Update - 2026
Firstly I’d like to wish all my clients a happy new year, and provide an update on the business and my plans moving forward in light of 2025.
Last year was not a good year for me, personally and professionally. The year was marred by illness and in the last three months the death of two close family members within two weeks of each other. It was also one of the busiest years I have had with over 150 clocks coming into the workshop. For some this would be a point of celebration but for me its caused nothing but headaches.
As many of my clients know I am a one man band, I have to answer the phone, respond to emails, do bookkeeping, run to the post office, run to the bank…. I think you get the idea. Oh and I’m meant to be repairing clocks!
I’ve known for a while something was going to break, and last year it was me, and I found my self off work ill for patches throughout the year. I do not want to repeat the mistakes of last year again this year.
To do this I’m going to have to start using a word I have tried to avoid for as long as I’ve been running this business which is “No”. I have gotten myself into this mess by over promising and biting off way more than I can chew.
When I think about the business I want to run, its one that puts the client first. Clocks should come in, and within three months should be repaired and back in the clients house running perfectly. Clients should have emails and phone calls responded to at the least by the next working day. I should be able to go home after a day of work and not be worried about the seemingly never ending list of jobs which are accumulating on my shelf.
The only person I have to blame for this not being the business I am currently running is myself. I have found myself saying yes to every job, leading to a waitlist of six to eight months. I work 12 hour days and come in on the weekends. I don’t reply to clients emails or phone calls as quickly as I should because I’m only able to think about the 80 clocks I have peering down on me from the shelf waiting to be done.
So going forward I am going back to the remit I set the business up for; To restore fine antique clocks.
I’m afraid this will mean turning away some (to be honest the majority) of clocks I get enquiries about.
The clocks I will no longer be working on are:
Black Forrest Clocks
American Clocks
Clocks made after 1900
Quartz Clocks
Watches
I’m sorry I’ve gotten into this mess in the first place, its snowballed quite rapidly.
I would like to find my way back to enjoying the work. Last year it very much felt like things were either going downhill or were an uphill battle.
A huge thanks for the patience of my clients and their understanding, I hope to not test the limits of this again.
Michael Barnell