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Alternative Exit

Andy

45 episodes

1 hour ago

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...

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Entrepreneurship

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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...

Show more...

Entrepreneurship

Episodes (20/45)

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...

2 hours 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...

1 week 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 weeks 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 ...

1 month 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...

1 month 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...

1 month 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...

1 month 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...

2 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...

2 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 ...

2 months ago

44 minutes

Alternative Exit

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 employee wellbeing, to governance trade-offs in one-person-one-vote systems, to financing growth via ESOP-style leverage and M&A, this mini-episode captures what’s working, what’s hard, and what’s next for scaling EO worldwide. Key takeaways Center the human/leadership dimension. Ownership mindsets, dignity, and employee wellbeing must b...

2 months ago

7 minutes

Alternative Exit

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 of employee ownership and impact investing, featuring insightful conversations with industry leaders. Key Highlights: Smitha Mankat shares her dual role in grassroots work with artisans in India and as an independent director on corporate boards. She discusses the potential for broad-based employee ownership in India. Ita McMaho...

3 months ago

10 minutes

Alternative Exit

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 Ownership Ireland, and Pascal Nieuwland-Jansen, Director of the Netherlands Participation Institute.Frank Cumberbatch, Bader PhilanthropiesJone Nolte, General Manager ASLEDr. Gonzalo Hernandez, Professor and researcher ITESO Discover the latest innovations and the growing momentum of employee ownership models across the g...

3 months ago

9 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative 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 Chris Maslin, who made the bold decision to transition his accounting firm Maslin to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) in 2021. Chris opens up about the personal moment when he recognized his team's excitement for growth had surpassed his own, and how this realization sparked a journey toward employee ownership that would transform both ...

3 months ago

38 minutes

Alternative Exit

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 scenario and vow never to repeat it? In this episode, I sit down with Tim Rettig, CEO of Intrust IT, to explore his deliberate 8-year journey from sole ownership to employee ownership. Tim shares the pivotal moment in a Texas manufacturing plant that changed everything—watching employees discover their company had been sold without warning, ...

3 months ago

37 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative 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 executive chair of Paradigm North, one of the UK's leading financial planning firms. Barry shares his transformative journey from exploring trade sales to pioneering employee ownership in 2019, and how he recently completed the leadership transition piece of the puzzle by stepping back as CEO while remaining as executive chair. We dive...

3 months ago

50 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative 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 Brady, co-founder of 40 Million Owners, to explore his fascinating journey from PWC strategy work to pioneering open hiring at Greyston Bakery, and now to scaling employee ownership across America's lower middle market. Mike shares how his experience creating inclusive cultures taught him that providing access to jobs isn't enough—we need ...

3 months ago

40 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative 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 and organizational development. Ellen, the founder and CEO of the Workforce and Organizational Research Center (Work), shares her expertise on the role of employee ownership in creating better workplaces. With a focus on the link between quality jobs and employee engagement, she discusses the pivotal role of leadership in shaping a cul...

4 months ago

48 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative 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 joined by Sonali Kothari, Co-founder, Chief Product Officer, and Chief Operating Officer of Zolidar—a platform dedicated to unlocking employee ownership transitions for small and medium-sized businesses. Sonali brings together deep experience from organizations like Kiva and Jobs for the Future, along with a passion for scaling systems ...

4 months ago

40 minutes

Alternative Exit

Alternative 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 director of the creative agency Salad, to explore her journey from sole owner to 100% employee-owned company. Bella shares what sparked her pivot away from a traditional exit and into a future shaped by trust, transparency, and shared ownership. We dive into the mindset shifts, practical steps, and candid lessons she encountered along the way....

4 months ago

39 minutes