Exiteers

Exiteers

5.0 (3)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
MONTHLY

Join serial entrepreneur and founder of The Grafter, Rachel Murphy, as she invites business leaders to sit down and talk about achieving successful exits in business. Who are they and what drove them to their success? Subscribe, listen, and find out.

6 DAYS AGO

She got ghosted by her buyers. Then did it her way. | Caroline Carruthers

Caroline Carruthers was the first female Chief Data Officer in the UK. She built Carruthers & Jackson from a book and a summer school into a thriving data consultancy. And along the way, found herself in the middle of an exit process she never asked for. In this episode, Rachel and Caroline talk about what it actually feels like to be courted by acquirers, why expensive advice isn't always good advice, and what happened when Caroline got ghosted mid-process by the people who wanted to buy. They also dig into why Caroline chose a partial exit over a full one and what changed when she finally got clear on what she actually wanted. Honest, funny, and completely unfiltered. In this episode: Why Caroline never thought of herself as an entrepreneur (and still doesn't, really)Getting ghosted during an exit process and why it's more common than anyone admitsPartial exits: what they look like and why they're not second bestHiring an MD and feeling unleashedThe emotional side of selling your business and why nobody talks about it Follow Caroline on https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-carruthers-22b9423/ Buy her books https://carruthersandjackson.com/thought-leadership-our-books/ __________________________________________________________ Not sure where you stand on exit readiness? Take The Grafter's free Exit Readiness Scorecard: https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/ __________________________________________________________ Find Rachel Murphy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/ Instagram: instagram.com/thegraft3r Website: https://thegrafter.com

29 min
6 MAR

From Health Tech PR Founder to Exit & Beyond | Holly Tennock | Exiteers Podcast

What happens when a journalist with a gift for storytelling builds a PR agency in one of the fastest-moving sectors in healthcare and then walks away from it all? Holly Tennock joins the Exiteers Podcast to tell her story. Starting out as an NHS trainee and economics journalist, Holly discovered she had a rare ability to take complex, dry subject matter and turn it into stories that resonated with real people. That skill took her from the European Parliament press office to founding Journalista, a health tech PR agency that punched well above its weight. Over ten years she grew the business to a team of twelve, won industry awards, landed front-page stories in the national press, and worked with clients like Doctor Foster who were genuinely changing how the NHS delivered care. She did all of this while raising two young children. Holly opens up about recognising her own limitations as a founder and why that led to selling the business. She talks candidly about completing the deal in just three months, the physical and emotional fallout that followed. This is a raw and honest conversation about entrepreneurship, motherhood, mental health, identity after exit, and finding what comes next. Find Holly on LinkedIn or email holly@wild.work ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - More of Rachel Murphy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Grafter

46 min
21/11/2025

Rachel Murphy: The relentlessness needed to build a successful business

This episode is a rollercoaster, emotionally and professionally. Rachel Murphy returns for Part 2 of her Exiteers conversation with Sally Wynter, and this time, she goes even deeper. From building her first million-pound business in a year, watching her teenage stepdaughter fight for life in an ICU, to helping 41 businesses grow, raise, or exit with real ROI - it's what real leadership looks like. We talk: Why she believes the U.S. is the next frontier for The Grafter How Charlotte’s life-threatening illness shaped her entire legacy What it really takes to sell a business for 8 figures And the brutal reality of building a business through personal trauma Rachel is bold, brilliant, vulnerable, and fiercely human. This is a story about survival, impact, and what it means to lead with heart. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Want to stop guessing and start growing?Join The Grafter community, built by exited founders for the ambitious ones. Whether you’re scaling, raising or planning your next chapter, The Grafter gives you clarity, community, and expertise you can trust.Join the community now 👉 https://thegrafter.com/community ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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 scalable👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://founders-assessment.thegrafter.com/⁠⁠⁠ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - More of Rachel Murphy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Grafter

43 min
04/11/2025

Rachel Murphy: £13m exits, sobriety, & starting again

In this episode of Exiteers™️, the first of a two-parter, the mic is flipped. Rachel Murphy, known for building and exiting multiple businesses, steps into the hot seat as former guest Sally Wynter takes over the questions. What follows is a raw, honest look into Rachel’s journey, from founding her first company in her 20s, a £13.3m exit, to running The Grafter today. But it’s not all business. Rachel opens up about why she moved to Spain and how sobriety has changed every part of her life. She shares the reality of being 11.5 years sober, including the heartbreak of losing friends in recovery, and what it means to be truly relentless in business, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Want to stop guessing and start growing?Join The Grafter community, built by exited founders for the ambitious ones. Whether you’re scaling, raising or planning your next chapter, The Grafter gives you clarity, community, and expertise you can trust.Join the community now 👉 https://thegrafter.com/community ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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 scalable👉 ⁠⁠https://founders-assessment.thegrafter.com/⁠⁠ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - More of Rachel Murphy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Grafter

45 min
04/10/2025

Sam Alsop-Hall: Building fast, building big!

Sam Alsop-Hall co-founded Clive Henry group at the height of a global pandemic. No plan B in place, just a bold idea and relentless focus. Named after their grandfathers, the business went on to become the second fastest growing company in the UK. But behind the headlines was a journey of late nights, hard calls, and lessons LinkedIn barely touches with honesty. In this episode, Sam joins Rachel Murphy to share what scaling at pace really looks like, why diversification matters, and how purpose over profit, is shaping where he goes next. They talk resilience, risk, and what happens when the business you build starts to outgrow your original plans. For founders, investors, and anyone rethinking what success actually means, this one's worth a listen. You can follow Sam on LinkedIn ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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 scalable👉 ⁠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 £1-10M companies ready to create their business value and start planning for their next chapter Guided Programme – Work directly with our Exiteers™ for personalised strategy and hands-on support over a 12 month period Self-Service Programme – Access our complete framework and resources to prepare at your own pace, in your own time Find out more 👉 ⁠https://thegrafter.com/services/great/⁠ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - More of Rachel Murphy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Grafter

40 min
05/09/2025

Phil Telfer: Breaking rules can lead to innovation

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 scalable👉 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 £1-10M companies ready to create their business value and start planning for their next chapter Guided Programme – Work directly with our Exiteers™ for personalised strategy and hands-on support over a 12 month period Self-Service Programme – Access our complete framework and resources to prepare at your own pace, in your own time Find out more 👉 https://thegrafter.com/services/great/ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - More of Rachel Murphy ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Grafter

41 min
04/08/2025

Gareth Hawkins: Government support for SMEs is lacking!

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ - More of Rachel Murphy ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Grafter

47 min
03/07/2025

Kathryn Strachan: I almost lost everything

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 £2 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/a2HyZHo Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ - More of Rachel Murphy ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠The Grafter

47 min

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

Join serial entrepreneur and founder of The Grafter, Rachel Murphy, as she invites business leaders to sit down and talk about achieving successful exits in business. Who are they and what drove them to their success? Subscribe, listen, and find out.

Creator

Exiteers
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

13
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Exiteers
Show Website

Exiteers