CJC Aggregates and Landscaping Supplies was launched in 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic by directors Richard Sadler and Colin John Collins.

Richard explains: “Colin started the business as a small farm diversification project. He had a tenant on the farm who went bankrupt and that left him space in the yard. Part of the farm has a large grain store on site and one of the hauliers recommended looking into selling sand, aggregates, and gravels.”

Shortly after, Colin and Richard discussed the business idea, “Colin and I go way back to childhood. My parents actually had a farm next door to Colin's parents, years and years ago. So I said, ‘I'll come when harvest is about to start and give you a hand to look after the new business idea for three months and after three months, we thought, ‘Wow, we've got a business here!”

The business itself is unique, and Richard describes it as something “between a building merchant and a garden centre. Ultimately, we focus on hard landscaping products. I think one of the things that sets us apart is that builders merchants can be quite intimidating, and we provide a more inclusive approach for our customers.

“We just treat every customer as we would like to be treated ourselves. And our aim is that we become the one-stop-shop for landscaping supplies in the area.”

Help to Grow: Management

The business saw a huge amount of growth very quickly, “COVID-19 was a good starting point for us because everybody was working from home and people couldn't go on holiday. That meant a lot of money went into people's gardens, and this enabled us to accelerate our initial growth probably twice as quickly as we would have done in the normal climate.”

Despite this growth, the company had challenges, Richard wanted to perfect the businesses cash flow and enable it to grow further. Although he had experience as a Sales Director, selling to the likes of B&Q, Homebase and Garden Centres, leading a business is different. “When you’re running a small business, you've got to understand all aspects of the business to make it successful.”

During this time, Richard went to a breakfast networking event hosted by the Hereford and Worcester Chamber of Commerce. Here, Laura Swain from Worcester Business School recommended that Richard joined the Help to Grow: Management Course despite his previous experience as a Sales Director.

Finance

Richard wanted to ensure that the business could grow and align the financial elements of the business to this goal. As a result, the Finance and Financial Management module that detailed how to make informed decisions about future operations and how to identify relevant financial metrics for monitoring growth and productivity was very useful.

“The finance module was the most valuable module, it made me really focus on the minutiae of cash flow and see where we could develop. Through a simple SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) I could see areas that would be worth investing in.

“During peak season it became clear that the infrastructure of our business needed to be developed, and the finance module gave me the confidence to start those changes.”

Digital Adoption

One change to the company’s infrastructure will be the implementation of a CRM system.

“What became apparent in the Help to Grow: Management Course is that we didn’t have a CRM system, and it was holding us back. Through the Digital Adoption module and the peer sessions on the course, I was able to begin assessing our options.

“The CRM system we are now implementing allows us to be able to thank customers for their purchase, launch loyalty and referral schemes, and keep conversations with potential customers. We often hear people say that they didn’t know we sold an item, so it will help us with that awareness.”

Mentoring

The changes Richard made to the business were done with the help of his mentor, “My mentor has challenged me in the right ways. Rather than thinking about just drawing in customers, my mentor encouraged me to consider how we get more returning customers who want to spend more with us.

“During a time of real growth, he made me see we could change our existing business to be more profitable.”

Outcomes

Projected 50% increase in turnover

CRM transformation underway

CJC Aggregates and Landscaping Supplies went from “nothing to to 1.6 million in turnover in just over 4 years” and the Help to Grow: Management Course has enabled Richard to keep up that momentum.

“The Help to Grow: Management Course came at a brilliant time for us because we were at a point where we could have plateaued. We are now forecasting £2 million in turnover this financial year, and we’re aiming for the £3 million mark in the near future.”

With the confidence gained from his mentor, and the modules on the course, it will be exciting to see what CJC Limited can achieve.

Find out how the Help to Grow: Management Course can help you here.

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