The Dealmaker Uncut

Graham Donoghue is the CEO of the holiday giant you probably haven’t heard of.

Forge Holiday Group is on the cusp of achieving unicorn status but gets a fraction of the attention of its rivals Airbnb and Booking.com.

Today the company manages 33,000 properties; handles 700,000 annual bookings; has 1,800 staff; and transacts more than £500m a year.

Donoghue is a part-time beekeeper and became CEO of Sykes Cottages in 2016 – a year after the company raised £54m from Living Bridge.

In 2019 Vitruvian Partners took a majority stake in the business for a reputed £400m and Forge Holiday Group’s valuation means it’s close to becoming a unicorn.

Donoghue is a self-confessed ‘data junkie’ and describes Forge Holiday Group as a technology business masquerading as a holiday company.

In a far-reaching interview, Donoghue talks about his near obsession with AI; his early career at MoneySuperMarket.com; and why he doesn’t share the media’s obsession with becoming a unicorn.

Paul Gouge is a giant of the gaming world.

He’s the CEO of ForthStar but he’s best known for his previous business – mobile games studio Playdemic – which was bought by EA in 2021 for $1.4bn. 

In a fascinating interview with The Dealmaker Uncut, Gouge reveals the bittersweet moment when he first sold Playdemic to Warner Bros in 2016 – only to launch the hit game Golf Clash weeks later.

It meant Warner Bros got the bargain of the century as Golf Clash went on to be downloaded more than 200 million times and generate more than $1.5bn in revenue.

Paul gives the inside story on what happened next and how he renegotiated the deal.

During the podcast the serial entrepreneur also discusses how money has never been his main motivator and how he met his business partner of nearly 40 years - Alex Rigby - when they were just  eight and 10 respectively.

In the second half of the show, Jonathan answers your questions about the world of deals.

Barry Nightingale is the straight-talking Northerner with a reputation for getting deals done.

During a stellar career he’s worked with some of the best known names in business – including webuyanycar founders Noel and Darren McKee; BetFred’s billionaire founder Fred Done; and easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou. 

Nightingale has specialised in financing and has a track record of being involved in some of the country’s biggest deals.

In 2011 he was the flat cap-wearing FD of BetFred when he oversaw the £265m deal to buy the Tote, which saw him crowned Dealmaker of the Year.

In this episode of The Dealmaker Uncut Podcast, Nightingale discusses the Tote deal and some of the other highest profile deals of his career.

Nightingale explains why cashflow is king in business and recalls why a tray of cream cakes were crucial in one deal he oversaw. 

Clare Roberts OBE is the founder and CEO of Kids Planet. She launched the business with her father in 2008 at two new locations in Warrington and Widnes after becoming disappointed at the quality of childcare available.

Today, Kids Planet is the UK’s third largest nursery group with 220+ nurseries and looks after more than 25,000 children. Roberts talks about her approach to acquisition and her two fundraising rounds with BGF and Fremman Capital, who acquired a majority stake in 2021.

In a far-ranging interview, the award-winning entrepreneur shares her insights about running a rapidly scaling family business.

In the second half of the show, Jonathan Boyers answers your questions.

As the CEO of Travel Counsellors, Steve Byrne is one of the UK’s most popular and highly-regarded business leaders.

Under his leadership, Travel Counsellors has just hit the milestone of £1bn in sales for the first time – and plans to hit £2bn in five years.

In a far-reaching interview, Byrne discusses leading an MBO; securing a secondary buyout; his approach to acquisition; and how he navigated the company through the challenge of Covid.

He also talks about his decision never to use the word ‘survival’ during the pandemic and why ‘caring and kindness’ is crucial in today’s business world.

In a deeply moving interview Byrne also talks about something his late father taught him and why he continues to draw inspiration from Rob Burrow’s approach to his illness.

In the second half of the show, Jonathan answers your questions around private equity.