Glen Grundy on Selling Up After 27 Years and Deciding in 24 Hours

Glen Grundy spent 27 years building a Bearing Man Group business in Witbank, starting in the stores on a first paycheque of R750. Then his partner walked into his office with a number on a piece of paper, and he said yes in 24 hours. In this episode he tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe how a family gap year turned into a second business in Utah, sealed by a franchise agreement that is still one text message long, and an eleven-year road to US citizenship. This is for founders weighing an exit, operators starting over in a new country, and South Africans abroad who feel they have to pick a side. Glen's answer is that you don't: be greedy, take both, and never turn your back on the country that made you. KEY TAKEAWAYS A good exit is rare. When a clean one arrives, with no earn-out and the cheque in the bank tomorrow, be ready to decide. Know your number before anyone asks. A recent, honest valuation turned a surprise offer into an easy decision. Trust compounds. A friendship from the army became a franchise agreement with no contract. Sell results, not "smoke and mirrors". Glen asks advertisers to track calls and hold him to account. Relationships open doors that applications can't. Glen is in Utah because two friendships happened to cross there. Staying connected beats staying cynical. Complaining about politicians helps no one; showing up for people back home does. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:31 Three One-Pointers in Paris 07:01 From Boarding School to Tank School 11:20 Back on Civvy Street 14:34 Succession, Then a 24-Hour Exit 18:46 A Gap Year Around the World 21:54 Falling for Utah and a One-Line Deal 25:18 "Measure Me": How The Home Mag Works 28:44 The 11-Year Road to Citizenship 30:39 Pretoria Boys High and Giving Back 36:47 1,000 Miles Nonstop With His Son 38:55 Looking Back With Honesty 41:38 Back to School at 62 47:20 Dakar and the Oil Trail 53:06 Don't Write Off South Africa Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/