John McClelland founded Clever Built Cabins after being made redundant from his job in financial crime investigations at Santander, where he’d worked for 13 years. With no background in joinery, he’d built his first cabin a decade earlier in Scottish woodland, purely as a family retreat.

While weighing up business ideas, John mentioned the woodland cabin to his friend Gordon Campbell, co-founder of agency ClickBoost. Gordon’s response: “That’s it. Log cabins.”

John developed the business during his redundancy notice period, while he and partner Laura were expecting their daughter Lily. “Redundancy was frightening, especially with a baby on the way, but it also gave me the push to pursue an idea I believed in,” he said.

ClickBoost became the company’s marketing partner, helping land its first customer within weeks.

Clever Built Cabins now supplies log cabins, garden rooms and glamping pods across the UK, used as home offices, gyms, studios and commercial premises. Projects range from £20,000 to £150,000, with a standard range starting at £3,795. All cabins use FSC-certified timber and come with a ten-year structural warranty.

“Some days it genuinely feels as though I get to play with Lego for a living,” John said. He now plans to grow the team and expand the business further.