Lynn Edwards in Southern Distinction Magazine

I just read a great article about Lynn Edwards in Southern Distinction Magazine. Ok, I was a little late reading the March, 2010 publication. Lynn owns Southern Comforts, an upscale consignment shop in Five Points in Athens, GA.

I could not get the article to show up online at Southern Distinction.com, but find the March edition (pink dogwood flower on front) and look at page 90 and following.

Her shop is a great decorating and collecting resource for antiques and difficult to find items. Lynn is a lot of fun and loves her job. Her windows look pretty good too.

A Down and Dirty Definition Of Leadership

The answer to whether or not one is a leader is not a statement, the answer is a rhetorical question.

Are you a leader if no one follows?

This question is not original to me, but a friend asks me this on occasion. Sometimes, as I examine my own life, I don't like the answer I have to give. Other times I can see how I am being a leader in my industry and community. Think about it . . . Are you a leader if no one follows? What do you think? Leave your comments here.

Not funny, but I laughed anyway.

I couldn't make up a better recommendation than this. The employees at Tires Plus and at The Dawg House told me what happened. (Kinda wish I had seen it happen, but it is probably best that I didn't).

Apparently a man walked straight into the window on the left thinking it was an open doorway.

A large dog at this dog grooming salon was placed in the open space on the left and proceeded to try to walk "outside" only to bump his nose on the glass.

Disclaimer: No people or animals were injured in these incidents, but the man probably uttered some things you would not want your kids to hear, and the dog probably did the same.

Considering tinting your windows? Here are 4 things to keep in mind

Many business in sunny areas of the country have a tinted film on the inside of their windows to help block the sun. However, once the tint gets scratched it simply starts to look bad.

This picture shows scratched and peeled tint on a door in Athens

Here are four suggestions for the care of the tinted film on your windows:

1. Do not put tape on the tint. The tape adhesive sticks so well to the tinted material that it may be difficult to remove both the tape and its adhesive without leaving permanent marks behind.
2. Never use a sharp object to scrape things off of the tinted film. The tinted material is basically a thin adhesive piece of plastic not too unlike a transparent piece of tape. A razor blade will quickly cut through it. To clean, gently rub the place with a wet towel. Rubbing too hard may leave scratches. (On occasion you may have to leave a spot or two on the window rather than risk damaging the tint.)
3. Be careful not to let things touch your windows, especially sharp things. It won't take much to scratch or even remove a portion of the tinted film. 
4. Lastly, consider not using tinted material on the door. Even if you have a tint applied to the rest of your windows leaving it off the door may keep the door looking better. Rings, fingernails, deliveries, strollers, merchandise, I could go on and on, all pose a scratching threat to the tint. A constant rubbing from a bell or wreath on the door may leave marks as well.

So, why all the talk about this window tinting thing? Am I trying to convince you to shy away from it? No, I believe an informed decision is the best decision. Window tinting is often a good thing. It can be an effective method to block the sun and reduce cooling bills. Just recognize its drawbacks as well. Weigh both the pros and the cons when you make your decision.

Do you have a "My Former Window Cleaner" story?

I had a conversation with an Athens entrepreneur last week and here is how he described a former window cleaner, "He wasn't predictable. He didn't come back every two weeks like I kept asking him to."

I hear the "my former window cleaner" refrain frequently. Sadly, many of my residential and commercial clients have an unfavorable impression of the job done, or the professionalism witnessed in other window cleaning companies.

Now, in all fairness, we are fortunate here in Athens, GA to have a few good window cleaning companies from which to choose. And the entrepreneur mentioned above admitted that he had just hired a guy who cleaned windows for cash. I call these guys 'off the grid' workers.

We hope that your story will become a positive "my current window cleaner" story and that you will tell people about Hardwick Window Cleaning. We are not perfect, but we have a long list of clients who love our work and our professionalism.

(Sidebar)
After writing this post I had a not-so-great situation come up. Yesterday I went to clean a local restaurant that we clean every other week. I received a funny look from the assistant manager when I came in and he commented that they had not seen me in a while. This disturbed me so I cleaned the windows then hustled to my truck and checked my books. In fact, he was correct. I had missed a cleaning. It came down to a scheduling issue with my software that had been corrected that morning.

I had two choices. Clean the windows, smile, and pretend that nothing happened, or fess up. I chose the latter and apologized verbally and in a written apology note.

Listen, mistakes happen, but is there anything more frustrating than being treated poorly by a company and the company refusing to admit that a mistake was made? I never want to personally or professionally be accused of glossing over a glaring mistake.
(End Sidebar)

Got a "My Former Window Cleaner" story you want to share? Post your comments here.

Dirty Windows or Just Double-Paned Glass?

On occasion a window still looks murky even after it has been cleaned. But hold on a minute. The problem may be in the glass itself . . . Well, maybe not "in" the glass . . . Rather, the problem may lie between the panes of glass.

You see, the energy efficient windows in many homes are two panes of glass separated by a little space. Manufacturers remove some of the air between the panes or put an inert gas like argon or krypton between them and the energy efficiency of the window goes way up.

The problem arises if the seal on the panes in compromised. This lets in a bit of moisture. At first the window is still clear, but after a while it may get increasingly cloudy. The wetter conditions are the more moisture can collect between the panes. On occasion I've even seen a small amount of mold between the panes.

This sounds like a horror story, but most of the time a home or business will have very few affected windows, if any at all. So there is no reason to panic. If you do have an affected window and it becomes a big deal to you, simply have the window replaced.

Creepy Or Not? Hmmmm.

Quick diversion from the normal post here for a true story.

A new client last month got our name by asking a business neighbor to suggest a window cleaner. She received this response from her neighbor; "Ok, I have two window cleaner suggestions. One is creepy and the other is not."

(Sidebar)
Now hold on a minute. I had to ask myself why my new client was telling me this. It turns out that she is delightful with a quick sense of humor. She enjoyed telling me the story and watching my reaction.

I really need to work on my poker face.
(End Sidebar)

Recommendations are how I find the majority of products and services I use personally and professionally. Let me know if you need recommendations for good service professionals in the area and I'll give you some great names of people and businesses whom I trust. Of course you never know, I may give you two suggestions . . . a good one and a creepy one.

Is there room in your market? There is at the top!

A few years ago a friend decided to venture into selling real estate. She expressed concern at her prospects because there were already thousands of realtors in the area. (Remember the housing boom when it seemed like everyone either was a realtor or was thinking about becoming one?) I had to agree with her, yet I was sure that she was thinking about things wrong. My response to her was, "You're right. There are tons of realtors around here, but there will always be room for a 'good' realtor."

Perhaps I can boil the concept down like this: There is always room at the top.

Let's take this concept out for a little test ride. Is "There is always room at the top" an accurate way to think about your industry? (Hey, I think this would be a great learning experience if we collaborated. Give your input to this idea by commenting on this blog post.) Here are a few examples to get the ideas flowing. What do you think?

• No matter how packed the marketplace is . . . There is always room at the top.
• Your competition is undercutting you, but . . . There is always room at the top.
• You need to decide whether to bring your low-priced services into the marketplace or your high-priced services . . . There is always room at the top.

Those are a few to start the conversation.

As it happens, despite the number of other realtors around, my friend still chose to jump into real estate. She has worked hard, studied hard, and now she is recognized as one of the best around. My wife and I have used her, and so have hundreds of others. Interestingly, in the last several years "tons of realtors around here" have disappeared. But our friend is constantly expanding her busines. She is living proof that There is always room at the top.

How is (or isn't) There is always room at the top applicable to your industry, market, business, or situation? Post your comments here.

A Green Time Was Had By All!

Last week Hardwick Window Cleaning cleaned Earth Fare in Athens, GA. You may know that Earth Fare is a natural grocery store, so chemicals are not allowed. We cleaned the windows using green methods.

Here are some links to other green posts on this blog.

- When to green clean
- It's not easy being green
Swing by Earth Fare and see their shiny, clean windows.