Originally a felt roofing manufacturer founded in 1999, PermaGroup has evolved into a significant player in the construction and home projects markets under the PermaGroup umbrella.
Today, the company includes brands such as PermaRoof, PermaLawn, PermaFence, PermaRoom and The Skylight Company. Adrian Buttress, who joined the company in 2002, has played a crucial role in this expansion, particularly in making PermaRoof one of the leading importers of EPDM in the UK.
Here, Adrian shares with us the inspiration behind PermaGroup, his business strategies, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
What is the inspiration behind PermaGroup?
I wanted to build a national company that would provide long-term solutions to age-old problems in the construction and DIY markets. Not only that, I wanted to build something I could be proud of and fulfil my lifelong ambition of building a multi-million pound company to quench my entrepreneurial thirst. That’s all I wanted to do.
I have attended numerous seminars and read countless books on business building, which also taught me that to succeed, I needed to be a good leader that my team could trust and believe in, and I am happy to say that I believe we have achieved that. We have a great team who have worked hard and been instrumental in the success of PermaGroup.
Who do you admire?
There are many people I admire, but if I had to pick one, I would say Sir Richard Branson. A true British entrepreneur who simply looks at the market, decides he wants to get a piece of it, and does it immediately. He is a very down-to-earth person, which I admire as well.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
Two things come to mind. First, without making excuses, you don’t know what you don’t know, and I should have thought of something bigger earlier. I think I was very cautious in the early days and hated the idea of borrowing money, but once I realized how commercial lending works, it worked. For example, I borrow at 6% interest and make 30%, while making 24% on other people’s money. Why didn’t I get that interest sooner?
Second, I would like to learn to delegate sooner. When I started in business, I thought I had to do everything, but once I learned to delegate, I found it easier and wiser to find and work with people who had more experience. I’m not a finance whiz, I don’t have a college degree, and I’m not the best salesperson in the world, but I hire people who have these skills, and they’ve helped me move the business forward.
What defines your approach to business?
For me, it’s about both parties. It doesn’t work to sell a product or service and then have the customer walk away a few days later asking for a refund, or fail to close the deal. It’s all about negotiation, so that both parties are satisfied. I won’t sell cheap just to sell because I know that won’t work for us in the future.
However, there is a fine line in convincing a customer that we are the best option, because behind the price we negotiate is our inventory, product selection and high level of service. We never claim to be the cheapest, but I feel that we offer the best in the market, and we do our best to offer more for our customers’ hard-earned money.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?
Research the market you are in. Look at your competitors and do a SWOT analysis to see what they are doing well and what they are not doing well. This is the beginning, and then you can strive to do better than the competition. It is also important to build a solid foundation from the start, for example, hire someone with strong financial skills to look after your numbers and implement good financial planning with cash flow projections and future budgets. Stick to your budgets strictly and review them monthly.
Finally, start working hard. Over time, your efforts will add up, but you’d be surprised how many people give up. Many businesses are only interested in making a quick buck, but it takes time, patience, discipline, and many long hours to get started.