Monthly Archives: June 2020

Tilt and Turn Window Security

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Tilt and Turn Window Security

Break-Ins and Burglary (know as forced entry when it comes to window testing) is a real problem in some areas of the world.  Windows are a natural weak point in a house because glass is a large component of a window.  So, it is only logical for someone to try to come into the house through the windows by either manipulating the lock or breaking the glass.  We can often see metal bars (similar to prison bars) in front of windows with the aim to keep intruders out.

Tilt and Turn Windows offer an easier way to protect yourself from forced entries.  The 3 main ways that Tilt and Turn Windows accomplish this are as follows:

  1. Double or Triple Glazing with .060 Laminated Glass

Laminated Glass is made up of 2 sheets of glass with a PVC interlayer.  A glass type commonly seen in windshields of cars.  The idea is that the lamination between the 2 sheets of glass will hold the glass together in case of breakage.  The thicker the laminated layer (.060″ or .030″) the harder it is to force a hole into the glass.

  1. Multiple Locking Points

The sash of the window is the movable part and houses the turning, tilting and locking mechanism.  Through the 180 degree action of the handle, the window can be moved from locked, through turning to tilting position and back again.  In the locked position the stainless steel mechanism has round nodes that line up and engage with the lock housing on the window frame.  Instead of there being only one lock housing as seen with sliding or single (double) hung windows, there are between 2-6 lock housings depending on the level of security you need.  Thus we speak of multiple locking points.

  1. Steel re-enforced sash and frame

Both the sash and frame of Tilt & Turn Windows have steel L-Angles inserted into them.  This adds tremendous strength to the window making it virtually impossible to break the sash or frame with conventional means.

The combination of the 3 points above makes Tilt & Turn Windows the strongest of the 5 common window types (sliding, hung, casement, awning, tilt & turn).  A man with a sledge hammer will take a very long time to get a hole into the window that is large enough to reach in and turn the handle.

 

Author of:  Tilt and Turn Windows Vancouver , Frameless Doors, Invisible Doors, Tilt and Turn Windows Calgary

Past, Present and Future of the Internet

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Past, Present and Future of the Internet

I was in Grade 10 when the Internet was just getting main stream.  I remember getting my first email address at university 2 years later.  It was very weird – some strange code with an “@” symbol.  I hardly used it for anything.  But going online and seeing websites for the first time was addictive right away.  All the things/subjects you had a love for could now be accessed anytime – as long as your dial-up connection was reasonably fast.  I remember downloading pictures of my favorite cartoon/anime characters at a friends house that had internet unto a floppy and then uploading them to my computer at home (where I did not have internet).  Well that was the romance of the early years.

What the Internet has become (as of 2020)

One word: Money.  The internet has become a place to make money.  Lots of money and the faster the better.  Some will say:  It always was like that.  To that I say:  Maybe, but not to the extend it has progressed to.  It is now all-encompassing.  Advertising has multiplied by a factor of 10 over the last 10 years alone.  Where once average people had a small website of their favorite subject (a computer game or TV show, perhaps) there now is a tremendous horde of websites showing god knows what to attract as many people as possible to make as much money as possible on the advertisements cluttered throughout the site.  It has become hard to distinguish what is original website material and what is advertising material as in many instances the commercials outrank the website material in volume.

Personal Know-How of the Internet

I have a few websites myself – none of which have a single advertisement on it.  I have not sold myself, yet.  I have to do SEO (search engine optimization) for my business sites in order to get a decent rank in the search engines, so I have a good understanding how it all works these days.  When I read articles or any kind of info on the internet these days I cringe.  99% of all that is written these days only serves ONE purpose:  Drive traffic to some website and increase the rank of that website in the process – plus also make money of the advertising that is dispersed throughout the article.  It is sickening when you really understand what is happening.  The is almost no single piece of information out there these days that is written purely to inform.  Everything that is published online these days has the taste of “having an agenda”.

A look into the Future

The future of the Internet is bleak.  I do not know how many more commercials and advertisements can be shown on any one website at one time.  But I am sure it can be more.  Maybe we will get 2 minutes of commercials before a 5 second youtube video soon.  Maybe we will have to pay money to have someone remove these advertisements if we do not want to see them anymore (oh wait, that is already in place).  Maybe people will have to pay google for their website even to show up on their platform.  It all boils down to the greed of man.  If there is an opportunity to make money most will do anything it takes no matter what it leads to.

Author:  Owner of Tilt and Turn Windows Vancouver , Frameless Doors, Invisible Doors, Tilt and Turn Windows Canada

Start your First Business the Right Way Right Away

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Start your First Business the Right Way Right Away

Many small business start-ups fail.  Some succeed.  What is the difference between the ones that fail and the ones that succeed?  As an owner of several small businesses I want to share my insights of what I have noticed to be the critical points when starting anything with the intend to make money.

Be realistic and do not aim too high

As with all things in life it is best if you take off those pink-eyed goggles and look at things realistically.  If you want to start a business that will make you, let’s say, $30,000 profit per year, go in with the assumption that it will only make you $15,000.  Reality is always different from what you hope for.  There are many potential problems that you have often no control over that can slow down or halt your business growth.  So, be conservative in your expectations and you will protect yourself from an emotional let-down if things don’t go as well as you hoped for.

Have a Plan that Simple and Easy to put into Action

First of all you need a plan.  Complicated business ideas are more likely to fail, so the plan needs to be as simple as possible.  On top of being simple it also needs to be able to be realized fairly quickly.  Business plans that involve months of set-up time, for example, are less than ideal.

Example of a basic 3-step Plan:

1) Research a niche product that sells well through online channels

2) Make a website to sell your product (should not take more than 2-3 weeks to set-up)

3) Buy ‘Product A’, buy ‘Product B’, put them together and sell the resulting ‘Product C’ on said website

Keep it Small

Do not hire any employees – do it all yourself.  The more people you have to manage, the more problems and issues will arise.  In order to keep 100% control of day-to-day activities, which is necessary for optimal efficiency, you need to be able to handle all aspects of the business yourself.

Do not Invest a large amount of Money at the Beginning

Do not, I repeat, do not invest a lot of money at the start of the business.  Ideally stay under $5,000 as the initial investment.  There will be less pressure which will keep you more relaxed to make good decisions.

Never borrow Money to start the Business

Yes, you heard right – do not borrow money from anyone to start the business.  Do not get the start-up capital from angel investors either.  The only way you will be earnestly invested in your own business is if you use your own hard-earned cash as the start-up capital.  If you use money that comes easy, you will tend to be less serious about everything because it does not hurt as much if you should fail and lose everything.

Be Frugal

I cannot stress this point enough.  Do not buy a lot.  Do not buy expensive equipment (a simple plan would not need it).  Buy used equipment and supplies if possible.  Make things last by treating them gently.

In summary:  Spend little – earn much.  Your profit is the difference between the money that goes out and the money that comes in.  Sounds simple but most first-time business owners seem to be oblivious to this truth.

Always do your own Taxes

There is a saying:  “It’s not what you make, but what you keep.”  This is extremely true.  I have seen people waste thousands of dollars at the end of their fiscal year on accountants.  Doing your taxes is easy and with a little help from the internet (and tax software) anybody can do it.  This way you have the ability to play around with the numbers as long as you want until you get as close to the “ideal scenario” as possible.

Concluding Thoughts

If you want to go big right away, you will most likely fail or be much less efficient than starting small and simple.  Doing everything  yourself (marketing, accounting, manufacturing, sales, deliveries, service, repairs, etc.) teaches you a lot of new things and makes you stronger and tougher in the business world.  Be afraid – yes, be very afraid to lose money.  The result will be that you will keep a closer look on your profits and efficiently increase them over time.  There is nothing worse than” spend-happy”, fearless, first-time entrepreneurs that squander their capital with, at best, a vague idea of what they are actually doing.

Author:  Owner of Tilt and Turn Windows Edmonton , Frameless Doors, Invisible Doors, Tilt and Turn Windows Calgary