Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit
Podcast Description
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 features interviews with experts in employee ownership, business owners who have made the transition, and consultants who facilitate these changes.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a range of topics including the importance of employee ownership trusts (EOTs), the benefits of differentiated business models such as ESOPs versus worker cooperatives, and strategies for preserving company legacy and culture. Episode examples include discussions on building community resilience through employee ownership and the significant impact of employee engagement in sustainable business practices.

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 features interviews with experts in employee ownership, business owners who have made the transition, and consultants who facilitate these changes.
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 the Chair, NED, Mentor, and Specialist in Employee Ownership.
She shared stories of how she influenced companies about employee ownership, the need to influence influencers like accountants and lawyers about its importance, and its impacts. They also talked about the 'whoosh' effect on employee ownership and the concept of 'financial freedom day.' Listen to learn more about these. Enjoy the show!
Key Takeaways:
- How Deb found her way into the employee ownership space
- Big challenges to sharing awareness about employee ownership with companies
- The pre-transition space of accountants and lawyers
- What is the ownership 'whoosh' effect?
- The financial freedom day
- Employee ownership is a change of ownership, not leadership.
- Importance of financial literacy in employee ownership
- Giving a level of personal accountability to employees
- What is the biggest barrier to growth for employee ownership?
About Deb Oxley
Deb Oxley is a prominent advocate for employee ownership. She had a tenure from 2015 to 2022 as the CEO of the Employee Ownership Association in the UK. During her time, she had a significant impact on the organization, growing its reach and impact. Deb was awarded an OBE in 2019 for her services to employee ownership and social enterprise.
Connect with Deb Oxley
- X: @DebOxley
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deboxley
- Email: [email protected]
- Resources: https://employeeownership.co.uk/
Connect with Andy Farquharson:
- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyfarquharson/
- Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/andyfarq
- Website – https://abettermonday.me/
- Email – [email protected]

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