Grow. Raise. Exit.
A guided programme delivered by experienced founders, built and validated through real exits and growth journeys.
Why Grow Raise Exit exists
After exiting her own business for £13.3 million in just over three years, Rachel built The Grafter for a simple reason: too many founders are forced to make life-changing decisions without experienced, independent guidance. Grow Raise Exit exists so founders don’t have to figure it out alone. It’s a guided programme designed to help founders plan, prepare for, and maximise the outcomes they’re working towards; whether that’s scaling the business, raising investment, preparing for an exit, or growing through acquisition. Not by following a fixed path, but by applying proven thinking with judgement, experience, and context. The programme is delivered by Exiteers™ who are founders who’ve built, grown, raised, and exited businesses themselves. They don’t just teach the framework. They guide founders through it, challenge assumptions, and help them focus on what actually matters at each stage.
Founder Success Metrics
Why this programme exists
Success starts to feel heavier, not easier
The business works. Revenue is coming in. People depend on you. But instead of feeling freer, everything still runs through you: decisions, relationships, risk. Stepping back feels harder than it should.
There are too many possible paths and no obvious order
Grow, raise, exit, acquire. All are viable. None are trivial. Founders are often pushed to choose quickly, without fully understanding the trade-offs, timing, or preparation each path actually requires.
Effort isn’t the problem, focus is
Most founders are working long hours on the right things, just not always in the right order. Important work gets crowded out by urgent work, and progress feels slower than it should.
The real cost shows up later
Missed opportunities. Deals that stall. Undervaluation. Burnout. By the time founders realise they needed more preparation, more clarity, or a different sequence, it’s often too late to influence the outcome.
And it’s still lonely at the top
There’s plenty of advice available, but very little of it is independent, contextual, or based on lived experience. Founders are left to carry decisions that affect their business, their team, and their personal lives largely on their own.
The cost
Founders working harder than ever in businesses that aren’t realising their full potential (financially or personally) and making big decisions without the support they actually need.
The Grow Raise Exit programme phases
The Grow Raise Exit programme phases Grow Raise Exit is built around a proven framework, applied with judgement. The phases give structure and momentum, but they’re not a fixed path. Your Exiteer™ guides how deeply you go in each one, based on your goals, your business, and what will make the biggest difference.
Business diagnostic & personal goals
Everything starts with clarity. We establish a grounded view of the business as it really is today: strategy, operations, finances, people, and risk, alongside what you want to achieve personally.
Business optimisation & foundations
Before pushing for growth or change, we focus on strengthening the fundamentals. This includes operational efficiency, reducing founder dependency, improving resilience, and addressing risks that could limit future options.
Growth & value creation
Growth is explored deliberately, not automatically. We work on the levers that genuinely drive value: market positioning, product or service clarity, partnerships, referrals, and, where appropriate, growth through acquisition.
Business narrative & value articulation
As the business evolves, we help you clearly articulate what it is, why it works, and where its value really lies. This includes documentation, positioning, and storytelling; for yourself as much as for investors, buyers, or partners.
Readiness for investment or exit
This phase focuses on preparation. We explore what raising or exiting would realistically involve, identify gaps, and address common deal-killers early, before pressure sets in.
Execution support & deal navigation
When founders choose to raise or exit, Exiteers stay alongside them. We help navigate the process, coordinate with trusted partners, and sense-check decisions as they arise, while keeping the business running day to day.
Life, legacy & next chapter
The final phase looks beyond the transaction. We support founders in planning what comes after growth, investment, or exit; personally as well as professionally.
How it works
Grow Raise Exit is delivered as a guided, mentored programme, not a fixed syllabus. You work closely with an Exiteer™ who helps you apply the framework to your situation, challenge assumptions, and keep focus on what will make the biggest difference next.
An initial conversation
We start by talking things through properly. This is about understanding where you are, what’s prompted the programme, and what you’re trying to achieve: commercially and personally.
A deep diagnostic-led start
The programme begins with a structured diagnostic to establish a clear, shared view of the business and the founder behind it. This creates a grounded baseline and helps prioritise what to focus on first.
Guided progress
The Exiteer™ guides you through the phases, adapting pace and focus as things evolve. Some areas get more attention than others, depending on your goals and constraints.
Regular check-ins and course correction
Progress is reviewed regularly. Priorities are refined. Assumptions are challenged. When things change (as they often do) the programme flexes with you.
Support through real decisions
When founders reach moments that matter (raising, acquiring, preparing for exit) our Exiteers™ stay alongside them. Sense-checking decisions, navigating complexity, and helping avoid common mistakes.
A clear takeaway, not dependency
The aim isn’t to create reliance on us. It’s to leave you with clarity, confidence, and a roadmap you understand, whether you continue working with us or not. Our clients come back because they want to, not because they have to.
What you’ll discover
- What’s actually driving value in your business, and what isn’t
- Where risk, dependency, or drag is hiding beneath the surface
- Which growth levers matter most right now (and which don’t)
- How ready you really are to raise, exit, or grow through acquisition
- What investors, buyers, or partners would genuinely see
- Where preparation will have the biggest impact on outcomes
- What to prioritise next, and what to stop worrying about
- What a “good outcome” looks like for you, not just on paper
How this fits into your journey
Grow Raise Exit isn’t a destination. It’s a way of making sure the next chapter of your business and your life is entered deliberately, not by default.
Select your goal above to see how the programme supports your journey
Ready to think about what comes next?
Let’s talk through your situation and see whether Grow Raise Exit makes sense for you.
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