{"id":249143,"date":"2024-07-30T07:56:57","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T07:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/30\/millennial-entrepreneur-and-podcaster-dan-murray-serter-behind-a-35-million-supplements-startup-wishes-he-could-tell-his-20-year-old-self-to-sack-off-nfts\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:13:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:13:38","slug":"millennial-entrepreneur-and-podcaster-dan-murray-serter-behind-a-35-million-supplements-startup-wishes-he-could-tell-his-20-year-old-self-to-sack-off-nfts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/30\/millennial-entrepreneur-and-podcaster-dan-murray-serter-behind-a-35-million-supplements-startup-wishes-he-could-tell-his-20-year-old-self-to-sack-off-nfts\/","title":{"rendered":"Millennial entrepreneur and podcaster Dan Murray-Serter, behind a \u00a335 million supplements startup wishes he could tell his 20-year-old self to \u2018sack off NFTs\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What would you do if you had a six-figure salary? Perhaps you\u2019d never cook another meal again or indulge in a monthly Thai massage and a Soho House membership to unwind from the stress that comes with being at your A-game.<\/p>\n

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Here at The Good Life you don\u2019t have to imagine what life at the top looks like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for how the most successful live their lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Today Fortune<\/em> meets the London-based serial entrepreneur Dan Murray-Serter.<\/p>\n

The 38-year-old ditched a promising career in account management to found Grabble in 2013 with his lifelong friend (and current cofounder), Joel Freeman.<\/p>\n

The mobile shopping app took off and Murray-Serter was on the fast track for success. Like Tinder for shopping, users could swipe to \u201clike\u201d and then buy the latest looks from Reiss, ASOS, Topshop, and more. But by 2018, Grabble joined the 45% of small businesses that have failed in the first five years of launching.<\/p>\n

Since becoming a founder, Murray-Serter openly admits he\u2019s experienced three more failed ventures and three major mental health problems\u2014but the experience inspired him to start a wellbeing newsletter, which opened his eyes to the largely unregulated world of supplements and led to his latest venture, Heights.<\/p>\n

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\u00a335,000,000<\/p>\n

Heights\u2019 recent valuation<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

It\u2019s coming up to the dreaded five-year mark for the \u201cscience-backed<\/a>\u201d supplement brand. However, with a reported 30,000 monthly subscriptions, \u00a310 million in annual recurring revenue and a recent valuation of \u00a335 million, it looks like Murray-Serter and Freeman are finally onto a winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A clip from Dan\u2019s business podcast, Secret Leaders: <\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

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Imagine turning down Facebook as a 15 year old \ud83d\ude31 pic.twitter.com\/SYdafiuoSl<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Secret Leaders (@secretleaders1) March 7, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

Now, he\u2019s finding out what\u2019s worked for other founders\u2014and more importantly, what hasn\u2019t\u2014on his highly-rated business podcast, Secret Leaders.<\/p>\n

The finances <\/h2>\n

Fortune:\u00a0<\/em>What has been the best investment you\u2019ve ever bought?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arguably my home. It cost \u00a31.2 million and we spent over a year (and about \u00a3500,000 doing it up) but it\u2019s recently been valued at over \u00a32 million. We rent it out for shoots and all sorts so it\u2019s been a pretty good investment.<\/p>\n

The worst?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How long have you got to discuss NFTs?<\/p>\n

\"Dan
Dan with his wife and daughter. <\/figcaption>

Courtesy Dan Murray-Serter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What do your childcare arrangements look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have one daughter who\u2019s just turning 3 and my wife and I have both been exceptionally committed to being equal parents and taking it all on ourselves as much as humanly possible. She goes to nursery five days a week\u2014we split drop-offs and pick-ups evenly and I do every bathtime and bedtime (probably 98% of all of them over the three years) because it\u2019s been a very important, healthy and valuable way to get me away from my work. I\u2019ve loved doing it.<\/p>\n

How do you commute to work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heights is hybrid. Monday and Tuesday are in our office in Oxford Circus, so I take the tube and walk (around 15 minutes) from Regents Park to help me get my 10k steps. I am obsessed with steps and walking generally. <\/p>\n

On Wednesay and Thursday I stay at home or go to a local cafe to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Fridays I go to work in Shoreditch with a bunch of other founders, we get a co-working office all together via my Foundrs community\u2014it also means I have East London covered for meetings.<\/p>\n

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Foundrs community dinner for great entrepreneurs who also happen to be creators hosted at @AliAbdaal<\/a>‘s and featuring @TimArmoo<\/a>, @simonsquibb<\/a>, @donnellycss<\/a>, @simmydhillon_<\/a>, @AlfieGWhattam<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n

\u2665 pic.twitter.com\/Dz5q0mYxi2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dan (@danmurrayserter) July 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Where do you shop for your work wardrobe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arket or Massimo Dutti mostly.<\/p>\n

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\u201cInvest in S&P 500 index funds now, buy Bitcoin, and sack off NFTs. But the best investment you\u2019ll ever make is in yourself\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Where\u2019s your go-to watch from?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I use the Samsung S6 Watch. I got really into a longevity protocol from Peter Attia this year and one of the things is Zone 2 training twice a week. After research I found this is the best watch for that, so I bought it. I\u2019ve always been quite anti-smartwatch but I really like it.<\/p>\n

What personal finance advice would you give your 20-year-old self?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Invest in S&P 500 index funds now, buy Bitcoin, and sack off NFTs. But the best investment you\u2019ll ever make is in yourself, so spend money on training, take it seriously, and figure out how to turn yourself into a financial resource.<\/p>\n

The necessities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How do you get your daily coffee fix?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a proper Sage Barista machine at home and I don\u2019t skimp on coffee. It\u2019s one luxury I take seriously\u2014I have about 4 coffees a day, almost 30 a week and I spend about \u00a330 every fortnight on beans. I am a fan of Pact Coffee. When I am out, in an ideal world I\u2019m spending \u00a34 to \u00a35 on Monmouth Coffee. I would rather have no coffee than average coffee. That and warm beer are my big red flags, not worth it, rather stay tired or sober.<\/p>\n

\"A
The 38-year-old drinks around four coffees a day and regularly uses his Sage Barista machine.<\/figcaption>

Joseph Branston\/T3 Magazine\/Future via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What about eating on the go?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When my daughter was born I realised I couldn\u2019t really cook and I didn\u2019t want that to be all on mum, so I got into a whole bunch of meal delivery boxes. My favorite has been Gousto. Great food, super healthy. I really enjoy it and it feels like a bargain. We spend about \u00a360 a week on this and probably \u00a360 a week or so from M&S, Sainsbury\u2019s, or our local Tesco on other fruit and veg.<\/p>\n

\"People
For a quick and easy lunch Murray-Serter enjoys Farmer J or LEON.<\/figcaption>

Mike Kemp\/In Pictures via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When I\u2019m in town my favorite places for a quick and easy lunch are either Farmer J or LEON. I go to Soho House quite a lot, but I\u2019m not really sure why\u2014it\u2019s never that good, the service is terrible, the price is high and the food is average\u2014and yet I go back\u2014there must be something wrong with me!\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am simplifying my life instead of getting more gadgets and things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

How often in a week do you dine out versus cook at home?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dine out\u2014what\u2019s that? Realistically, since having our daughter, we try to do a date night (though a lot less), and they tend to be at the theatre or cinema more often than dinner.<\/p>\n

I would say we cook at home six times a week and dine out once if we are lucky. Our favorite is The William Pub in Kensal Rise.<\/p>\n

The treats<\/h2>\n

Are you the proud owner of Meta\u2019s smart glasses or anything other futuristic gadgets?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a bunch of useless crap that might be considered futuristic but not the glasses. For now, though, I am simplifying my life instead of getting more gadgets and things.<\/p>\n

How do you unwind from the top job?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since January I\u2019ve been working out five times a week, including two hour-long Zone 2 training workouts on my Peloton and weight training three times a week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But to be honest, my main way to unwind is with my two cats Archie and Bells. I can sit stroking them for hours listening to an audiobook, watching TV or playing music and time just passes. I find it the most relaxing thing on earth.<\/p>\n

\"DALY
Dan does two hour-long Zone 2 training workouts on his Peloton every week.<\/figcaption>

Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Every six months I also book myself a solo trip at a cabin in the woods for three days, where I sit on my own in silence. You lock your phone away and there\u2019s no TV or internet. I just write loads, read loads, cook loads, walk loads, come and feel like I can take on the world.<\/p>\n

I am quite an extreme person so my ideas of unwinding are going to Burning Man or Glastonbury every year\u2014being on my own in silence with no phone or internet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best bonus treat you\u2019ve bought yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not really a material things guy. I spend money on experiences and making my life a little easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Cape
In January last year, the co-founder worked remotely from Cape Town.<\/figcaption>

Johannes Mann via Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Arguably the flashiest thing I do lately is go away once a year for a month to work remotely in January to avoid the rain. We did Portugal, California, Bali and last year, Cape Town. When my daughter was under 2 I upgraded us to business class for those flights because it felt extra worth it. Now I have to pay for her too and don\u2019t want her to get spoiled, though, so we all have to suffer together back in economy (and I just splash on myself with business class when flying without them!)<\/p>\n

How do you record your notes in a meeting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I use a Remarkable and I absolutely love it. It\u2019s a bit overly analogue, but that\u2019s kind of its charm and nothing else has really worked for me. I love the idea of it all being handwritten; it feels more impactful.<\/p>\n

Here at The Good Life you don\u2019t have to imagine what life at the top looks like anymore: Get real-life inspiration for how the most successful live life.<\/em>\u00a0Dive into our other \u2018The Good Life\u2019 profiles.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Fortune wants to hear from European leaders on what their \u201cGood Life\u201d looks like. Get in touch:\u00a0orianna.royle@fortune.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n