Page 21 - LandscapeSAIssue113

BUSINESS FEATURE

“We didn’t necessarily need to be the best,
we just had to be as good as we could be”
– JIM COLLINS

In addition to the above, the company basis of willing buyer, willing seller and Turf, the main one of which was the level
developed a brand character, the humming the company became a wholly owned of support received. Says Kirkby: “I was no
bird, to represent its attributes. It is a busy, subsidiary of Bidvest. “It was a nice, clean longer fighting the business battle on my
active bird, quick, alert and known to be deal,” says Kirkby, who stayed on until the own.” Other benefits included:
‘quality conscious’ in that it only obtains end of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. • improved stability and sustainability of
nectar from those flowers it considers the company;
worthy of its attention. Having never been part of a corporate • improved employee security and wider
structure, Kirkby says he soon learnt that career paths for them;
Selling the company to Bidvest there were ‘a few differences’ and even • inter-company business opportunities;
In 2004, Kirkby sold Top Turf to Bidvest, though he was told that things would not and
one of the largest, most diversified service change after the sale, the reality was different. • leveraging the Bidvest/Brian Joffe
businesses on the Johannesburg Stock “The company no longer belonged to me and reputation.
Exchange. A feature of its acquisition I needed to toe the line of the new owners,”
philosophy was to identify well-run private he says, adding that they had entered a world Some time after selling Top Turf, Kirkby
companies that could be potential targets of budgets, forecasts, sales reports, financial formed a consultancy practice to service
for buy-outs. He was invited to attend their ratios, board meetings, incentivisation, some of his long-time clients. Together
workshops and planning meetings, and corporate governance “and a whole lot with his son Jonty, they started Real Green
realised that the philosophies of the two more”. This was the next step in securing the in 2013, also on a 50:50 basis. As soon as
companies were closely aligned. sustainability of the business into the future. the business had matured sufficiently, he
sold his shares to Jonty and exited the
The sale of Top Turf took place on the However, there were many benefits to Top landscaping and sports turf industry. n

soon to be launched

011 794 1539 | www.multipowerimports.co.za
sales@multipi.co.za | 1464 Windjammer Street Honeydew
BATTERY PRODUCTS