SELLEST OSAST
The advice was not inspirational. A mentor in Manhattan told Peter Murray that if he could figure out how to do one thing well that everybody else hated doing, he would be successful. That thing was cold calling. Fifty floors up, fifty down, dropping off business cards one day and making the calls the next.
That grind carried him to Wilmington, where a guy who could not hang a picture got a general contractor's license to earn his first equity. He worked his way to full ownership of Southern Exposure Sunrooms, now four markets across the Carolinas. He tells Bennie and Danny about the hub and spoke model, the COO he pulled out of a Fortune 100 career of nearly three decades, and why he says an overpaid teammate is a liability. What he is proudest of is the environment people stay in. What still sits with him is how much the partner buyout cost him before he noticed. Today's Margin Maker is Peter Murray.
In this episode:
- The one job a mentor said everybody else hates doing
- Why a guy who could not hang a picture went and got a contractor's license
- What he means when he calls an overpaid teammate a liability
- The line he used to pull a Fortune 100 lifer into a small business
- What losing money on a job is worth to get somebody out of your life
- The stress of buying out a partner that he only felt once it was over
"So when you're one foot in on something, you're never gonna get the results you want." - Peter Murray
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(02:32) - Do What Everyone Hates
(03:22) - License For Equity
(04:43) - Never Be Overpaid
(05:18) - Call To Close
(08:01) - Empowering The Team
(10:07) - Finding A COO
(13:24) - Hub And Spoke
(20:54) - Growth Loyalty Gratitude
(23:04) - Two Feet In
(25:45) - The Hardest Day
(30:10) - The Fifty Million Vision
Connect with Peter Murray:
Website: https://www.southernexposuresunrooms.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-murray-299a5b18/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernexposuresunrooms/
About the Show
Margin Makers is hosted by Bennie Sheally, entrepreneur and insurance agency founder, and co-host Danny Reynolds. The podcast features conversations with founders and operators across the trades, property management, insurance, and service industries who are building real businesses and learning through experience. Each episode focuses on practical lessons around leadership, operations, profitability, growth, and the challenges that come with scaling a business while staying grounded in the work.
Connect with Bennie Sheally:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennie-sheally-1240b340/
Connect with Danny Reynolds:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyreynolds1/
Find Margin Makers Here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Margin_makers
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/margin-makers/id1887598203
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0VlwVmNIppKpOTsnqBhYRe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marginmakerspodcast/
Produced by UNFLTR
