“I grew up in Dorchester, went to school there, but didn’t behave myself all the time. There was a new fire station being built, so I laboured there for a while. That’s when I first found out I wasn’t very good working with my hands. So then I worked as an electrical apprentice and discovered I really wasn’t very good with my hands. The tiles and flooring work that came afterwards showed me I definitely wasn’t good with my hands, so went to work in an Off License”, reminisces Nathan Tuck, owner of Wyvern Fireplaces in Dorchester.
It was working in the Off License that Nathan found his true calling in Sales. He was so good he caught the eye of the owner of the fireplace manufacture workshop nearby and was offered a job selling fireplaces. As time progressed and Nathan’s obvious flair for sales was let loose, he was given the opportunity to buy into the business and really set his mark. Later still, Nathan bought the original owner out when he retired. He has retained most of the original staff from decades ago who work in the manufacturing plant behind the scenes. Now Wyvern Fireplaces is also in Yeovil and has a plethora of customers, with the growth of the business mostly down to word of mouth and Nathan’s cheeky banter.
In the run up to winter and through to Christmas, Nathan works long hours, six or seven days a week, finding it difficult to turn business down. But when the summer hits, Nathan will often pick his daughter Olivia up from school and shoot straight down to the beach. He loves the sea and coastal paths, finding it calms him after a stressful day. Having his daughter and wife Grace makes Nathan realise what he’s working so hard for, “if there’s no-one to spend it on what’s the point” he grins.
