Meet Christopher Schroeder | Clock Repairman

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Schroeder and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
The number one habit that has helped me to succeed would have to be setting goals and establishing purposes for them. If you don’t know where you are going then it doesn’t matter where you end up. But it does matter! So I have to have a goal. It is absolutely vital that you set goals for yourself. I have many goals. I have goals for myself personally, for my family, for the groups that I belong to and spiritual goals. I like to set my long-term goals 20 years out and then I work them backwards. I ask myself, “well, if that’s where I want to be in 20 years, where do I have to be in 10?” And then I work back to 5 and from there it is easy to see where I would have to be in 3, 2, and 1 year from now. Then I can say, “Wow! I have to get to work today if I want to be there in one year.” And I can immediately translate how my daily actions are contributing effectively towards accomplishing my long-term 20-year goals. And goals change! And that’s okay. So you have to set goals often and when you accomplish one, you better celebrate!

But it’s not enough to just set goals. You have to have reasons for your goals. And that’s where the purpose comes in. This is the fuel for your goals. If you have a strong enough purpose for your goals, you will be able to overcome the daily obstacles to achieve them.

Now that you have your goals and your purposes, the next habits are patience and discipline. My goals aren’t going to happen overnight. So when you can really master patience, you can happily wait as you practice the daily discipline of working towards your goals. This enables me to not get consumed by short-term losses or set backs. When everyone around me is unsettled or rattled by a hopeless situation, I can have a little smile as I diligently work to handle the situation knowing that my goals are there, at the top of the mountain waiting for me to summit.

Another key successful habit is to never stop learning and to never have the idea that you know it all. Man has been learning and conquering his environment for 1000’s of years. To think that I have all the answers would be rather pompous. So one must always look to others for help, guidance and wisdom. I try to read 50 to 60 books a year that will help me to become a more knowledgable professional in the business of living.

Practice gratitude. To be grateful for what you have while in pursuit of what you are trying to achieve. When you have big goals, but you haven’t reached them yet, try not to become dismayed. Don’t forget about what you have accomplished and to enjoy the fruits of your labor today. This will enable you to enjoy life as opposed to being resentful for not being further along.

Lastly, have fun! When you treat life as a game that you want to win it becomes a lot for fun. Create a beautiful life and have fun with it. We all have the same playing field. What will you do when you’re up to bat?

What should our readers know about your business?
What separates the Chris’s Clock Repair brand and business apart is that it is not simply a clock repair business. I don’t consider that I am merely in the clock business. I consider that I am in the people business. Every clock that I repair belongs to a person. And very often their clock is very important to them for heritage reasons. I am in service to my clients and helping them to accomplish their goals and make them happy.

From the moment they contact me or I contact them, I am in service to the customer, a person. And I try to treat them as I would want to be treated. I understand that they are contacting me to help them solve a specialized problem and I never lose sight of that. My commitment is to create for them a pleasurable experience from the moment they reach out to me, through the repair process and all the way to the delivery of a fine finished product.

I do this by caring for their clock, by staying in good communication with them throughout the repair process and the final delivery. Very often I will send update photos of the repair process and they really like this. It keeps them informed as to what is happening and also inspires confidence that their priceless clock is being cared for properly. It puts them at ease.

Also, I have a YouTube channel and many times I will feature a customer’s clock repair process in a video. The customers are very enthusiastic about this and it gives them a permanent record of the care and work that went into restoring their timepiece.

I started training to become a clock repairman part-time over 15 years ago. It was a long and arduous journey full of many challenges that I had to overcome. It took a lot of dedicated work, with little pay, to become a professional at clock repair. Having the foresight to persist was probably one of the most difficult aspects of my career. It would have been very easy to give up before it amounted to anything.

My company is actually still in the very beginning stages of its development. I have big ideas for expansion in the future. Eventually, Chris’s Clock Repair will not only be a clock repair business, but also a clock repair school. I am also planning to do custom clocks in the future as well. Once the school is in operation I will turn out competent clock repairman. This will serve two main purposes. One is to create more competent repairman so that I can expand and open new locations. Secondly, I plan to streamline and document clock repair training technology. These are my long-term goals and I have many obstacles yet to overcome to achieve these.

I have learned many things over the years. One key lesson is that you never know what opportunities lie ahead. It’s like walking down a foggy path. You can only see about 100 feet ahead. You have to walk the 100 feet before you see the next 100 feet. In my journey on that path, my eyes have been opened again and again to new opportunities that I couldn’t have imagined before. Though filled with challenges, each one brings new discoveries and experiences that serve as a launchpad for greater growth and prosperity.

I am most proud of the superior word of mouth that my business has generated. The overwhelming positive feedback I get from my clients is truly heartwarming and I have made many great friends. I get to meet so many wonderful kinds of people from all walks of life. And this really enriches my life.

Creating a YouTube channel has definitely been one of the best business decisions I have made. And something I am very proud of. It was born out of the CoVid Shutdown. In 2019, I was without work and had no customers calling. So, with my downtime, I started to make some clock repair education videos and posting them. Before long, I was getting wonderful interactions from enthusiasts around the world. As a result, I have befriended many well-known professionals in the field and have benefited tremendously from those associations. I can honestly say that my skill as a clock repairman has more than doubled by having the honor of learning and networking with so many people from all over the world.

The success that I have achieved in life and business to date has been the result of a lot of hard work. I have made a lot of mistakes along the way and if it wasn’t for all the great people that have helped me throughout these years, I never would have made it. By being patient, persistent and applying the successful habits I mentioned earlier, I have overcome many obstacles to reach my goals thus far. I couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of my beautiful wife, Lisa and our daughter Madison Lee. I also had a great teacher who trained me in clock repair for over 10 years, Fred Bartholomew. Not only was he my teacher, but he was a great friend and helped me personally in many ways.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Michigan is an amazing state. And depending on the season, there are so many activities one can enjoy. I am an outdoorsy type of person so I would definitely encourage him to take advantage of all that Michigan has to offer.

I would tell him to visit the many beautiful parks and trails. Then spend a day at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes on Lake Michigan. There you can witness a stunning sunset over Lake Michigan atop a sand dune.

I would take him to Clarkston, Michigan 2o miles North of Detroit for the legendary Woodshop restaurant. The chicken wings and Mac and Cheese are made famous by the one and only Kid Rock who frequents it.

Definitely go downtown to Detroit and spend the afternoon walking the Detroit Riverwalk. And in the summertime, you can see the Formula One Race that happens there each year.

Also, you don’t want to miss the famed Dream Cruise on Woodward Avenue. It’s the largest International Car Show in the world. You could spend days hanging out, eating from food trucks and watching all the vintage cars go up and down the All American Road.

Then we could take a sailboat tour on the Detroit River into Lake St. Clair and enjoy the beautiful skyline of both Windsor, Canada and Detroit, USA.

I would also recommend driving up to Traverse City and spending a day enjoying the many culinary delights there and ending with a trip to the lighthouse at the 45th parallel.

There is no end to the activities one can enjoy in Michigan from Ice Climbing and camping to hitting the International Speedway and driving a NASCAR 145 mph around the strip.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My success in life is in no small measure due to the love, guidance, support and helping hands of many individuals. It would be impossible for me to attempt to mention them all though they all deserve some recognition and acknowledgment. I have been mentored by teachers, coaches, professionals, books, ministers and of course, my incredible family members along the way. However, I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my father, Thomas Schroeder.

I confess I have a real soft spot for my father or “Pops” as I like to call him. Pops has always been a big inspiration for me as he set a terrific example. He has always been there for me with his love, kindness, discipline and support. People will often tell me, “You are just like your father.”

From my early days, he was always there for me. As a child, the social life of school was very challenging for me. I was shy and rather insecure. If I needed a shoulder to cry on or some advice, pops was there. When I was faced with challenges, he bailed me out. And although I made my fair share of mistakes and was likely a disappointment at times, he never flinched to lend a helping hand and demonstrate once again what it means to love unconditionally. His help was always there.

I played baseball and pops went to every single one of my games. And there were a lot of them! I can still hear him clapping and cheering out, “Rock and fire son!” between every one of my pitches as he stood behind the backstop. Although, I didn’t end up becoming a professional baseball player, the support that he demonstrated for me left an indelible impression. Even today, whenever I need a little encouragement, I think of my father and all the sacrifices he made for me and my siblings. To this day, it still provides me with a real sense of stability knowing that he is still cheering me on and always will. Now he is the biggest fan of my business, my accomplishments and is a wonderful grandfather to my daughter.

I used to get into a lot of trouble with authority. Specifically, I tended to argue with teachers, coaches and anyone who didn’t see things my way. My father taught me a lesson that literally saved me from untold heartache. He taught me how NOT to argue. I can hear his voice like it was yesterday saying, “Chris, just say OK.” This lesson improved my ability to get along with others and accept their points of view.

All too often, parents go unappreciated for the sweat, blood and tears that they spill to raise their children in the best way they know how. Pops, I want you to know that I appreciate everything that you did for me and what you still do for me everyday with your constant and unwavering love and support. Pops, you are a true hero in the real sense of the word and I would not be where I am today had it not been for you.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my amazing apprentice who is now a full-fledged clock repairman, Brendan Schmitt. He not only is a talented clock repairman, but he is a loyal friend and business partner. Together we have grown our business immensely and it is in no small part due to his dedication and hard work. He is an integral component to the success of Chris’s Clock Repair.

Website: https://chrisclockrepair.com

Instagram: @chris_clock_repair

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisclockrepair

Youtube: @chrisclockrepair

Image Credits
Lisa Schroeder