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.
You'd assume selling your business means a big cash number lands in your account and you ride off into the sunset. Charlotte Talmage is living proof that isn't always how it goes.Charlotte built Uuna, a change management consultancy, from £1.2 million to £2.8 million in three years, working with clients like Oxford University Press and Hays. Then she sold it to Cooper Parry, the UK's largest B Corp accountancy. Most of that deal was equity, not cash. In between, near burnout, a lot of Reiki, and a business named after the Latin word for together, because Charlotte built it on partnership rather than doing it all herself.Honest, values-led, and a genuinely useful masterclass in what to get in order before you even think about selling.
📖 Charlotte’s book recommendation: Wintering by Katherine May (https://www.waterstones.com/book/wintering/katherine-may/9781846045998)
Follow Charlotte on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-talmage)
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Thinking about your own exit? Start with the Exit Readiness Scorecard before The Grafter's full business diagnostic. scorecard.thegrafter.com (https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode&utm_campaign=charlotte_talmage)
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Find Rachel Murphy:
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/), Instagram (instagram.com/thegraft3r) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grafter)
More on what The Grafter does: https://thegrafter.com (https://thegrafter.com)
10 Aug 2026
Two People Knew. Now You Do Too.
Everyone assumes selling your business for millions fixes everything. Tim Armoo is here to tell you it doesn't.
Tim sold his first business at 17. He sold Fanbytes, his influencer marketing agency, for eight figures at 27. Then he tells Rachel what actually happened next: an empty diary, a breakup, and a panic attack that led to an ADHD, OCD and Tourette's diagnosis he'd never spoken about publicly.
What you'll get from this one:Growing up between Ghana and a South London council estateHow a maths tutoring hustle at 14 turned into a £110k exit at 17The phone call that accidentally built FanbytesWhy the money doesn't fix what you think it willTim's top 3 pieces of advice before you sell up
Honest, occasionally filthy, and one open appeal for Tim's future girlfriend to get in touch.
Tim's book: What's Stopping You? (https://www.waterstones.com/book/whats-stopping-you/timothy-armoo/9780241719220)
Follow Tim on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyarmoo/) | Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/timarmoo/ )
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Thinking about your own exit? Start with the Exit Readiness Scorecard before The Grafter's full business diagnostic. scorecard.thegrafter.com (https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode&utm_campaign=timarmo)
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Find Rachel Murphy:
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/), Instagram (instagram.com/thegraft3r) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grafter)
More on what The Grafter does: https://thegrafter.com (https://thegrafter.com)
9 Jul 2026
Charlie Norton: The £1 Business Deal Gone Wrong
Charlie Norton has bought, built and exited businesses since he was a teenager but nothing prepared him for the eight weeks he spent trying to turn around a haulage company he bought for £1.
In this episode, Charlie (CEO of VAMOS Business Transfer) walks through his path from setting up a tag rugby coaching business at 14, his first leveraged buyout at 21 with an overdrawn bank account, to the multi-million pound exit that changed his life. And let's not forget the deal in between that ended with the former owners turning up at his office with an angle grinder.
We also get into why Charlie thinks the word "broker" has become a dirty word in the industry, why he's built VAMOS and True Value to fix that, and the one piece of advice he'd give his 20-year-old self.
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Thinking about your own exit? Start with the Exit Readiness Scorecard before The Grafter's full business diagnostic. scorecard.thegrafter.com (https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/)
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Find Rachel Murphy:
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/), Instagram (instagram.com/thegraft3r) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grafter)
More on what The Grafter does: https://thegrafter.com (https://thegrafter.com)
4 Jun 2026
Roei Samuel: Sold at 26, And It Didn't Fix Me
Roei Samuel sold his first company at 26 and became a millionaire overnight. By his own account it didn't fix a single thing he thought it would.
He sits down with Rachel to talk about the burnout, the self-medication, being 120 days sober, and why the feeling of being enough never showed up the day the deal closed. Then the business he's building now, Connectd, and his case that full-time employment has stopped meaning safety.
Find Roei Samuel on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/roei-samuel) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/roeisam)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thinking about your own exit? Start with the Exit Readiness Scorecard before The Grafter's full business diagnostic. scorecard.thegrafter.com (https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/)
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Find Rachel Murphy:
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/), Instagram (instagram.com/thegraft3r) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@the.grafter)
More on what The Grafter does: https://thegrafter.com (https://thegrafter.com)
6 May 2026
Stop Renting AI. Start Owning It.
Most AI rollouts don't move the P&L. Here's why, and what to do instead.
Rachel Murphy is joined by Ben Ford: technologist, ex-Royal Marine, and co-founder of Grafter AI. Ben taught himself Python on a boat to Iraq in 2003, has built national platforms, and ran Mission Control rebuilding internal systems for founders before ChatGPT 3.5 even launched.
This conversation is for founders running £3m to £30m businesses who are sick of being told to roll out Copilot and call it a strategy. We get into why generic AI tools don't shift your margin, the unit economics shift that just made bespoke software cheaper than buying SaaS, and how Grafter AI builds tech that lives on your balance sheet, not someone else's.
Grafter AI is the new service from The Grafter, built for founders who want AI working inside their P&L. Not bolted on top of their stack. We map your business, find the work eating your margin, and build the tech that makes it disappear. You own it from day one.
Join the waitlist: thegrafter.ai (https://thegrafter.ai?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode&utm_campaign=benford)
Follow Ben on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/commandodev/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/commandodev/)
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Not sure where you stand on exit readiness?
Take The Grafter's free Exit Readiness Scorecard: https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/ (https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode&utm_campaign=benford)
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Find Rachel Murphy:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/)
Instagram: instagram.com/thegraft3r
Website: https://thegrafter.com (https://thegrafter.com?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=episode&utm_campaign=benford)
__________________________________________________________This podcast episode was produced by Jo Brown and The Grafter
8 Apr 2026
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 admits
Partial exits: what they look like and why they're not second best
Hiring an MD and feeling unleashed
The 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/
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Not sure where you stand on exit readiness?
Take The Grafter's free Exit Readiness Scorecard: https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/ (https://scorecard.thegrafter.com/)
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Find Rachel Murphy:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-murphy-thegrafter/)
Instagram: instagram.com/thegraft3r
Website: https://thegrafter.com (https://thegrafter.com)
6 Mar 2026
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
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Got a story to tell about your exit? Email us at exiteerspodcast@gmail.com (mailto:exiteerspodcast@gmail.com)
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More of Rachel Murphy
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachthegrafter/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rach040478/)
X (https://x.com/rachmurph)
The Grafter (thegrafter.com)
10 Dec 2025
Andrew Hulbert: I sold my business for $100m
Andrew Hulbert discusses launching and exiting his facilities management business, Pareto, with Rachel Murphy, revealing the intense buyout process and the realities of rapid growth in this interview.
21 Nov 2025
Rachel Murphy: The relentlessness needed to build a successful business
Rachel Murphy discusses building a million-pound business, navigating personal trauma, and selling a business for eight figures in an interview with Sally Wynter, revealing the realities of leadership.
4 Nov 2025
Rachel Murphy: £13m exits, sobriety, & starting again
Rachel Murphy discusses her entrepreneurial journey, including a £13.3m exit and her experiences with sobriety, in an interview with Sally Wynter that reveals the realities of business and personal transformation.
4 Oct 2025
Sam Alsop-Hall: Building fast, building big!
Sam Alsop-Hall discusses building Clive Henry Group during the pandemic, sharing insights on rapid scaling, diversification, and prioritizing purpose over profit in this interview with Rachel Murphy.
5 Sept 2025
Phil Telfer: Breaking rules can lead to innovation
Host Rachel Murphy interviews Phil Telfer, a tech agency founder, about how breaking rules fuels innovation and navigating the realities of UK entrepreneurship.
4 Aug 2025
Gareth Hawkins: Government support for SMEs is lacking!
Gareth Hawkins shares his journey from sales to CEO with Rachel Murphy, highlighting the need for improved government support for SMEs and discussing his venture, BizCrunch, in this interview.
3 Jul 2025
Kathryn Strachan: I almost lost everything
Kathryn Strachan discusses her journey of scaling CopyHouse, transitioning from practitioner to CEO, and the emotional challenges of leadership, burnout, and prioritizing personal well-being in an interview with Rachel Murphy.
4 Jun 2025
Sally Wynter: I want to level the playing field
Entrepreneur Sally Wynter shares her journey of building a CBD-infused gin brand to a successful exit without funding or connections, highlighting reinvention and risk-taking in this interview with Rachel Murphy.
4 May 2025
Stephen Critchlow: How Selling My Business Made Me Feel Lost – Until I Found My Real Purpose
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 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-critchlow-a394b18a/)
Got a story to tell about your exit?Email us at exiteerspodcast@gmail.com (mailto:exiteerspodcast@gmail.com)
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More of Rachel Murphy
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachthegrafter/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rach040478/)
X (https://x.com/rachmurph)
The Grafter (thegrafter.com)
4 Apr 2025
Niraj Shah: The Truth About Life After an Exit
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 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/niraj5hah)
nirajs.com (nirajs.com)
And his book recommend - Exit Strategy by Sherry & Rob Walling (https://exitstrategybook.com/) let us know what you think!
Got a story to tell about your exit?Email us at exiteerspodcast@gmail.com (mailto:exiteerspodcast@gmail.com)
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More of Rachel Murphy
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachthegrafter/)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rach040478/)
X (https://x.com/rachmurph)
The Grafter (thegrafter.com)
3 Mar 2025
The 3 Exiteers™️: Dissecting the anatomy of an Exit
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
Who has been a guest on Exiteers
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Andrew Hulbert
Sam Alsop-Hall
Phil Telfer
Gareth Hawkins
Kathryn Strachan
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
6,482
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
10
Social presence
94
YouTube
68
Engagement
0
Contact Exiteers
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Exiteers
Who hosts Exiteers?
Rachel Murphy and Sally Wynter host the show. Published by Exiteers.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Exiteers take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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