What would you do in the event you had a six-figure wage? Maybe you’d by no means cook dinner one other meal once more or bask in a month-to-month Thai therapeutic massage and a Soho Home membership to unwind from the stress that comes with being at your A-game.
Right here at The Good Life you don’t must think about what life on the prime appears like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for a way probably the most profitable reside their lives.
At this time Fortune meets the London-based serial entrepreneur Dan Murray-Serter.
The 38-year-old ditched a promising profession in account administration to discovered Grabble in 2013 along with his lifelong buddy (and present cofounder), Joel Freeman.
The cell procuring app took off and Murray-Serter was on the quick monitor for fulfillment. Like Tinder for procuring, customers may swipe to “like” after which purchase the newest appears from Reiss, ASOS, Topshop, and extra. However by 2018, Grabble joined the 45% of small companies which have failed within the first 5 years of launching.
Since changing into a founder, Murray-Serter overtly admits he’s skilled three extra failed ventures and three main psychological well being issues—however the expertise impressed him to start out a wellbeing e-newsletter, which opened his eyes to the largely unregulated world of dietary supplements and led to his newest enterprise, Heights.
£35,000,000
Heights’ current valuation
It’s coming as much as the dreaded five-year mark for the “science-backed” complement model. Nonetheless, with a reported 30,000 month-to-month subscriptions, £10 million in annual recurring income and a current valuation of £35 million, it appears like Murray-Serter and Freeman are lastly onto a winner.
A clip from Dan’s enterprise podcast, Secret Leaders:
Think about turning down Fb as a 15 yr previous 😱 pic.twitter.com/SYdafiuoSl
— Secret Leaders (@secretleaders1) March 7, 2023
Now, he’s discovering out what’s labored for different founders—and extra importantly, what hasn’t—on his highly-rated enterprise podcast, Secret Leaders.
The funds
Fortune: What has been the perfect funding you’ve ever purchased?
Arguably my residence. It value £1.2 million and we spent over a yr (and about £500,000 doing it up) but it surely’s lately been valued at over £2 million. We lease it out for shoots and all kinds so it’s been a fairly good funding.
The worst?
How lengthy have you ever received to debate NFTs?
Courtesy Dan Murray-Serter.
What do your childcare preparations appear like?
We’ve one daughter who’s simply turning 3 and my spouse and I’ve each been exceptionally dedicated to being equal mother and father and taking all of it on ourselves as a lot as humanly doable. She goes to nursery 5 days every week—we cut up drop-offs and pick-ups evenly and I do each bathtime and bedtime (most likely 98% of all of them over the three years) as a result of it’s been a vital, wholesome and helpful strategy to get me away from my work. I’ve cherished doing it.
How do you commute to work?
Heights is hybrid. Monday and Tuesday are in our workplace in Oxford Circus, so I take the tube and stroll (round quarter-hour) from Regents Park to assist me get my 10k steps. I’m obsessive about steps and strolling usually.
On Wednesay and Thursday I keep at residence or go to an area cafe to work.
On Fridays I’m going to work in Shoreditch with a bunch of different founders, we get a co-working workplace all collectively by way of my Foundrs neighborhood—it additionally means I’ve East London lined for conferences.
Foundrs neighborhood dinner for nice entrepreneurs who additionally occur to be creators hosted at @AliAbdaal‘s and that includes @TimArmoo, @simonsquibb, @donnellycss, @simmydhillon_, @AlfieGWhattam and extra.
— Dan (@danmurrayserter) July 16, 2024
The place do you store to your work wardrobe?
Arket or Massimo Dutti largely.
“Invest in S&P 500 index funds now, buy Bitcoin, and sack off NFTs. But the best investment you’ll ever make is in yourself…”
The place’s your go-to watch from?
I exploit the Samsung S6 Watch. I received actually into a long life protocol from Peter Attia this yr and one of many issues is Zone 2 coaching twice every week. After analysis I discovered that is the perfect look ahead to that, so I purchased it. I’ve at all times been fairly anti-smartwatch however I actually prefer it.
What private finance recommendation would you give your 20-year-old self?
Put money into S&P 500 index funds now, purchase Bitcoin, and sack off NFTs. However the perfect funding you’ll ever make is in your self, so spend cash on coaching, take it critically, and work out tips on how to flip your self right into a monetary useful resource.
The requirements
How do you get your day by day espresso repair?
I’ve a correct Sage Barista machine at residence and I don’t skimp on espresso. It’s one luxurious I take critically—I’ve about 4 coffees a day, virtually 30 every week and I spend about £30 each fortnight on beans. I’m a fan of Pact Espresso. When I’m out, in a really perfect world I’m spending £4 to £5 on Monmouth Espresso. I might fairly haven’t any espresso than common espresso. That and heat beer are my massive purple flags, not value it, fairly keep drained or sober.
Joseph Branston/T3 Journal/Future by way of Getty Photos
What about consuming on the go?
When my daughter was born I realised I couldn’t actually cook dinner and I didn’t need that to be all on mum, so I received into an entire bunch of meal supply containers. My favourite has been Gousto. Nice meals, tremendous wholesome. I actually get pleasure from it and it seems like a cut price. We spend about £60 every week on this and possibly £60 every week or so from M&S, Sainsbury’s, or our native Tesco on different fruit and veg.
Mike Kemp/In Photos by way of Getty Photos
Once I’m on the town my favourite locations for a fast and straightforward lunch are both Farmer J or LEON. I’m going to Soho Home quite a bit, however I’m not likely positive why—it’s by no means that good, the service is horrible, the worth is excessive and the meals is common—and but I’m going again—there have to be one thing incorrect with me!
“I am simplifying my life instead of getting more gadgets and things.”
How usually in every week do you dine out versus cook dinner at residence?
Dine out—what’s that? Realistically, since having our daughter, we attempt to do a date night time (although rather a lot much less), they usually are usually on the theatre or cinema extra usually than dinner.
I might say we cook dinner at residence six instances every week and dine out as soon as if we’re fortunate. Our favourite is The William Pub in Kensal Rise.
The treats
Are you the proud proprietor of Meta’s good glasses or something different futuristic devices?
I’ve a bunch of ineffective crap that is likely to be thought of futuristic however not the glasses. For now, although, I’m simplifying my life as an alternative of getting extra devices and issues.
How do you unwind from the highest job?
Since January I’ve been figuring out 5 instances every week, together with two hour-long Zone 2 coaching exercises on my Peloton and weight coaching 3 times every week.
However to be sincere, my principal strategy to unwind is with my two cats Archie and Bells. I can sit stroking them for hours listening to an audiobook, watching TV or enjoying music and time simply passes. I discover it probably the most enjoyable factor on earth.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Photos
Each six months I additionally e-book myself a solo journey at a cabin within the woods for 3 days, the place I sit alone in silence. You lock your telephone away and there’s no TV or web. I simply write masses, learn masses, cook dinner masses, stroll masses, come and really feel like I can tackle the world.
I’m fairly an excessive individual so my concepts of unwinding are going to Burning Man or Glastonbury yearly—being alone in silence with no telephone or web.
What’s the perfect bonus deal with you’ve purchased your self?
I’m not likely a cloth issues man. I spend cash on experiences and making my life slightly simpler.
Johannes Mann by way of Getty
Arguably the flashiest factor I do recently is go away every year for a month to work remotely in January to keep away from the rain. We did Portugal, California, Bali and final yr, Cape City. When my daughter was beneath 2 I upgraded us to enterprise class for these flights as a result of it felt further value it. Now I’ve to pay for her too and don’t need her to get spoiled, although, so all of us must endure collectively again in economic system (and I simply splash on myself with enterprise class when flying with out them!)
How do you file your notes in a gathering?
I exploit a Exceptional and I completely find it irresistible. It’s a bit overly analogue, however that’s sort of its appeal and nothing else has actually labored for me. I really like the thought of all of it being handwritten; it feels extra impactful.
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