How Tim Hogins Went From Security Guard to Theme Park Mogul As a poor township kid, Tim Hogins watched kids pile into buses heading to Sun City every weekend, knowing he couldn't afford to join them. He was a youngster, but he made a promise to himself. One day he would build parks that anyone could visit - especially underprivileged kids like himself. It's taken almost 30 years to achieve that dream. Starting out as a security guard before moving into IT and then getting retrenched, Tim has built a business from nothing. But he had a dream, and he never let it waver. This is his story.

• Player: Tim Hogins
• Company: GOG, formerly Green Outdoor Gyms
• Est: 2012
• Turnover: R110 million
• Projected Turnover: R150 million (2018)
• Visit: www.gog.co.za

Healthy Living

GOG's genesis was outdoor gyms, and the company continues to grow from these original roots: Catering to a growing focus on healthier lifestyles, from public parks to beaches, corporates and residential estates.

Seven years ago, Tim Hogins drove out of an office park and pulled onto the side of the road because he was having a panic attack. His car was closing in on him, he couldn't see and he couldn't breathe. After months of hard work, it was all over. His dreams were shattered.

Tim isn't the first entrepreneur to find himself here, and he won't be the last. What separates him from countless other aspiring business owners is that despite a massive setback, he didn't back down. He sat in his car, phoned his wife, and told her what had happened. Instead of telling him it was time to move on and find a job, she asked him how they were going to cobble together the money he needed to start again.

And that was the beginning of Green Outdoor Gyms, a vision Tim had been nurturing for almost two years. A business idea that had led to his retrenchment and was almost ripped away from him by his business partners and investors.

But he didn't quit. He pushed on. And today his business has a projected turnover of R150 million and has self-funded three huge lifestyle parks that Tim hopes will impact the lives of thousands of underprivileged children while providing jobs for hundreds more.

The in-built art of tenacity

To understand Tim, you need to understand where he came from. As a township kid growing up in Randfontein on the West Rand of Johannesburg, Tim always helped his parents to sell stuff. They were traders. His dad had a small café selling burgers and chips, and his mom baked. While other kids in the area piled into buses for Sun City on the weekends, or visited a local bird park, Tim had to work or the family didn't eat.

"I matriculated in 1996, and even though I had an exemption, tertiary education wasn't on the cards for me," he says. "We just couldn't afford it." But Tim had a plan. His cousin told him about a free four-week course to become a security guard, and Tim aced it, securing a position at one of the firm's top industrial sites.

Here's the first secret to Tim's success. Instead of seeing a dead-end job, Tim saw an opportunity. If he did his job well, he would progress to a driver, and then a cash-in-transit guard. From there the plan was management. Becoming a security guard wasn't his fate because he couldn't get a degree — it was step one to the rest of his life.

"I was raised to be the best version of myself. Everything is what you make of it. In primary school I was head boy, and in high school the head of the SRC. There's always a way to grow and improve yourself."

Two years into his career as a security guard, Tim heard about another opportunity — a free programming course teaching COBOL, a back-end system used by the financial services industry.

"I grew up 500 metres from Stafford Masie, who would go on to become the first head of Google South Africa and is one of our country's greatest tech entrepreneurs," says Tim. "I had zero programming experience — I'd never touched a computer — but I knew how valuable these skills were, and here was an opportunity being handed to me."

It wasn't quite as easy as Tim imagined. He failed the aptitude test and had to take it again. Once he was on the course, he failed that too — it was a programming course after all, and Tim needed a far more basic introduction to IT. He didn't give up though. He'd quit his job and needed to make this work while he was still living with his father and didn't have financial responsibilities, so he begged the course administrator to let him retake the programme. This time he passed, and found a job at a small IT firm.

Once there, Tim built up his IT acumen. Over the course of his IT career Tim worked for Dimension Data, EOH and SITA. In his final three years he applied for an account management position and moved into sales. His goal was to become a business owner, and so he diversified and learnt what he could about business.

He also paid attention to the world around him, looking for a business opportunity or problem he could solve. He dabbled with some ideas, but the one he kept coming back to was outdoor gyms.

"I saw kids in parks doing sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups on trees, and kept thinking there must be a better way than this for them. I knew that a proper solution would be good for the whole community — giving kids and parents a safe and free environment to play in and focus on their health. I focused on poorer communities, where gym fees weren't an option, and kids needed safe places to play and keep out of trouble."

The more Tim unpacked the idea, the more he began to believe in it. And then his employers found out, and made it clear that they did not like Tim's attention divided between his job and his business idea. Despite this, Tim continued to focus on his entrepreneurial play, and within a few months he'd been retrenched, ostensibly due to a restructuring of the business, yet Tim was the only person let go.

It was October 2010 and Tim had no job, two-months' salary and he was about to get married. But it was the best thing that could have happened to him. "That retrenchment catapulted me into business. From then on, my full focus became outdoor gyms."

Winning and losing

Tim had approached Joburg City Parks who where interested in the idea. He had also met with an engineer and they had begun to design the equipment. There was just one small problem: Money.

"I knocked on doors, approaching anyone who would listen. One investor laughed at me. He said I'd gone from IT to playing with steel — what was wrong with me? A contact at SITA said flat out that she wouldn't help me. Looking for funding can be incredibly demoralising. I had an idea and a letter of intent from Joburg City Parks, and it still wasn't enough."

And then Tim was introduced to a group of investors who wanted to instal kids play areas in municipal parks. Tim had the City Parks connection; they had the funding. They entered into a business partnership and built a prototype together. This was when Tim's wheels fell off.

"I was invited to a meeting by my three business partners, and when I arrived there were five people in the room — my partners and their two lawyers. We'd entered into the agreement as 50/50 partners, and they wanted us to all be 25% shareholders. I couldn't agree to that. This was my idea, my connection, my baby."

By the time Tim left the meeting, he had no funding, no partners and no prototype and he knew City Parks was getting impatient. All he'd done was create competitors — and they had a demo model.

Tim had spent most of 2011 looking for funding and then building the protype once he found his partners. He wasn't just back to square one, he was behind where he'd started months ago. Hence the panic attack.

It was a pivotal moment. Give up or push on? Tim chose to push on. That night, Tim and his wife, Rona Hogins, sat down and came up with a plan. They would sell one car and Rona would apply for a bank loan. Together, they managed to come up with R200 000. Tim approached a friend who was interested in a side business and they launched LXI, an importer of screens for media companies. LXI brought in enough to pay the bills while Tim concentrated on getting Green Outdoor Gyms off the ground.

Then luck stepped in. "I drove past a warehouse and saw some play equipment. Instead of driving on, I pulled in and pitched my business idea to the owner." The owner, Neta Indig, agreed to build Tim's prototype at cost, in exchange for a long-term partnership. Tim agreed. His R200 000 would be enough to get the business back off the ground. Green Outdoor Gyms was officially launched in February 2012.

Here's the thing about luck though. Unless you're open to opportunities, paying attention and willing to step out of your comfort zone, luck alone will get you nowhere. By the time Tim drove into Neta's parking lot, he'd spoken to countless investors, had doors shut in his face, lost a partnership and his prototype, and was still willing to look for any opportunity that might present itself. Through sheer will and tenacity, he found it.

Seizing opportunities

After the first outdoor gym was installed, two things happened. The competition Tim had feared from his old partners didn't materialise. It was Tim's first real lesson in the power of passion. He'd doggedly pursued his idea for over two years. His partners, who didn't share that passion, did nothing with the prototype they'd acquired. Tim was still — at that stage — in blue ocean territory.

The second was how quickly an idea can take off once the foundations are in place. GOG's turnover was R3 million in its first year, and orders were flooding in from municipalities throughout South Africa.

Tim was invited to present his solution in parliament, and it was included in the National Development Plan.

"Everything escalated faster than I could have imagined," he says. "The reality is that we're an obese nation. It's a real problem. On top of that, 90% of the country can't afford commercial gym fees. Under the National Development Plan, every community was earmarked for an outdoor gym. Government saw my vision and they bought into it."

Tim had to tender for each new site, but he had a first-mover advantage. By the time other players entered his space he'd already built up a track record. His team's turnover times are impressive and the business doesn't only design and instal the equipment, but can also overhaul a derelict park. The quality of his products ensures that equipment lasts at least eight years with no maintenance, although once an outdoor park is installed, the community takes ownership of it, cleaning it regularly and maintaining the area.

In six short years, GOG has installed over 1 000 outdoor gyms for local municipalities around the country, and there's still room for growth. There are currently between 5 000 and 10 000 sites available, and while Tim doesn't believe they will get all of them, the business will continue to expand. "I believe we still have a ten-year run with government-funded outdoor gyms, but this is no longer our core business."

In fact, GOG has grown and changed considerably since that first outdoor gym was installed in February 2012.

"I'm an opportunist. I pay attention to developments around me and am always on the lookout for where we can add value," says Tim. As a result, GOG is now developing its own sites and supplying equipment to the industry — across private and public sectors.

"You need to know that competitors are coming," says Tim. "When we started out we had a niche with outdoor gyms and government, but someone will always want to eat your lunch. If you know that someone's paying attention to what you're doing and that everyone needs to diversify, you can stay ahead of your competitors.

"Our business is centred around health, fitness and family, and this understanding has allowed us to grow into lifestyle spaces that support our core focus."

As a result, GOG has expanded to the installation of play areas and outdoor gyms for hotels, private and public schools, beach parks and lifestyle estates, including Steyn City.

"We also have a registered landscape company," says Tim. "We can take vacant land and transform it into a park with grass, trees, water and pathways. We have a Geotech division that does soil testing and environmental studies."

None of this happened overnight. It takes time to build a reputation, but if you're focused on four key things, you can build a sustainable business. "You need to diversify your product range, diversify your customer base, nurture relationships and push outbound sales," says Tim.

Tim has geared the business for scale, which is critical in a production and manufacturing context. "We have always outsourced our manufacturing, first with Neta, and later to a Chinese manufacturer who has become integral to our success."

Tim's relationship with Neta was critical in the start-up phase, but after two years the manufacturer decided to focus on his core. "We were too big — it wasn't a side project anymore, and Neta wanted to remain in construction," says Tim. "I needed to either find another manufacturing partner, or move into that space myself."

Tim visited manufacturing facilities in China and sourced samples until he found a plant that could handle GOG's volumes and quality. "Chinese manufacturers value loyalty and they'll do whatever you want at the price point you ask. If you want a cheap product, you'll get it — and the quality to match. Good quality costs more. I have an excellent relationship with our supplier — so good that he flew out to South Africa to see our operations, because he was impressed with the volumes he produces for us."

It's this relationship and the capacity available to Tim that has allowed him to take the next step towards his ultimate vision for GOG: Lifestyle parks.

Living the dream

GOG's first lifestyle park stemmed from Tim's need for a showroom and his life-long dream to give underprivileged children access to entertainment parks that he couldn't afford when he was a child.

"We were manufacturing outdoor parks and I started thinking about other ideas in this space that aligned with our vision and niche. I needed a showroom that could showcase everything we can do, from ziplines to climbing walls, swimming pools to spray pools and outdoor gyms. A lifestyle park was the natural answer to everything I wanted to achieve."

GOG Lifestyle was opened in November 2016 and is situated off the N14 near Lanseria Airport. It's close to a number of townships, including Diepsloot and Cosmo City. "The revenue model is corporate teambuilding events, family days and launches, which allows us to run specials for kids, the elderly, and CSI projects for schools and churches."

The next lifestyle park, GOG Gardens, was opened in Soweto in December 2017. Bigger than the first lifestyle park, GOG Gardens caters for picnics, outdoor events and concerts. It's a multi-purpose venue with seven venues in one, and also focuses on corporates, the general public and events, with CSI projects that support children.

"We have launched some smaller projects, such as GOG Kids at Chameleon Village in Haartebeespoort and a play area in Vilakazi Street, but our next big project is Happy Island, a 36 hectare water park off Beyers Naude Drive in Muldersdrift."

Happy Island is GOG's first joint venture with an investment partner, Tim's Chinese supplier. Unlike the other lifestyle parks, which GOG self-funded from cash reserves, Happy Island is a multi-hundred million rand project with large capex needs.

"The idea came to life when the chairman of our manufacturing supplier visited our operations in South Africa. There are no water parks in South Africa similar to those I visited in China. We are doing something completely new and exciting, and we broke ground in April 2017."

All of GOG's lifestyle parks have required high capex investments and have not yet reached break-even, unlike the smaller projects that will reach break-even within a few months. "Our projection for the lifestyle parks is three years, and five years for Happy Island," says Tim.

"My long-term goal is to have ten lifestyle parks across South Africa, one in each region, and that's what I'm investing in. We want to make a difference, give kids access to these parks and employ people.

"I'm here today because of my childhood experiences, but before I could invest in this dream, I needed to start small and build up my reputation and cash reserves. To achieve my ultimate dream will take a lot of investment, so that's the focus.

"I'm a visionary, and I'm not scared to invest in my vision. I've lost millions, but I've made more because of that. Business is about making money, but I've grown beyond that — I want to employ people, develop them, push boundaries and see where we can take this. When someone says something is impossible, I want to know why, and then try anyway. That's how you achieve great things. That's how you realise your dreams."

LESSONS LEARNT

1. Relationships don't always last. I was young when I got involved in municipalities and government and I relied on the people I met. I learnt the hard way that if your business is based on a relationship with one person, you're setting yourself up for failure. The relationship needs to be with the organisation, not an individual.
2. Go out of your way for your clients. It's tough to get into business, but easy to stay in business — provided you always look after your clients. Many businesses lose sight of this when they start growing. As your clients grow, you grow with them. Your clients are your business. Never forget that.
3. You will make mistakes. I've made mistakes, negotiated badly and had dumb ideas that cost me money along the way. That's the reality. I know I'm not a great businessman; I'm an okay businessman. But I don't give up, and because of that, I've made more than I've lost and I've learnt a lot. As long as I don't make the same mistakes twice, I'm moving in the right direction.
4. Hire the right people. Invest in the network around you. My first hire was a bookkeeper because I knew I needed one. Since then, I've surrounded myself with experts in their fields. I'm a visionary and I can sell, but to make this business work, I need great implementers.
5. Grow and develop people. This is one of the key reasons why I run my own business. We promote internally as much as possible and focus on internal development. This means that mistakes will be made. That's okay. It's the cost of taking a chance on your people, and as long as they learn and don't make the same mistake twice, what you achieve is an incredible, focused, dedicated and loyal team. In six years we've had only two resignations.
6. Invest in your future partners. I've adopted 15 youngsters in my old neighbourhood whom I'm mentoring. Most kids in South Africa can't afford tertiary education. They need opportunities and support. Some of them will start their own businesses, but I'm hoping most of them will become future partners of mine, running their own divisions and taking GOG into Africa.
7. Make sure you always get paid. First, make sure you offer a product or service that people want and need. Second, make sure you get your money. Government always paid me on time because I had a product they wanted and I wouldn't deliver the next site until I'd been paid. Don't carry on doing work if your clients don't pay, and chase your invoices. Without cash flow, your business won't survive and you won't achieve your long-term vision and goals.
8. Find your niche. Great businesses are built on unique offerings and good service, but you have to find your niche. First identify your industry, and then find your niche in that industry. We've diversified, but we've done so within our niche. We're specialists. In a competitive landscape, that's critical. Everyone is diversifying. Indoor gym equipment manufacturers are moving into our space. Our competitive advantage is that this is our niche.
9. Foster your creativity. Poverty can be a good thing, because growing up poor makes you creative, and that's an incredible power if you know how to use it. Anyone can be creative. Keep your eyes open, pay attention, and think out of the box. Nothing is impossible.