Join hosts Zed and Mike as they sit down with Alex Meisl—entrepreneur, connector, and digital transformation pioneer. As the co-founder of Gray Hair Works, Alex shares his journey from a large corporate environment to running multiple ventures globally. Discover the simple, yet powerful, concept behind Gray Hair Works and its sister consultancy, Grace and Co: connecting corporates searching for genuine innovation with a boutique network of seasoned, 'grown-up' executives who know what truly works. Alex offers no-nonsense advice on building a portfolio career, the importance of trust and relevance, the disciplined art of the 30-minute meeting, and the crucial lessons learned from starting, scaling, and selling a business—including managing "technical, legal, and contractual debt." Tune in to explore why experience is the most impressive tool in the digital age and how to build a community that thrives on no-bullshit, purposeful engagement.

Time Stamps

[01:50] Introducing Alex Meisl: The Corporate to Entrepreneur Leap.

[06:20] The Simple Power of Gray Hair Works.

[09:40] Why We Call Our Network "Grown-Ups."

[11:00] The USP: Trust, Relevance, and the Best Community.

[17:00] Entrepreneurship: Innate Skill or Learned Behavior?

[20:00] How to Cut Through Vendor Noise (The 2-Minute Rule).

[23:15] The Most Impressive Tool: Our Brains (and AI).

[27:00] Building Value for the Exit: Debt and Contracts.

[30:55] The Pre-Investment Playbook: Nurturing Investors.

[33:00] Why Every Entrepreneur Needs a 'Board' to Challenge Them.

[34:25] The Real Talk on Ageism and Experienced Talent.

[37:20] Essential Tips for Experienced Job Seekers.

[38:55] The Future of Peer Networks and Community Building.

[40:50] How to Join the Gray Hair Works Community.

Connect with Alex Meisl

Linkedin

https://greyhairworks.com/

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/

In this episode of "Whistle To Work," hosts Zed and Mike interview Shalini Khemka CBE, Founder and CEO of E2Exchange. Shalini shares the journey of building E2E into one of the UK's most dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems, supporting over 24,000 SMEs and enabling £230 billion in economic impact. The conversation covers her transition from a corporate career in banking and private equity to founding E2E as a passion project. They discuss the key challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs, the support E2E provides (including events, fundraising, and NED recruitment), and her personal reflections on the business's growth and her goals for international expansion and digital transformation. Shalini also offers valuable wisdom on the mindset needed for raising investment and the importance of having strong fractional support in a business.

Timestamps

[01:32]From Private Equity to £230 Billion Impact: Shalini Khemka's shocking transition and the massive economic force behind E2E.

[04:46]The Moment She Saw 'Real' Entrepreneurs: How a career in banking led to a pivotal realisation and the founding spark for E2E.

[10:46]The New Rules for Scale-Ups: What are the most urgent challenges entrepreneurs are facing right now (Hint: It involves AI, internationalisation, and talent).

[14:34]What a £750 Membership REALLY Gets You: E2E's core pillars: exclusive 5-star events, direct investor connections, and fractional expert recruitment.

[17:27]"I Don't Feel Like a Success": Shalini's remarkably honest reflection on the 15-year journey and why her biggest vision is yet to be achieved.

[19:06]The Founder's Biggest Regret: The one crucial strategic mistake she'd change to achieve 10x faster growth (A must-listen for all CEOs).

[24:29]The Political Fight That Saved Businesses: The untold story of how E2E successfully lobbied the government and sacrificed a board role to prevent a major tax increase.

[31:36]Major Announcement: Stepping Down and Going Global: E2E’s aggressive expansion plans into the Middle East and South America, and the new digital platform launching next week.

[35:00]The Mindset Shift for Raising Capital: Why you should only ask for "meaningful" finance, and the danger of raising small amounts based on tax breaks.

[40:55]Pitching Like You're Doing Them a Favour: The counter-intuitive attitude that will make top investors want to back your business.

Connect with Shalini Khemka

https://e2exchange.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/e2exchange/

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/

Andrew B Morris, serial investor and dynamic coach, shares his inspiring journey from transforming his family's Business Design Centre to his current "Hub and Spoke" portfolio model, which centers on his Scale London platform for entrepreneurs. He discusses the innate nature of entrepreneurship, the power of ownership, the value of charging a fee, and the importance of focus and empowering others.

Time Stamp

06:00 The 4-Step Rule That Built a Dynasty - Andrew reveals a deceptively simple principle passed down by his entrepreneur father: “Every fourth step is theirs.”
This single rule reframes how power, equity, and legacy are built—not through hustle alone, but through intentional ownership. Once you hear it, you’ll never structure a business the same way again.

13:00 Stop Giving Away Your Value: Why “Free” Destroys Commitment
Free doesn’t create goodwill—it erodes respect.
Andrew dismantles the myth of generosity in business and exposes the reality of transactional psychology: people only value what they pay for.
If you want real commitment, real results, and real loyalty—you must charge.

17:00 The CEO’s Golden Rule: The Only Metric That Actually Matters
Vanity metrics are distractions masquerading as progress.
Andrew cuts through the noise and shares his premium-price philosophy, revealing the one non-negotiable metric every serious CEO must track.
Ignore it—and growth stalls. Obsess over it—and everything else aligns.

38:00 The Harvard Lesson That Guarantees Focus
From a little-known lesson Andrew encountered at Harvard Business School comes a timeless rule for sustained focus.
It’s not about working harder—but about eliminating unforced errors that quietly sabotage long-term success. Simple. Ancient. Ruthlessly effective.

42:00 The Corporate Lie: You Were Never Meant to Be “Managed”
You didn’t lose your energy—the system trained it out of you.
Andrew challenges the core assumption of modern corporate life, arguing that humans are naturally entrepreneurial, creative, and self-directed.
Reclaiming that truth is the first step to unlocking the boundless drive you were born with.

Connect with Andrew B Morris

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abmorris/

https://www.scale-london.com/

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/

In this episode, we speak to Mike Richardson, Agility expert. Are you considering transitioning from corporate life, or are you an existing fractional executive or entrepreneur seeking valuable, light-hearted content to build a successful portfolio career? Join hosts Zed and Mike on Whistle to Work for a real treat as they welcome veteran Mike Richardson, a pioneer and veteran of portfolio careers and peer-to-peer communities.

Drawing on his journey from a 20-year corporate career (including Shell International and the aerospace industry) to 23 years of portfolio life, Mike dives deep into powerful strategies, including the concept of the career path as a "labyrinth journey"—a twisty, turny, inner and outer process focused on finding the nucleus of your passionate purpose.

Discover essential success factors, such as embracing a "constantly morphing mind map" for agility, implementing rigorous disciplines like the "fifth week" strategic planning cycle, and utilizing the "WIFLIF" (Why I'm Feeling Like I'm Feeling) technique to manage anxiety.

Crucially, Mike shares his strategy for a "never retirement plan" and explains how to structure your portfolio business model to develop foundational annuity revenue (Tier 1 long-wavelength income from memberships or advisory boards) to achieve financial independence and diversification.

If you're seeking to combat the acute isolation of the portfolio existence and gain deep, ongoing support, listen to hear how intimate peer forums and circles of trust provide irreplaceable collective intelligence and dedicated focus on your real-time challenges.

Connect with Mike Richardson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/agilityexpertmikerichardson/

https://mikerichardson.live/

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/

In this episode we discuss value proposition design, how it can be done effectively and ultimately getting you clients. We share with you our experience of why you need to "keep searching to find the truth" and "don't skip the hard yards".

Time Stamp:

[02:00] The tip of your spear resolves the problem in hand

[06:00] Being clear about value proposition for your target market

[10:25] Showing up as a person they need right now

[13:10] Scouting for customers, underselling your self

[16:10] Closing tip of the week

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/

In this episode we discuss target markets, who do we serve and the persona. How you prepare the tip of the spear to reach your target audience.

Time Stamp:

[03:00] Low hanging fruits to get to a paid market

[07:40] How to make yourself easy to "buy"

[11:00] Iterating and solving problems for target market

[14:00] Shaping your value proposition for target market

[16:00] Plan but expect to change

[19:00] The tip vs the handle of your spear

[22:00] Why you need to practise writing a brief

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/

In this episode we discuss how to identify your target market as you start your portfolio career. We look at how your passion, purpose, values impact your selection of clients. We explore the importance of joining networks to help you connect.

Time Stamp:

[04:50] How your lifestyle and passion affects your business decision

[10:20] Narratives and stories that are grounded in your purpose and value

[12:10] Goals of having a portfolio career

[15:30] Why you need to join networks

[17:30] You business idea needs to meet this criteria

[23:00] Getting out to hustle

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/

In this episode, we’ll be talking about how to show up in your portfolio career. Zed and Mike explore how to identify your passionate purpose, clarify your business hypothesis, and use both to shape a model of work that’s purpose-driven, market-ready, and authentic. Whether you're transitioning from a corporate role or already navigating portfolio life, this episode will guide you to organize and articulate your offering with more confidence.

[2:19] Discovering Your Passionate Purpose - Separating passionate purpose from popular concepts like Ikigai can bring clarity. Visualizing personal purpose helps refocus and align business direction.

[3:56] Building a Business Hypothesis - Having a clear understanding of what you offer, who it’s for, and why it matters creates a strong strategic foundation and prevents premature solutions.

[4:59] Productizing Yourself Without Pigeonholing - New service offerings can emerge by closely listening to client needs. Confidence comes from knowing your core strengths and staying flexible in your approach.

[12:35] The Spear Analogy & Getting in the Door - Your experience forms the base, but a sharp, specific proposition is what gets you noticed. It’s about solving current problems, not relying on past titles.

[19:02] Authenticity Over Perfection - Being genuine and imperfect often creates stronger connections and greater impact, especially in spaces that value authenticity over polish.

Connect with Hosts

Zed Vakil https://www.zarirvakil.com/

Mike Anderson https://dottt.co.uk/