b'CHAPTER 04GROWTH AND ACQUISITIONS | 33MERLIN always worked out, but every attempt provided valuable Never has a single word caused so many heads to shake inlessons. Angus Kennard says the companys success the corporate offices. CFO Jihad Farah recalls when, in theis because they focus on the few areas they excel in, 2000s, Kennards Hire tried to custom-build its own point- rather than stretching their resources too thin. Part of of-sale system, Merlin. It eventually became apparent thatKennards success is we decided what we do really well the Kennards Hire strengths did not lay in building an ITand just do that rather than trying to have our fingers in system from the ground up. Good money was pouredtoo many pies, he says.after bad to try and get the thing off the ground. Its a strategy that has proved successful; throughout its The whole saga was a pain in the arse, director Pennyhistory, Kennards Hire has not made many catastrophic Burke says bluntly. In the end, we just binned it andblunders. Instead, the company has embraced a culture started again. The company settled on a hire-centric,of resilience that has enabled its people to take risks and off-the-shelf system called Baseplan. It was finedevelop innovative solutions that have kept Kennards especially after the headaches that preceded it! Hire ahead of the competition.It cost Kennards Hire a truckload, but there was an upsideThe beauty of remembering the things that went for someone at least. We did make one wizard awrong is it reminds us of the courage and bravery we very wealthy person along the way, say no more,have demonstrated over the years to give things a go,Queensland general manager Matt Hardy says cryptically. to fail forward in the spirit of innovation, Jihad says.FAILING FORWARDBeing in business is the best form of education, Andy Kennard says. Youve got to make your own mistakes. Ive made plenty, and learned from every one of them.Throughout its seventy-five-year history, Kennards Hire has experimented with venturing out into adjacent aspects of the business and has even had a few ill-fated forays into equipment manufacture. It may not have'