About Book Get Started The System Playbook Blog Speaking Masterclass Exodus
The Executive Exit book cover by Darren Argyle, a guide for executives replacing salary with assets
Now in early draft

The Executive Exit

How to Walk Away From a High-Paying Corporate Role Without Gambling Your Future

Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 free before you go any further.

No payment. Want the whole early draft? Apply as a founding reader.

As Featured In

Forbes World Economic Forum Bloomberg CSO Online SC Magazine ADAPT SANS ISC2 Foundry Cyber OSPAs Global Cyber Conference ET CIO Financial Standard Plurilock Forbes World Economic Forum Bloomberg CSO Online SC Magazine ADAPT SANS ISC2 Foundry Cyber OSPAs Global Cyber Conference ET CIO Financial Standard Plurilock

The Executive Exit is the long-form version of how I built assets alongside a corporate career and then left in 2024, written for senior executives who want to make the salary optional by building income from things they own. It is in early draft ahead of public release, and if you would rather know where you stand first, get your free Exit Readiness Score.

What the book covers

Eighteen chapters in four parts, from why the role takes over your life to building the assets that make the salary optional. Here are four of them.

  1. 01

    The Job That Eats the Story

    How a senior role slowly takes over who you are, and what I learned growing up watching my dad run an ice cream van and other income streams alongside his day job.

  2. 03

    The Golden Handcuffs

    Why most executives are trapped less by what they earn than by how little they have built outside it, and the difference between running your life on a P&L and running it on a balance sheet.

  3. 11

    The Best Shape of Your Life

    The Executive Health Framework, built on nutrition, strength training, sleep and mental resilience, because it sits underneath everything else in the book.

  4. 13

    Assets to Income

    The Offer Ladder, which structures your income across four rungs, from free content that builds your list through to premium recurring revenue.

From Chapter 3, The Golden Handcuffs (early draft)

Most executives are not trapped by how much they earn

"Everyone talks about golden handcuffs as though they're made of money. The phrase conjures an image of someone trapped by a salary so large that walking away from it would be financially insane. Most executives aren't trapped by how much they earn. They're trapped by how little they've built outside of it."

"I wore them for years and never once thought of them as handcuffs. I thought of them as evidence that I'd made it."

The Introduction and Chapter 1, sent by email. No payment, no commitment.

What people say about working with me

These are about my coaching, mentoring and teaching, not reviews of the book, which is still in early draft.

"Darren provided me with actionable tools and strategies to lead with unshakable confidence and strike out on my own to build my own business."
E
Elcin Biren Founder, Swiss Cyber Smart. Coaching client
"I've now started two of my own businesses alongside my successful career. Darren inspired me to take the leap and now with his ongoing mentorship everything is possible."
F
Francesco Chiarini Founder, Cyber Resilience Academy. Mentoring client
"A thought-provoking and growth-inspiring development masterclass in how to stand out from the crowd. I landed my first CISO role."
S
Saira Hassan Venture CISO, Standard Chartered Bank. Masterclass participant
Darren Argyle, author and former group senior cybersecurity executive at Standard Chartered Bank, S&P Global, Qantas Airways, and IBM

About the Author

Darren Argyle spent three decades as a group senior cybersecurity executive across Standard Chartered Bank, S&P Global, Qantas Airways, and IBM. Alongside a successful executive career, Darren pursued his passion for business.

His business life started at 15 in his dad's ice cream van, where he learned a simple truth: customer obsession and daily discipline can build assets that create alternative income streams, and real independence. That mindset helped him build two seven-figure businesses alongside his corporate career, including the Cyber Leadership Institute, bootstrapped alongside the day job and now serving leaders across 80 countries.

In 2024, Darren exited corporate life on his own terms to pursue a portfolio career, focused on regaining optimal health and freedom. Today, he helps GenX senior executives make corporate optional, with the clarity and confidence to build a portfolio career on assets of value that fund long-term financial freedom and health.

If you want to know where you stand before you read a word, get your free Exit Readiness Score.

Want the whole early draft? Apply as a founding reader

Everyone who asks gets the Introduction and Chapter 1. Founding readers are selected from the applications and get the complete early draft free before public release, in exchange for honest feedback.

You Receive

  • Chapter 1 delivered to your inbox today
  • The complete early draft, if your application is accepted
  • Early access ahead of public release
  • Founding reviewer recognition in the final edition

Your Commitment

  • Read the early draft
  • Answer 3 quick questions (5 minutes)
  • Honest feedback, not flattery

No payment required. Apply as a founding reader

Start with the Introduction and Chapter 1

They arrive by email, with no payment and no commitment, and they will tell you quickly whether the book's way of making corporate optional fits where you are.

Not ready to read yet? Get your free Exit Readiness Score instead, or if you already know you want to build, see the Corporate Exit System for US$49.50.