Shows / Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit is a dedicated to educating small business owners about the possibilities, benefits, and challenges of transitioning to an employee ownership model.
There are over 200m SMEs with an owner who will be retiring in the next 10 years, many of which will never find a buyer for their business, forcing them to close their doors.
There is an alternative. This show will explore various the different forms of employee ownership and best practices for successful transitions.
Each episode…
Episodes
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #73 | From "Dogs on Leads" to 100% Employee-Owned | Monica O'Malley
In 2012, Monica’s boss told her he treated his staff “like dogs on leads.” That conversation shaped everything she built after it. Monica started in dentistry…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #72 | Private Equity Where the Exit Is to Employees. Brittany Brown, CoRise Capital
Earlier this year, Brittany Brown left a career across corporate finance, venture capital and private equity to build one thing: a fund whose job is to create…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #71 | The Jerry Maguire Letter That Started an EOT with Aaron Schroeder
In 2022, Aaron Schroeder sat down after work and wrote what he calls his “Jerry Maguire letter” to his team. In it he committed to moving Brightspot Climate…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #70 | Eleven Years to an Overnight Success | Andreas Jørgensen, Demokratisk Erhverv
Two years ago Denmark had almost no employee-owned companies. Since then it has passed employee ownership legislation (in force 1 January 2026), launched…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #69 | The Finish Line She Didn't Want to Cross | Shannon Litton, 3LS
About the episode: Shannon co-founded 5by5, a Nashville marketing agency that made the Inc. 5000 list in five of its first seven eligible years. As private…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #68 | It Took a Strike To Give the Company Away | Sam Boustred, Scott Bader
am Boustred, Chair of the Global Members' Board, Scott Bader (Wollaston, UK) Scott Bader went employee owned in 1951, 63 years before the Employee Ownership…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #67 | It Feels Too Good To Be True….but It Is | Kevin Franks, novo hair
In 1980 Kevin walked out of his accountancy studies to cut hair. Three years later he opened his first salon in Southend with five chairs and a £1,000…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #66 | Returns & Purpose on a Level Playing Field | Monarch's Katie & Michael
Our first ever double episode. 🎧 Andy sits down with both founders of Monarch Investment Partners to explore the question at the heart of employee ownership…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #65 | He Bought a 94 yo Business, Then Gave It to the Team | Bob Whalen, HB Global
Bob Whalen walked into a 94-year-old, third-generation family business in 2008 and, within two years, transitioned it to a 100% ESOP. What started as a way to…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #64 | 400+ Transitions Later: What Actually Makes EO Work
After 400+ employee ownership transitions and over two decades in the space, Ewan Hall has seen what works and what doesn't. In this episode, he walks Andy…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #63 | No Silver Bullet, But There Is Magic in EO | Joseph Cureton, Sarvis Health
Joseph Cureton spent nearly a decade building Obran Cooperative, the first worker-owned cooperative holding company in the US. In 2025, he exited and started…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #62 | From Fortune 500 to EO: why Kevin Clegg bet on his people & doubled profits
What happens when a CEO with over a decade in Fortune 500 companies returns to a family auto business and insists from day one that any exit must benefit the…
Alternative ExitSleeping Giant: How One MD Tripled Revenue Through Employee Ownership | Colin Wade, Chemco
What happens when you stop looking for a younger version of yourself and start fixing what's actually broken? Colin Wade tripled revenue at a Scottish coatings…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #60 | Three Dimensions of Ownership: Purpose, Profit & Power | Mark Hand
What if every business owner played a different game? Mark Hand has spent his career asking that question, first in community development in Latin America…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #59 | The Danish Blueprint: How to Pass Employee Ownership Laws w Andreas Jørgensen
On 1st January 2026, Denmark made history. For the first time, the country passed dedicated legislation creating a vehicle for employee ownership — the EOC, or…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #58 | A 40M Owner Vision Through Employee Ownership& EtA | Michael Morosi
What if the most powerful way to create employee owners wasn't one company at a time - but through strategic acquisitions? Michael Morosi is proving that…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #57 | Closing the $10 Trillion Wealth Gap with Employee Ownership with Noelle Lentz
Episode Summary: What if the solution to America's wealth inequality crisis was hiding in plain sight? Noelle Lentz is mobilising millions in capital…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #56 | The Intersection of ETA and Employee Ownership w Geoffrey Easterling
Keywords Employee Ownership, ETA, ESOP, Acquisition, Leadership, Business Strategy, Employee Engagement, Company Culture, Value Creation, Business Transition…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #53 | Live from the EOA, Employee ownership, inequality, and Denmark’s quiet revolution
In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy sits down withIn this live episode from the Employee Ownership Association Conference in Telford…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #44 | 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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 3TLs—a purpose-driven group of…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
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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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
Alternative ExitAlternative 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…
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Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership Series - Day 3
Host Andy Farquharson closes out Day 3 of the Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership with quick hits from the field. From the human side of ownership and…
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Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership Series - Day 2
Join Andy Farquharson as he hosts a special series live from the Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership. Day two was filled with deep dives into various forms…
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Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership Series - Day 1
Join us as we delve into the highlights of the Employee Ownership Symposium, featuring insights from industry leaders like Karen McGuire, Chair of Employee…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #32 | The Honest Truth about Employee Ownership: Lesson from Founder Turned Advisor
What happens when a founder realizes they're no longer the most passionate person in the room about their business's future? In this episode, I sit down with…
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Alternative Exit #31 | How to Exit Without Leaving: Tim Rettig’s Playbook for Purposeful Ownership
Alternative Exit #031 | How to Exit Without Leaving: Tim Rettig’s Playbook for Purposeful Ownership What happens when you witness the worst possible exit…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #30 | From Ownership to Legacy: Barry Horner’s Journey to Employee Empowerment
What happens when a traditional exit strategy feels like value destruction rather than creation? In this episode, I sit down with Barry Horner, co-founder and…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #29 | The Exit That Gives Back: Mike Brady on Selling Without Selling Out
What happens when a strategy consultant turns social entrepreneur and then becomes a champion for employee ownership? In this episode, I sit down with Mike…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #28 | Building an Ownership Culture with Dr. Ellen Frank-Miller
Episode Summary: In this episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, Andy Farquharson is joined by Dr. Ellen Frank-Miller, a seasoned expert in workforce research…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #27 | From Awareness to Action: Scaling EO Through Tech and Trust
Episode Summary: What if small business owners could explore employee ownership with clarity, confidence, and tools built just for them? In this episode, I’m…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #26 | Leading with Heart: Arabella Lewis-Smith on the Power of EO
What does it take to let go of your business—and hand it over to your team? In this episode, I sit down with Arabella Lewis-Smith, founder and managing…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #25 | Turning Scraps into Soil and Shared Power: The Rust Belt Riders Story
Episode Summary: Ever wondered what it really takes to turn a grassroots composting hustle into a thriving, worker-owned enterprise? This conversation with…
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Alternative Exit #24 | Unlocking the Donut Economy Through Employee Ownership
Episode Summary: In today’s episode of The Alternative Exit, I’m joined by Erinch Sahan, Business and Enterprise Lead at the Donut Economics Action Lab. Erinch…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #23 | From Employee to Owner: Igniting the Entrepreneurial Mindset
Episode Summary: Today’s episode offers a fresh perspective—from the employee’s seat. I’m joined by the brilliant and energetic Sam Moles, who brings a…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #22 | Building a European Future Through Employee Ownership
Episode Summary: In this episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Tej Gonza—researcher, author, and co-founder of the Institute for Economic…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #21 | Scaling Employee Ownership, One State at a Time
Episode Summary: For today's episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, I'm joined by Steve Storkan, Executive Director of the Employee Ownership Expansion…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #20 | Building Ownership That Lasts: Daniel Goldstein on Culture, Governance, and the Power of ESOP Holding Companies
Episode Summary: In this episode of The Alternative Exit, I’m joined by Daniel Goldstein an experienced executive, former CEO of Foliance, and a dedicated…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #19 | The 'Whoosh' Effect of Employee Ownership
Episode Summary: For today's episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, Andy Farquharson is joined by Deb Oxley, a prominent advocate for employee ownership and…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #18 | Employee Ownership as a Legal and Financial Transaction
Episode Summary: In this episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, Andy Farquharson interviews Chris Mackin, a luminary in employee ownership who has spent four…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #17 | The Barriers to Employee Ownership for SMB
Episode Summary: In this episode of The Alternative Exit, Andy Farquharson speaks with John Guzek, a researcher and practitioner specializing in Employee…
Alternative ExitAlternative Exit #16 | The Culture Shift to Employee Ownership via Co-Operative
Episode Summary: For today's episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, Andy Farquharson is joined by Beth Spong, CEO of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee. She had a…
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Alternative Exit #15 | Protecting and Preserving the Company with Employee Ownership
Episode Summary: For today's episode of The Alternative Exit Podcast, Andy Farquharson is joined by Alex Moss, a pioneer in the field of employee ownership and…