MURRAY LONGE
Founder with 2 exits
Published Business Author
Adviser to Founders & Executives
CUSTOMERS
BIO
I co-founded and sold two tech startups. The first, TrueLocal, started in Sydney and sold to News Corp. The second, YourLocal, launched in Ireland during the global financial crisis, reached the number two market position within four months, and sold to Independent News & Media. Both exits taught me what actually works when building and scaling businesses.
I documented those lessons in five business books that cover the startup lifecycle from idea validation to scaling past 100 people. The books distill what I learned the hard way into frameworks other founders can use without making the same expensive mistakes.
Between and after those ventures, I worked in executive and advisory roles at ASX-listed companies including REA Group, Deep Blue Company, and Vicinity Centres. I built and ran program offices, led product councils, and managed complex integrations including a $25M acquisition. This work showed me how to apply startup thinking to larger organizations without losing speed or breaking what works.
I combine formal business training with hands-on startup and corporate experience. This lets me move between both worlds and deliver results in either. I work with early-stage founders who need someone who’s been through exits, and with established companies that want to move faster without adding chaos.
If you need someone who understands both the startup grind and corporate reality, and can bridge that gap without the usual friction, we should talk.
BOOKS
I’ve made every mistake a founder can make. I’ve also had two successful exits. These books are what I wish someone had handed me before I started my first company—practical guides built from real experience, not business school theory. From validating your first idea to scaling past 100 people, they cover the challenges that actually trip founders up. No fluff, no filler, just the hard-won lessons that took me years to learn.
WHAT I DO
Building Business Value
Every product and project should make a measurable contribution to the business. I identify that value early, define how it gets measured, and track it through to delivery. On time. On budget. This discipline has driven results across startups, ASX-listed companies, and government projects.
Startup & Founder Advisory
Two successful exits taught me things no textbook covers. I advise founders at every stage: validating ideas, building teams, raising capital, and scaling without losing what made the business work in the first place. I’ve been through it all myself. I share what actually works, not what sounds good in theory.
Program Management
Projects never exist in isolation. They connect to each other, compete for the same resources, and affect each other’s timelines. I take complex programs, break them into their component parts, map how they interact, and make the whole picture visible and manageable. I’ve done this at startup scale and at major corporations. The principles stay the same.
Product Strategy & Execution
I help organisations move from idea to market-ready product. My experience covers the full product lifecycle: validating whether a problem is worth solving, building something customers actually want, and scaling it once it’s working. I combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution at every stage.
Team Leadership & Collaboration
High-performance teams deliver results fast. I build teams that ship without breaking, whether that’s a three-person startup or a large cross-functional group. My focus stays on development, motivation, and creating conditions where people do their best work. Strong teams are the single biggest factor in successful delivery.
Acquisition & Integration
I’ve led acquisitions from handover to full integration. This means merging product teams, consolidating back-end infrastructure, and combining large customer databases without losing customers or momentum. I manage the complexity so the business can stay focused on growth. The REA Group integration I led involved a $25M acquisition and 1.2M customer records. It delivered immediate infrastructure savings of $10,000 per month.
Risk Management
I identify risks before they become problems. This includes conducting risk assessments, developing mitigation strategies, and building contingency plans that protect the business. I combine the speed and instinct of startup thinking with the discipline and structure that larger organizations need.
CONTACT ME
If you feel we’d be a good fit working together, drop me a line and let’s talk.