“Our partnership with Acorn Commercial Finance has been pivotal in our business growth” - Jack Churchman, Business Owner, CutCrew Ltd
Posted on 23rd October 2024 at 10:47
In the beginning
The owner of CutCrew Grounds Maintenance and Landscaping, embarked on his business growth journey after serving in the British Military. Starting out in 2018 as a one-man band, Jack Churchman focused on maintaining residential gardens. His business roots were planted early on as a young boy selling drinks from a caddy on the green grass of Millbrook Golf Club in Bedfordshire. Then through a community outreach initiative during his military service, he began mowing lawns for free for elderly residents. Jack’s interest in landscaping, service and community became the foundation for his new business, with the aim of ‘changing the grounds maintenance industry, one stripe at a time with an ex-military ethos’.
By 2020 when coronavirus hit, Jack noticed a gap in the market. Local councils began scaling back their grounds maintenance services, leaving schools and public spaces unattended. Seeing this opportunity, Jack secured his first significant contract with the Creative Education Trust for Wrenn Academy in Wellingborough. Later adding big names like Primark, MK Dons and Bedfordshire Football Association to his roster, but this step forward brought with it the need for heavy-duty, expensive equipment to be able to manage the larger scale spaces and more complex jobs in a timely manner.
The need for serious investment
Jack knew that expanding his business would require investment in machinery and equipment, tools that would not only allow him to meet his current demand but also open the door to future contracts. As a sole trader, securing finance for such an expansion seemed daunting. After facing a lot of no’s from traditional lenders, Jack's journey took a positive turn when he connected with Paul and Ben of Acorn Commercial Finance through a local networking event.
Jack says: “I explained the dream to Paul and Ben and they found a way. I bought my first machine on a 78% Asset Finance deal they helped me to secure. What makes them different is that they looked at the value of the kit and what we’re turning over, and then I’d show them what I could turnover if I had that machine and they would evaluate it from there and not just the residual value of the asset. They knew what it would do for my business in the future with that investment and not a lot of other brokers do that.”
“If we’ve not got the money now or the turnover required for it then they wouldn’t look at the future of the business. That machine meant we could maintain a larger capacity and volume of work and we are now earning 20x our initial monthly income in just four years as a limited company.”
Fuelling growth with strategic financing – how we helped
The partnership between Jack and Acorn Commercial Finance would soon become pivotal in CutCrew’s growth story. What set us apart from other banks and brokers was our ability to understand the vision and offer sound financial advice that went beyond the numbers. We believed in his business plan and helped him secure the necessary funding for equipment, paving the way for the next phase.
The first major hurdle was securing financing with a series of working capital, cash flow loans as CutCrew was growing rapidly and needed funds for staffing, small items of equipment and materials essential for meeting the demands of Jack's new contract. After analysing the business potential and helping Jack forecast how the investment would translate into increased revenue, we secured the necessary funding that would prove to be the first of many successful collaborations over the years.
The new machinery allowed Jack to offer a higher standard of service and CutCrew quickly flourished, enabling them to take on larger contracts with schools, parish councils, and even local football associations. The growth of the business mirrored the care and attention Jack put into his work.
What started out as a one-man operation mowing five acres on a daily average, blossomed into a budding professional business maintaining 100 acres a day, a workforce of five and a growing list of clients. Now able to tackle larger scale projects, including specialist sports pitch maintenance and renovations and their latest offering of a hedge and verge cutting service, CutCrew continue to add to their services and stand out as a trusted provider in Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and surrounding areas.
The Perfect Partnership
The partnership between Jack and Acorn Commercial Finance continues to flourish, with a forward-thinking approach and the ability to fund the company’s future. Jack is confident that his landscaping and grounds maintenance business will continue to expand, adding new equipment, services and staff as the demand for their specialist services increases. With the right tools and a trusted financial partner in Acorn Commercial Finance, Jack and his team can cultivate their business as well as the landscapes and grounds under their expert care.
"If it’s a service that we can offer and I know we can do it well, we will grow into that space. Building this business wouldn’t have been possible without the ongoing support of Ben and Paul at Acorn Commercial Finance, I fully trust them.” said Jack.
"Their sound advice has always ensured that we do the right thing, when the time is right. They really do look after you and we are not done yet. There’s always more to come with me. I’ve sent my wish list to Paul."
For more information about CutCrew grounds maintenance and landscaping please visit www.cutcrew.co.uk or call Jack on 01933 829932. You can also stay up to date with them on their YouTube channel with nearly 10k subscribers.
Contact us to see how we can help your business get the equipment or finance it needs to flourish on 0345 565 2603.
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