Cambridge Cluster

An interesting article in the DT about Halstock Cabinet Makers whose average order is £100,000 and has sales of £2.5million with a staff of 32.

Halstock would make a complex Equity Fingerprint, the business plan resource, as it was created in 2001 by a merger of three small kitchen design companies.  Richard Miller (former army officer and city slicker) bought a majority share in the firm in 2005 and only co-owner and operations director Roger Evans remains from the original founders or bosses.  It is not clear how much Miller paid for his stake but presumable Halstock was in a bit of a mess as he is quoted as saying “I didn’t put any money into the business.  I wanted us to trade out of a hole.  If I had put in capital it wouldn’t have shown where the weaknesses were.”  It turned out these were in managing the expectations of the customers who I guess were allowed to keep changing their minds without charge.

Good lessons for the Cambridge Cluster and all enterpreneurs.  Halstock do have a fancy website – very, very upmarket!