IN PERSON VISION AND PASSION 30 years of MKM: David Kilburn, CBE, Founder MKM W have passed.
Our journey began in 1995 following my redundancy — which could have been terrifying. But I’d run a business before, and I had an idea. It could have been a moment of despair, but in truth it became the beginning of something extraordinary. I sat down with my friend Peter, and we asked ourselves: Why not us? Why not build something of our own?
The early days
In those early months there was no certainty, no safety net. We had no credit accounts, no customers, no premises ready to move into. We had to beg and borrow goodwill from the supply chain. Some said yes and trusted us; others turned us away. Those who backed us then are the ones we’ve remained fiercely loyal to, because trust is a two-way street. The competitors didn’t make life easy. There was talk in the trade that we wouldn’t last three months. Some suppliers were even warned off working with us. But I’ve always believed that adversity can be the best motivator. We pulled together, celebrated every order (literally — with a fire alarm bell in
hen I look back over thirty years, I’m struck not just by how far we’ve come, but how quickly those decades seem to
the warehouse) and worked until the job was done, no matter the hour.
That sense of excitement and camaraderie mattered more than anything. When you’re trying to sell a vision that doesn’t exist yet, passion is your only real currency.
Building on trust
Looking back, I can see that relationships were the true foundation. Not bricks and mortar, not product lines, but people. The customers who gave us a chance. The suppliers who extended credit when we had none. The colleagues who jumped ship from the security of big companies to take a chance with us. It’s a philosophy I still hold dear: treat people the way you’d want to be treated yourself. That simple principle carried us through the toughest periods. If you behave with integrity, people remember. If you cut corners or play games, they remember that too.
Highs and lows
It hasn’t all been plain sailing. There were moments when the pressure nearly boiled over. But in truth, the lows have been vastly outnumbered a hundredfold by the highs. I pinch myself daily. The business we built has grown far beyond what Peter and I ever dared to imagine back in 1995. Beyond our
wildest dreams even. And yet the moments that stay with me aren’t measured in profit and loss, but in human stories.
One Christmas Day, my phone rang. It was a branch director calling simply to say thank you. His wife was outside unwrapping a car he’d bought for her, and he wanted me to know that without our model — giving people ownership, real responsibility and the chance to succeed — it wouldn’t have been possible. It wasn’t about the car. It was about what it represented: a chance to do something that most people will never be offered in their working lives. That’s the difference when you back people, give them trust and let them run with it.
I’ve spoken to every branch director personally over the years, and that’s what they tell me matters most — not just the financial rewards, but the opportunity itself. The sense that this is theirs to shape. You see it every year at our annual awards, when every branch director stands up to recognise the achievements of their peers in categories like ‘Branch of the Year’. It’s pride, ownership and mutual respect rolled into one. I remember standing there on that Christmas morning, phone in hand, thinking: This is why we do it. This is what matters.
Lessons learned
If I had to distil three decades into lessons, they would be these: 1. Create excitement. Nobody ever succeeded by being the same as everyone else. From day one we wanted to inject passion and energy into everything we did. Customers feel it, staff feel it, and it’s contagious. 2. Give people ownership. Our model was always about autonomy. branch directors aren’t just managers — they’re owners, with skin in the game. That freedom unlocks ambition in a way no corporate hierarchy ever could. 3. Stay true to values. Success isn’t built on clever financial engineering; it’s built on trust, fairness, and relationships. Treat people well, and it comes back in spades.
And perhaps a fourth lesson: enjoy the ride. Because it goes quickly.
Being human
Business is often painted as a ruthless pursuit of profit, but the truth is that it’s about people. I’ve been blessed with friendships
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www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2025
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