Exiteers – Details, episodes & analysis

Knowing how to survive is one thing, but knowing how to succeed is something completely different.
She wasn’t 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, she’s 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.com

Got a story to tell about your exit?Email us at ⁠⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠

-

More of Rachel Murphy

⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠

⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

⁠⁠X⁠⁠

⁠⁠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 through
• How to know if you are the right person to scale your business past 20–40 people
• The crushing emotional aftermath of selling a company and losing your purpose
• Why Stephen regrets the timing of his exit from Ascribe and how losing board control changed everything
• What founders must consider before they sell (hint: it’s not the number)
• Why his second exit - a wind farm company - was faster and more lucrative than his first
• How Evergreen Life is using AI, DNA and GP-linked data to add years to people's healthy life expectancy
• And why Stephen believes this UK tech company can rival the likes of Amazon and Google

This isn’t a story about success. It’s 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 below

LinkedIn

Got a story to tell about your exit?Email us at ⁠exiteerspodcast@gmail.com⁠

-

More of Rachel Murphy

⁠LinkedIn⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠X⁠

⁠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 “what now?”

You can follow more of Niraj below

https://www.linkedin.com/in/niraj5hah

nirajs.com

And 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 Murphy

LinkedIn

Instagram

X

The 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 Exiteers™️ come in. With over 10 businesses sold between them, Rachel Murphy got together with Exiteers™️, 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 exit

28:23 Caroline: The technical process of going through an exit

31:07 Earn outs with be challenging

32:26 James: The technical process of going through an exit

33:40 You've got to plan for after you exit

38:40 Motivations on Exit shift over time

39:57 Exit culture: USA vs UK

42:56 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

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

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

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

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

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

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