Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Roland Murphy, Director of RGM Watch Co., located in Mount Joy, PA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
RGM Watch company is known for making high-grade mechanical watches in America. We also specialize in producing custom watches for individuals and also making watches in small series. Our customers are those who appreciate hand-crafted timepieces and old-world craftsmanship.
Tell us about yourself
I worked at a small factory part-time making Grandfather clocks, they went into bankruptcy, and a lot of items were up for sale; my father and I bought cabinets movements, etc. I assembled some cabinets with the German clock movements and sold them. I started to be very interested in the movements; I would set one up on a table with a hole in it so the weights could drop thru, then I could sit there and examine how everything worked. Next, I took a movement apart and put it back together, and it worked. This was the point I was hooked on horology. A friend told us about Bowman Technical school in Lancaster, PA, here in the USA, where I first learned clockmaking and watchmaking. Afterward, I went to W.O.S.T.E.P. in Neuchatel, Switzerland, in 1986. After that, I worked for SMH (Swatch Group now) back in Lancaster, PA, in product development for the Hamilton watch brand. After 5 years there, I started RGM in 1992, and now over 30 years later, I still love what I do, creating beautiful works of art you can wear on your wrist.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Bringing mechanical watch movement making back to the USA (on a small scale), being far from the modern watchmaking center in Switzerland, this was a mountain to climb.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Managing and finding manpower is the biggest challenge.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do something you love, don't settle.
- Grow carefully; take it one step at a time.
- Treat people with respect and take care of your employees.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.rgmwatches.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rgmwatches/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rgmwatches/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RGMWatchCompany
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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