŁ2 million in revenue. But behind the scenes of that rapid growth was a founder learning to let go, to lead, and eventually, to walk away.In this conversation, Kathryn shares how she shifted from practitioner to CEO and built a team that could operate without her. She talks openly about burnout, identity loss, and what happens when your life's work is no longer yours - no one talks about the emotional fallout! Now an author of Scaling Success, she reflects on the lessons that matter most: building intentionally and prioritising what should really count and that's your personal relationships and yourself.You can follow and reach out to Kathryn here: www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-strachan/Her book, Scaling Success from Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/a2HyZHoGot a story to tell about your exit? Email us at â â â exiteerspodcast@gmail.comâ â â -More of Rachel Murphyâ â â LinkedInâ â â â â â Instagramâ â â â â â Xâ â â â â â The Grafter
Knowing how to survive is one thing, but knowing how to succeed is something completely different.She wasnât handed a network, a mentor, or a safety net. What she was given? Grit. Hunger. And a stubborn refusal to accept her circumstances.At 24, Sally Wynter went from the idea of creating the first CBD-infused gin to a 7-figure exit in less than a year. This was all without funding, connections, or a clue how the drinks industry worked.Since selling the brand, sheâs taken that same fire into recruitment, building a business that defies convention and puts people first.This is a story about reinvention, risk-taking, and rewriting the rules of what success has to look like.You can follow and reach out to Sally here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-wynter/www.askhunch.comhello@sallywynter.comGot a story to tell about your exit?Email us at â â exiteerspodcast@gmail.comâ â -More of Rachel Murphyâ â LinkedInâ â â â Instagramâ â â â Xâ â â â The Grafter
Stephen Critchlow built and sold not just one, but two companies. One to a major healthcare software firm, and another that developed wind farms. Both were highly profitable exits. But what happened after the sale?In this powerful and honest conversation, Rachel and Stephen explore the real story behind the headlines: what it feels like to walk away from a company you've poured decades of your life into, the identity crisis that can follow, and why the biggest exit of your life might leave you feeling completely empty.Together, they dive into:What Stephen calls the Bermuda Triangle of Business Growth and why most companies never make it throughHow to know if you are the right person to scale your business past 20â40 peopleThe crushing emotional aftermath of selling a company and losing your purposeWhy Stephen regrets the timing of his exit from Ascribe and how losing board control changed everythingWhat founders must consider before they sell (hint: itâs not the number)Why his second exit - a wind farm company - was faster and more lucrative than his firstHow Evergreen Life is using AI, DNA and GP-linked data to add years to people's healthy life expectancyAnd why Stephen believes this UK tech company can rival the likes of Amazon and GoogleThis isnât a story about success. Itâs a story about intention. About building something that matters, walking away too soon, and then finding the clarity to start again, with purpose at the centre.You can follow more of Stephen belowLinkedInGot a story to tell about your exit?Email us at â exiteerspodcast@gmail.comâ -More of Rachel Murphyâ LinkedInâ â Instagramâ â Xâ â The Grafter
Niraj Shah has been on both sides of the deal table with building, buying, and selling businesses across real estate, wellness, and technology. In this episode, he sits down with Rachel to share what it really feels like to go through an exit - emotionally, financially, and personally.From suffering a stroke at 30 that changed the course of his life, to exiting a wellness business that was deeply tied to his identity, Niraj opens up about the wins, the regrets, and the moments of âwhat now?âYou can follow more of Niraj belowhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/niraj5hahnirajs.comAnd his book recommend - Exit Strategy by Sherry & Rob Walling let us know what you think!Got a story to tell about your exit?Email us at exiteerspodcast@gmail.com-More of Rachel MurphyLinkedInInstagramXThe Grafter
Here in the UK, we don't talk about money and we certainly don't talk about planning to sell our businesses. You may not have even thought about selling but if you're running your own business, succession and exit plans are necessary.Being approached by another company wanting to buy what you've built happens all the time and that's where the Exiteersâ˘ď¸ come in. With over 10 businesses sold between them, Rachel Murphy got together with Exiteersâ˘ď¸, Caroline Carruthers, and James Gairdner, to dissect the anatomy of an Exit - what does it really entail and what should you be looking out for?Jumped to your burning questions:05:20 Key defining moments in business (COVID!)25:50 Rachel: The technical process of going through an exit28:23 Caroline: The technical process of going through an exit31:07 Earn outs with be challenging32:26 James: The technical process of going through an exit33:40 You've got to plan for after you exit38:40 Motivations on Exit shift over time39:57 Exit culture: USA vs UK42:56 Question time: how has recent volatility (Brexit/Covid/Trump) altered valuations & do buyers take this into account?49:05 Question time: what would you do differently next time around in selling a business?Got a story to tell about your exit?Email us at exiteerspodcast@gmail.com