Alternative Exit

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Alternative Exit

Andy

55 episodes

1 week ago

Episode: Measuring What Matters - Jonathan Winchester on Customer and Employee Experience In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy sits down with Jonathan Winchester, CEO of Insight6, a customer experience specialist who keynoted at last year's conference with a memorable twist: he mystery shopped the audience. Key Takeaways: Jonathan brings a unique outside perspective to employee ownership. Insight6 helps businesses transform customer experience through six methods: mys...

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Entrepreneurship

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Episode: Measuring What Matters - Jonathan Winchester on Customer and Employee Experience In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy sits down with Jonathan Winchester, CEO of Insight6, a customer experience specialist who keynoted at last year's conference with a memorable twist: he mystery shopped the audience. Key Takeaways: Jonathan brings a unique outside perspective to employee ownership. Insight6 helps businesses transform customer experience through six methods: mys...

Show more...

Entrepreneurship

Episodes (20/55)

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #52 | Live from the EOA, Measuring What Matters - Jonathan Winchester on Customer and Employee Experience

Episode: Measuring What Matters - Jonathan Winchester on Customer and Employee Experience In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy sits down with Jonathan Winchester, CEO of Insight6, a customer experience specialist who keynoted at last year's conference with a memorable twist: he mystery shopped the audience. Key Takeaways: Jonathan brings a unique outside perspective to employee ownership. Insight6 helps businesses transform customer experience through six methods: mys...

1 week ago

23 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #51 | Live from the EOA, The Power of People - Andrew Lane on Building Real Employee Ownership at Union Industries

Episode: The Power of People - Andrew Lane on Building Real Employee Ownership at Union Industries In this high-energy live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy sits down with Andrew Lane, Managing Director of Union Industries, a Yorkshire-based manufacturer of high-speed industrial doors. If you've bought food from a supermarket, it's been through one of their doors somewhere in its life. Key Takeaways: Andrew brings a unique perspective: he led a failed employee ownership transi...

2 weeks ago

19 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #50 | Live from the EOA, Exploring Insights with Dr Shelley Poole from WellingtonHR

Episode: Building Ownership Culture from Day One - Shelley Poole on HR in Employee-Owned Businesses In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy talks with Shelley Poole, founder of Wellington HR, who started her business in 2019 with the intention from day one to grow it into an employee-owned business. She also conducted doctoral research on employee voice in EO organizations, making her uniquely positioned to bridge academic research and practical implementation. Key Takea...

2 weeks ago

26 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit # 49 | Live from the EOA, Unlocking Capital - Chris Walton from Shawbrook on Finance for Employee Ownership

In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy explores the critical but often overlooked piece of the employee ownership puzzle: access to capital. Chris Walton from Shawbrook, a specialist SME lender, explains why the UK's EO ecosystem has historically been underserved by finance and how that's changing. Key Takeaways: While the tax-free incentive has driven amazing growth in UK employee ownership, it's also created a significant barrier: many transitions rely entirely on def...

3 weeks ago

22 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #48 | Live from the EOA, Legacy Over Money - Catherine Cameron on Employee Ownership

In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy sits down with Catherine Cameron, founder of Agulhas (nobody can spell it, nobody can say it), a research and consulting firm specialising in climate change and conflict/fragility for international development. Five years into their employee ownership journey, Catherine shares why they chose legacy over a lucrative trade sale. Key Takeaways: Agulhas works with the World Bank, African Development Bank, Green Climate Fund, UK governm...

3 weeks ago

21 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #47 | Live from the EOA, Direct Ownership Done Wright - Michael Hodgson from GLIDE

In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy sits down with Michael Hodgson, elected chair of Glide, an employee-owned membership organization that holds shares across three manufacturing businesses: Gripple (wire joiners, £130M turnover), LoadHog (returnable transit packaging, £45M turnover), and GoTools (tooling manufacturer). Key Takeaways: Glide operates a direct ownership model that's different from most EOTs discussed at the conference. Every employee is required after ...

1 month ago

35 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit # 46 | Live from the EOA, The Middle of the Journey - Liam Toms on Grapevine's EO Evolution

Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by EOT Expert by Christian Wilson – providing technical expertise and compliance support for EOT transitions and ongoing governance. Learn more at eotexpert.co.uk In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy talks with Liam Toms, Communications and Engagement Manager at Grapevine, a managed service provider for IT and telecom services. Nearly three years into their employee ownership journey, Liam shares candid insights about being some...

1 month ago

27 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #45 | Transformative Impact: Exploring Employee Ownership with Campbell Mcdonald

What does it really take to make employee ownership work? In this episode, I talk with Campbell McDonald, one of the UK’s leading experts on employee ownership and managing director of the Eternal Business Consultancy. With 14 years in the EO space—from his early days at the John Lewis Partnership to leading the landmark 2023 EO Knowledge Programme—Campbell brings unmatched insight into what truly drives successful EO businesses. We break down what the data shows about EO’s transformative imp...

1 month ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #34 | Tiara Letourneau on Innovative Finance and Employee Ownership

What does it take to build an entirely new employee ownership ecosystem from the ground up? In this episode, I sit down with Tiara Letourneau, co-founder and CEO of Rewrite Capital and board chair of Employee Ownership Canada, to explore how she's architecting Canada's emerging EOT market. With a Master's in Finance from Cambridge and a background in climate finance and impact investing, Tiara brings a unique lens to employee ownership—one focused on creating excellent companies, not just e...

1 month ago

58 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #43 | Exploring the Benefits of Employee Ownership with Frank Cetera

What does it mean to truly live the values of shared ownership? In this episode, I sit down with Frank Cetera, Director of the Business Transfers Program at the Democracy at Work Institute, to explore his journey from a union household to becoming a national leader in employee ownership transitions. Frank shares how early experiences with workers' rights shaped his career helping businesses transition to worker cooperatives, ESOPs, and other employee ownership models. We dive into the practic...

1 month ago

40 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #42 | Eric Strickland on Employee Ownership & Innovation

What happens when you combine employee ownership with human services? In this episode, I sit down with Eric Strickland, CEO of Three Ls—a purpose-driven group of 18 employee-owned companies with nearly 700 employee owners across five states. Eric shares his 20-year journey from CFO to CEO, including the rare "ESOP-to-ESOP" transaction that launched Three Ls and his innovative approach to building employee wealth through vertical integration. We explore how Eric thinks about employee ownership...

1 month ago

49 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #41 | Redefining Succession: Embracing Employee Ownership with David Owen

In this episode of Alternative Exit, Andy Farquharson sits down with legal industry veteran David Owen (formerly CEO of Oliver & Co Solicitors) to unpack the real-world exit journeys from law practice, the shift to employee ownership, and why the toughest deals often happen internally. We dive into leadership, succession strategy, emotional and financial components of exiting a professional services business, and how to position yourself well ahead of the sell or transition day. David sha...

2 months ago

41 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #40 |The Data Behind Employee Owned Success with Rutgers' Adria Scharf

What drives a founder to sell their company to employees instead of outside investors? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Adria Scharf, Project Director of the Curriculum Library for Employee Ownership (CLEO) at Rutgers University, to explore her groundbreaking research on what motivates business owners to choose employee ownership as their exit path. Adria shares insights from her ongoing study of ESOP sellers, unpacks the emotional and economic logic behind these decisions, and reflects o...

2 months ago

39 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #39 | The Power of EOTs: Creating 3,500 Employee Owners with Christian Wilson

What does it really take to transition a business to employee ownership—and what happens after you sign on the dotted line? In this episode, I sit down with Christian Wilson, a specialist solicitor with over 25 years of experience in business law and employee ownership. Christian has helped more than 62 companies transition to Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs), creating 3,500 employee owners across businesses valued at over £450 million. He shares the legal, emotional, and practical realities ...

3 months ago

42 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #38 | Karen McGuire's Succession: A Deep Dive Into Employee Ownership in Northern Ireland

What happens when personal loss becomes the catalyst for transformative business change? In this episode, I sit down with Karen McGuire, founder of Relinea, a successful GRP manufacturing company in Northern Ireland that transitioned to employee ownership in 2022. Karen shares her deeply personal journey from building a business over 17 years to making the brave decision to hand it over to her employees after her father's death changed everything. Her story reveals how employee ownershi...

3 months ago

53 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #37 | Redesigning Capitalism : How Share Tribe Built A Purpose-First Company

What happens when a tech startup realizes that traditional venture capital doesn't align with its mission to democratize platform ownership? In this episode, I sit down with Juho Makkonen, co-founder and CEO of Sharetribe, a Finnish marketplace-building platform that made the bold transition from venture-backed startup to steward-owned company in 2018. Juho shares how a chance encounter at a post-Burning Man event sparked a structural revolution that would preserve Sharetribe's independence a...

3 months ago

44 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #36 | Building Legacy Through Employee Ownership: A Conversation with Robert Postlethwaite

What drives a successful corporate lawyer to abandon the mainstream legal world and dedicate their career to democratizing business ownership? In this episode, I sit down with Robert Postlethwaite, partner and managing director of Postlethwaite Solicitors and author of The Employee Ownership Manual. Robert shares his transformation from traditional M&A lawyer to becoming one of the UK's most prominent experts in employee ownership trusts, having guided over 200 companies through the trans...

3 months ago

39 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #35 | From 15 to 340: How Scotland Built a Global EO Powerhouse

How do you transform an entire country's approach to business succession? In this episode, I sit down with Glen Dott, a specialist advisor in employee ownership at Cooperative Development Scotland, part of Scottish Enterprise. Glen shares the remarkable story of how Scotland went from having just 15 employee-owned businesses to over 340 in less than a decade, making it a global leader in the EO movement. We explore the pivotal role of the Nuttall Review in 2014, the psychology behind why busi...

4 months ago

42 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #34 | The Future of Employee Ownership and Financial Wellness | John Hoffmire

What happens when a 9-year-old's sense of justice grows into a $2.2 billion investment banking career dedicated to employee ownership? In this episode, I sit down with John Hoffmire, research associate at Oxford's Center for Mutual and Co-owned Business and founder of an investment banking firm that facilitated massive ESOP transactions. John shares his unconventional journey from working with displaced farm workers in California to becoming a leading voice in employee ownership finance, rev...

4 months ago

42 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit #33 | Employee Ownership vs. Traditional Capitalism: Insights from Ian Hiscock

What happens when you flip the traditional business pyramid upside down? In this episode, I sit down with Ian Hiscock, founder of IHC Limited and a seasoned voice in the UK employee ownership sector. After 30 years at the iconic John Lewis Partnership, Ian now helps companies navigate the complex transition to employee ownership as an independent trustee and advisor. He shares the psychological shifts, leadership challenges, and cultural transformations that make employee ownership work—or ...

4 months ago

44 minutes