EP 105: From CEO to Employee: The Hardest Pivot of a Founder’s Career

$100M Exits with Jason Kirby · Feb 12, 2026 · 38m

From building a booming business overseas to being forced to start over, this is the founder journey most people never talk about.

James Rose built and scaled an online furniture company during a massive property boom in Eastern Europe—only to see it nearly collapse during the global financial crisis. After years as an entrepreneur, he was forced to swallow his pride, re-enter the job market, and rebuild through sales and leadership roles.

In this episode, James shares the unfiltered reality of going from founder to employee—and back again. He breaks down how sales became his lifeline, why…