Is this what success is supposed to feel like?

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, David Plummer — founder of Triage — shares the lessons he learned after achieving everything he once thought he wanted.

By his mid-20s, David had already built and sold a successful recruitment business. The cars, the houses, the financial freedom — he had climbed what he thought was the mountain of success.

But standing at the top, he found himself asking a difficult question:

“Is this it?”

In this episode, David reflects on the difference between chasing success and building a life of meaning. From growing up believing he was poor, to becoming a young millionaire, to rebuilding a business decades later with his son — this conversation explores the deeper truths behind leadership, identity, and purpose.

We discuss:

• Why tying your identity to your business is dangerous
• The difference between building to sell and building something worth selling
• Why culture — not strategy — created the value buyers saw in his company
• What the 2008 financial crisis taught him about honesty and leadership
• Why character matters more than competence when things get hard
• And the question every founder should ask themselves: How will other people measure your life?

This is one of the most emotional and thought-provoking conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

If you’re a founder, recruiter, or leader chasing success — this episode might just change how you define it.

___

Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

___

LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://bit.ly/3Fibrwd

Connect with Jordan: https://bit.ly/3MSJ2zm

Follow Retrained Search: https://bit.ly/3MNc5o4