How One Founder Engineered His Freedom from Back Office to a Multi-Million Pound Exit with Campbell Fraser

In this episode of the Consultancy Growth Podcast, I’m joined by Campbell Fraser, telecoms consultant turned founder, turn chairman for an honest conversation about growing, systemising, and successfully exiting his consultancy.

We unpack Campbell’s journey from working solo out of a client’s back office to leading a 40-person team and engineering a £ Multi-Million exit. He shares the unfiltered realities of delegation, firing a misaligned exec team, and why most founders wait too long to remove themselves from the business.

This is a masterclass in scaling up without burning out and in building a consultancy that works without you. If you’re a founder thinking about stepping back, selling, or just building with more freedom in mind, this is your playbook.

0:00 – Introduction to the Consultancy Growth Podcast
01:25 – From solo consultant to launching a full-service consultancy
04:51 – Why the early years were “say yes, figure it out later”
08:43 – How values and vision turned a scrappy team into a real company
12:12 – The first major mistake: hiring the wrong MD
17:48 – Firing your leadership team (and surviving it)
21:06 – Building an EOS-based business with operational maturity
26:14 – Becoming exit-ready: stepping back and making yourself redundant
31:40 – What PE buyers really want to see in a consultancy
36:22 – Dealing with the emotional side of letting go
42:17 – Advice for founders stuck in delivery
47:05 – Post-exit life and what’s next for Campbell Fraser

Host: Craig HerdGuest: Campbell Fraser