The enterprise was offering one hundred small and medium sized businesses free business travel for a year, if they could show they had a business plan that was going places. The deadline was the next morning, obviously, because that’s when deadlines always are. Especially if you leave things to the last minute. Which it’s apparently very possible to do, even when you’re the founders of a company which keeps track of time for a living. So, that makes us feel better.

Several months later, Jim had a phonecall to tell him that Newgate had been chosen from 4,500 entrants to be one of the winners of OnBusiness air travel. Here is a picture of him looking very pleased at the news. (He claims he doesn’t like this picture, but we’re including it anyway. Because we’re nice like that. Sorry Jim).

As a result Newgaters were able to fly to America and bring the Newgate aesthetic to wonderful stores like West Elm, Anthropologie, Rejuvenation and Pottery Barn. And also to explain to our US friends the difference between tomato and tomato. And pants and pants, which is an altogether more important issue not to confuse.

Today we have lots and lots of lovely independent boutiques and department stores stocking Newgate Clocks and Watches across the US, and all thanks to Jim and Chloe not going to bed on time - hurray!

Six years later the nice people at British Airways asked if they could drop by for tea and biscuits and also film Chloe talking about how much she likes getting on their planes. She really does like getting on their planes, so she said yes. Here’s how that turned out.

Read more in The Club magazine at British Airways.