The founders’ side of the private equity investment story.
For Phoenix Equity Partners’ new website, I interviewed the founders of Nineteen Group, Travel Chapter, Riviera Travel and 1000heads. The stories explored how they had built their businesses and why they chose Phoenix. These were busy people, but there was a lot to work with.
SECTOR
Private equity
DELIVERABLE
4 case studies
ROLE
Interviewer and content manager
AUDIENCE
Founders looking to sell
IN USE
Where founders look first for a personal introduction to Phoenix’s way of working
These articles give business owners considering private equity a chance to hear from fellow founders who have already chosen the pedigree of the Phoenix team. The result of my work has been five happy founders and one happy private equity firm. Great project.
4
business stories
5
founders featured
77%
increase in website dwell time
BRIEF AND APPROACH
Interviewing to find out why the founders really chose Phoenix
Choosing a private equity partner changes the life of a business and its founder. The interviews needed to get into the decision through what had actually happened, as no two founders’ stories are the same. My time with the founders was limited of course. I had one shot. So, preparation mattered, as did knowing when a passing comment was worth following up on.
Peter jones – group ceo
Nineteen Group
Business exhibitions and trade shows
Peter jokes that he initially mistook a call from Phoenix for someone trying to sell him life insurance. But they were the real deal. He recalled 31 meetings before the investment completed, giving a sense of how vital the relationship is. It’s not just about who makes the biggest offer.
The pandemic then tested that relationship. Phoenix didn’t panic. They put in fresh capital and backed Peter’s plan to keep the team together (no furloughs), ready to move quickly when live events returned. Peter and his team were trusted to lead. Nineteen now employs over 300 people.
Read the Nineteen Group story ↗
“Phoenix has trusted me and my fantastic team to run the business.”
Jamie Morris – Founder, former CEO, ned
Travel Chapter
Holiday cottage lettings and property management
Jamie wanted to grow faster without losing the family business feel. Choosing an investor depended on finding people who understood that. With Phoenix’s backing, it was a family feel while completing 20 acquisitions in two and a half years, more than doubling its property portfolio alongside continued organic growth.
My interview with Jamie also got into the personal decision to step back after 20 years as CEO. Jamie wanted more time with his kids, while still feeling responsible for the people in the business. I wanted that to come through alongside the numbers, because as Jamie shows, a founder weighing up investment is also thinking about what comes next for them personally in life.
Read the Travel Chapter story ↗
“We can think big, and that is certainly a legacy left behind by Phoenix.”
Michael Wright – Founder
Riviera Travel
Escorted tours and river cruises
Michael started out selling melons on a French beach. By 2014, Riviera Travel was turning over £130 million. Not in melons, I should clarify! The story followed the ventures in-between, including the caravans bought with his takings and the early coach tours. Those details gave readers a feel for his resourcefulness and how much of himself he had put into the business.
Choosing a buyer was, like with other founders who I interviewed, clearly a personal decision. He wanted his people looked after. Phoenix’s willingness to spend time with staff across the business was part of what persuaded him. The relationship continued after its investment ended, with Michael investing his own money in two Phoenix funds.
Read the Riviera Travel story ↗
“My main priority was to find the right buyer for all the people I would be leaving behind.”
MIKE ROWE, FOUNDER, AND MIKE DAVISON, GROUP CEO
1000heads
Social media marketing and consultancy
Before 1000heads was working with Google and Meta, Mike Rowe and Mike Davison were experimenting with early social media technology in a converted cowshed. They also recalled a point when one client accounted for 90% of revenue. That makes their international growth story with Phoenix even more impressive.
The two men wanted different things from Phoenix. Davison was looking for help to expand faster while Rowe wanted to step back from daily leadership. Their story followed how the investment supported both expansion and succession, with new US offices and stronger operational support alongside Rowe’s move into a non-exec role.
“It’s given us the confidence to grow faster.” – Mike Davison.
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