Sam Honeyborne: the rise of AGS and its recent acquisition

Sam Honeyborne has shown both resilience and innovation throughout his career. In this candid interview, he discusses the rise of AGS and its recent acquisition.

Left to right: Joe Hendy - Agrovista Amenity Specialist, Marcus Cassidy - Head Groundsperson at Swindon Town FC and Sam Honeyborne.

Sam turned back the clock for us to discuss where his passion for the industry came from: “I grew up on an arable and sheep farm in Gloucestershire with fond memories of the outdoors. A proportion of the farm was used to grow ryegrass turf for a local contractor - which was my first link to the industry and amenity agronomy. Straight out of college, aged 20, I joined Countrywide Farmers which is where the journey began.’’

In the following years, Sam worked hard before being given the opportunity to manage Countrywide Amenity in 2011: “My boss left and, at thirty years of age, I felt quite young to be faced with the prospect of managing a business. I ran with the opportunity, focusing on the southwest but, for many reasons, Countrywide ran into some financial difficulty. I could have closed the doors and looked for a similar job within the industry, but we had fantastic staff and I saw an opportunity to do something different.”

The rise of AGS

Sam set up Advance Grass Solutions in 2017 - which he describes as a bold move: “Coming from Countrywide, we had the platform for a ready-made business. We wanted to be as close to a consultant for businesses as we could be, but I think a lot of people thought we would only last a few months. I had no credit line as it was a brand-new business, so I was very grateful for the supply relationships I had built up over the years and all of the key suppliers supported us.”

Sam with his grandfather on the farm.

He simplified the AGS vision: “We wanted to become the largest independent in the UK. Our vision was to upskill the staff, give them the latest technology and make them different - different from the chasing pack. I always used to challenge the team and say: What can you give a customer that other people can’t?”

“The issue with being a good independent is the potential for your staff being approached. However good the company is, there will always be someone who can offer more money. I worked very hard to get everyone to buy into the project long-term, as I have learnt that staff are your business; they are the ambassadors for your brand.”

“I am a big believer in continual development, and BASIS and FACTS are the core training foundation, but it’s important for everyone to have continual discussions about further training and development opportunities. I am there to support the team and I take an interest in the people working for me.”

Sam on holiday with his children.

Sam tips his hat to the staff when discussing the success of the business: “Everyone was part of the project. Many of the team came from Countrywide and I suppose they had a loyalty to me for saving their jobs. Lots of them doubled their revenue and have maintained that level of the business to this day.”

Building big projects while taking a risk

The launch of AGS was always going to be a risk for Sam, however, he is happy to see how far it has come: “My first target was to get through the first two years and, in 2019, the business had started to gain momentum… but that came with its challenges. When the rise of a business is going that fast, you are spread thinly. I didn’t want to let people down and it was difficult to maintain high standards, as well as fast exponential growth.”

“It was obvious I needed to recruit and I wanted people who had a range of turf backgrounds - not just golf - so they could have a meaningful impact on the strategy of the business. Year one budget was £4 million, and we achieved just over £5 million.”

It isn’t all easy

He highlighted some of the other challenges for the business: “The main one was the pandemic and, like so many, it was a very difficult time for us. I had over £1,000,000 worth of stock in the warehouse, which I had committed to with a relatively young business and I had about eight weeks to sell it. I have felt pressure throughout my career, but nothing like that. Thank goodness golf was allowed to open first!”

“We worked tirelessly throughout that period. I was on my laptop more or less day and night, but that’s what it is like when you are starting a business, and we didn’t know what would happen. Thankfully, we had a loyal customer base, so we were still achieving sales.”

Sam draws on the phrase ‘cash is king’: “The number one challenge for a new business is cash flow. When you see your bank balance jumping by a few £100,000, you think, that's fantastic. However, it goes in minutes because you're paying off your creditors as quickly as money is coming in, not to mention wages, expenses and equipment etc.”

“You need the money in place at the start to ensure long-term success and a strong portfolio is essential; why should that customer buy from you? We focused on products which were unique to us in order to gain market protection.”

Sam at Ashton Gate stadium - the home of Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Bears.

Looking to the future

“The next step for AGS was further geographical growth, specifically into northern England, but that required investment. We looked at a new five-year plan, considering all viable options and it was clear that Agrovista Amenity would be a very suitable long-term partner.’’

Sam continued: “I chose Agrovista as a way to expand for the future. They have a strong market in the midlands and the north, whilst ours was in the southwest & Wales. We still maintain our independence within Agrovista as they allow us to do our business and recommend our product range… albeit under the banner of a much larger organisation.”

Sam summarised the importance of ethos when discussing the move to Agrovista: “We share the same opinions on many things and both businesses have a similar mindset. It was also important that the employees were protected and I’m sure we will have a long and successful company for years to come. The future is exciting.”