Cents to Dollars
The one product that has been used in households
both new and old and been in existance for many
centuries which will no doubt continue to be in
constant demand in the future is GLASS.
Few households avoid broken windows and many are
more prone than others. Although manufactured
from very simple raw materials, glass is still
relatively expensive as it always seems to be
needed at financially the wrong time. It's
presence is rarely noticed but its absence most
certainly is.
A broken window has a kind of psychological
effect on the occupant that forces them to have
it replaced as soon as possible. For most people,
replacing a broken window is seen as a small job
yet the hassle of cleaning out the old putty,
removing bits of glass and pins, measuring,
buying, fitting, puttying and thn painting make
it a task that most would rather give a miss.
However, many people cannot justify calling in a
professional glazier to do the job and decide to
undertake it themselvs.
For those that have already undertaken the task,
they will know that as simple as the job may
look, it's not quite so easy as it sounds. It's
childish to call it fear but there seems to be no
other word to the feeling of going to a glass
merchant and coming away with a piece of glass
that is not the correct size, thickness and
suitability for the job.The thought that it might
stil be the wrong size and knowing a merchant
cannot refund or exchange, the would-be amateur
glazier is reluctant to part with what he sees as
so much money.
SECONDHAND GLASS
Becoming a secondhand glass dealer offers a
profit margin that far outstrips virtually every
other home-based product orientated business.
Much of it can be aquired free or bought very
cheaply. By being able to offer it at a much
lower price than new glass, the amateur glazier
is more likely to be relaxed at possibly wasting
his money if his measurements are wrong or if he
accidently breaks it. Taking two attempts at the
job is far more common than most DIY fanatics
would care to admit to - and a lot more trade for
the secondhand glass dealer.
ACQUIRING THE GLASS
Property renovation is an ongoing operation and ,
if old windows are being replaced, the renovators
are often only too happy to have someone take the
old windows away as it saves them the bother and
cost of doing it themselvs. Skips cost money and
window frames take up room:again easy to acquire.
However, a far more professional approach is
needed if the operator is to be truly successful.
Waiting for builders, double glazing fitters etc
to telephone you to collect the old windows will
be a longer wait than necessary. The cost of
printing and stationery is relatively low enough
to allow for proper mailshots, canvassingh and
advertising to be methodically undertaken to
offer an Ol Windoe Collection Service. Telephone
canvassing is ideal so long as it is followed up
with a sales letter or visit.
Calculating and then adverising the price per
square foot (or metric if preferred) that you are
prepared to offer will induce large window
disposers to use your service. Once all such
disposers in the area are known, a regular
monthly mailing of your collection service is
strongly advised to keep the pot boiling.
Many disposers would be delighted to receive
payment by way of donation to the tea-fund, staff
fund etc - a particularly strong sales point when
dealing with larger organisations where receiving
payment might otherwise be seen as to much hassle
for the staff to be bothered with.
Another means of acquiring the glass is from
local advertisments from people who have
secondary glazing or windows to dispose of - they
probably can't sell them due to their size and
may well be glad of your offer.
TRANSPORTATION
Very much a matter of indervidual choice and
readily available vehicles but if offering a
professional service whilst using a roof rack,
the results will not be anywhere as good as if a
professional approach is taken.
Windows come in all different shapes and sizes
and any van other than the high type as used by
glaziers is unlikely to be suitable and probably
not financially justifiable in the early stages.
A good sized trailer, possibly constructed from a
caravan chassis, is ideal - especially if it is
fitted with a purpose made "A" type frame to
carry the window frames upright so as to avoid
damaging them, and painted in your firm's livery
colors. It also has an additional advantage: it
can be fitted with a sales board to advertise
your services whilst both in and out of use.
WORKSHOP
Very much a highly indervidual subject that is
best left to the reader to resolve for themselvs.
Other than to say that a large firm table will
make life easier for dismantling and cutting.
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
Basically, little more than a mallet and chisel
are needed for dismantling although some other
tools may be required for dismantling metal and
UPVC frames. There are various types and
qualities of glass cutters and they are very much
a matter of indervidual preference although it is
true to say that practise is essential with all
of them. A good straight-edge, large T-square and
measuring ruler or DVD are also required.
Cutting holes and curves requires radial cutters
which are frequently seen at silly prices at
car-boot sales.
FRAME DISPOSAL
It is strongly recommended that as soon as the
old frame has been dismantled it should be
disposed of immediately. There is a market for
second hand frames but it means having frames
sitting around taking up space. If time and space
permit, investing in a chopsaw to turn the frames
into firewood for sale directto the public or
firewood dealers, can add to the profits, but
again valuable space and time might otherwise be
better directed.
For metal and UPVC frames it is more cost
effective to dump them at the local rubbish tip
after salvaging all reusable parts for selling
on. From a sales point of view your workshop
should be kept as tidy as possible to reflect an
organised business approach.
SALES
In an ideal world it would be nice to think that
advertising alone will bring in customers queuing
to buy - it will not happen. The most important
ingredients for success are word of mouth and
repeat sales.
Many books are available to cover the first two
for which a basic business aptitude is essential.
Looking at selling, one must first determine the
most cost effective way to approaching it.
Without having any statistical information, a
reasonable guess could be made that virtually
everybody who needs a pane of glass will
telephone or ask for the price and hope they have
bought at the cheapest price available. What they
never ask for is the price of the putty.
Finding a wholesaler to supply small quantities
of putty is straightforward, but often the trade
price is only a little less than that purchased
from a DIY superstore. No matter, it will sell at
any reasonable price that you ask as nobody knows
the price of such a commodity; they will be glad
to aquire it at the same time as the glass - they
may even not have thought about it until seeing
your selection available - more profit for you.
Putty knives are owned by many people, but when
wanted, cannot be found, so also offer them for
sale - more profit for you. Don't forget to have
a supply of cheaply bought fixing nails to give
to your customers who need them. This will create
good will and therefore future trade as a result
of your kind forethought.
Pubs, Bed & Breakfast, Bedsits are all prone to a
higher ratio of broken windows than domestic
properties. Pubs, like most commercial properties
are difficult to get business from as their glass
is usually covered by their business insurance,
and the use of insurer's appointed glaziers.
Concerntrating on B & B and bedsit houses, by
offering a complete budget price window
replacement service, an added form of extra
income can be established.
Depending on the skills of the indervidual,
repairing double glazing is well worth
considering but it does take a lot more technical
knowledge and tools for dealing with thermal
seals etc, and sourcing a supply of rubber seals
and other components.
Property renovators and developers are an ideal
market but difficult to find. The answer is to
watch out for any houses that look as though they
need renovating, and drop your leaflet or sales
letter through the door. If they are renovating,
cheapness is esential to them and getting in on
one property will invariably lead to more repeat
custom on the developers next project.
We must stress that second hand glass must never
be passed off as new - it would be a violation of
the Trades Discriptions Act and disasterous for
your business if discovered. By and large the
owners don't care what glass goes in so long as
it does so quickly, cheaply, and looks
acceptable. It is essential to give a receipt as
without it the business customer cannot claim his
tax relief.
Selling at car-boot or similar sales will not
generate many immediate sales but will create a
considerable bank of future customers so long as
they have your contact details for future
reference. For the entrance fee of $10 average it
is probably the fastest and most economic way of
building up the initial customer base. Everybody
walking past your well stocked trailer will know
that one day they might need a source of budget
priced glass.
A very important factor is to have the glass as
clean as possible and if old putty and paint is
too time consuming to remove - cut it off.
REPAIR SERVICE
Operating a complete repair service is an obvious
step forward but do not forget the problem of
height. If you fo not own a suitable ladder you
will have to aquire one. Working on ladders is
not everybody's choice and therefore the solution
for those not prepared to offer the service is to
make arrangement with a reliable private
indervidual who would welcome the work. Taking a
cut of the price is unlikely to be worth it as it
pushes up the price of the job and you may rduce
the amount of glass you sell. His "goodwill" is
more likely to bring customers to you for free.
If you do not know of anybody suitable, do not be
frightened of advertising under the part time
vacancies of the local newspaper as it may well
have a spin-off in itself. Without having to make
any commitment, you will have a means of letting
many potential glaziers and handymen know that
you are the source of very cheap glass.
PRICING
Pricing is not a matter of science but of art.
Prices of glass vary from area to area as does
demand and supply of old windows. Finding out the
prices of new glass is a matter of simply asking
the glass merchants to quote for your imaginary
broken windows. From that figure, it's a matter
of trial and error to determine the best price to
sell which in turn will dictate what you will
have to pay to buy. It will take time but proper
research will pay enormous dividends.
CONCLUSION
With luck, a large contract with a local
authority or similar may be possible, but as a
rule of thumb, avoid the large organisations as
they can be difficult to deal with and more
importantly, slow to pay their bills which can
play havoc with the cash-flow.
By dealing with private inderviduals, Value Added
Tax will work very much in your favor by giving
you an extra 17«% sales advantage over the VAT
registered dealers when selling their new glass.
Above all, approach all matters in as
professional, tidy and honest manner as possible
- there are no short cuts to success. Good luck -
you can make money: think hard about it then...
get on and do it.
