"Cold As Ice"

Wow. This cold is serious. My crew has tried to convince me to move the business to a warmer climate, but that is a rather extreme way to respond to the cold.
So do we clean windows in the cold? The answer in short is, sure. We can clean into the low 20s. Well, we can do that if there is no wind. Warm water and gloves for our hands are a good start, then we add a little something to the water to keep it from freezing on the windows
So don't worry. We will bundle up with t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, and hoodies (with the Hardwick Window Cleaning logo on them). Of course, if you want to serve some coffee or hot chocolate to warm us up while we clean your windows . . . (smile).

2010 Athens Banner Herald Reader’s Awards

Congratulations to all of our business clients who were chosen for the 2010 Athens Banner Herald Reader’s Awards:

Trappeze – beer selection

Last Resort – atmosphere

Last Resort – Sunday brunch

Hugh Acheson, 5 & 10 – chef

5 & 10 – upscale dining

Earthfare – healthy eating

Earthfare – vegetarian food

Earthfare – Five Points shop

Earthfare – health food store

DePalma’s Italian Café – Italian food

Hodgson’s Pharmacy – ice cream shop

Taqueria La Parilla – Mexican food

Tires Plus Total Car Care – lube, oil and filter shop

Verizon Wireless – cellular phone service

George Gibson’s Men’s Wear – menswear store

Masada Leather and Outdoor – shoe store

 

I wonder how a child sees my business . . .

My kids tend to get very excited about my job. I guess they are feeding off of the energy I get from what I do. Sometimes I am intrigued by the ways they show this excitement.

My son has a bit of an artistic - or creative - or expressive - side. I came home one day last summer and was presented with this creation by my fourth grade son.

Allow me to explain the intricacies you see above. The roof is made of shingles from a dollhouse my wife had as a child - or maybe they were some of the new ones we got to replace a few of her busted shingles. The door is made of popsicle sticks. Now, in order to understand the picture as the artist intended it you have to view it one side at a time. Imagine the picture divided in half from the top to the bottom in the middle of the door. The right hand side, as described on the post-it note is "other co.s" or other companies. The left is Hardwick Window Cleaning (the H is made of yarn or a pipe cleaner taped to the post-it).

On the right we see that the "other co.s" have broken a window (symbolized by the jagged lines). The quote says "Sorry, we have to leave." The company broke a window and is now abandoning the job site. Yuo can see a very unhappy home owner in the top right window.

On the left side, the Hardwick Window Cleaning side, the quote says "Your windows will stand out." Notice the left top window. My son made this window "stand out" about half an inch from the surface of the paper. Not really sure whose legs those are dangling, but you have a 3D window, so why not some legs sticking out?
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My first grade daughter in May or June of this year drew me this beauty.

This home or business has dirty windows, no; make that filthy, black windows. The little girl with pig tails and a squeegee in her hand is helping her daddy clean the windows. She informed me that this is a self-portrait. She is standing in the basket of a boom lift like the one she saw when we cleaned the windows of a couple very large office buildings off of Hwy 316 in Athens by using an 80 foot boom lift.

The little yellow bird reminds me of how happy my little girl is all of the time. She has lots of hugs and kisses for her daddy.

"I want to see myself"

Short blog post today.

Each month we clean the windows at a men's clothing store in Athens. One of the managers loves to see me come in and always says, "Hey. I want to see myself in those windows." I love that. I assure her that indeed she will be able to see herself in the windows is just a few minutes when I finish.

CJ&L reaction to my blog post

A few months ago I posted a story about a local realtor who found room "at the top", even in a crowded marketplace. The realtor is Ceci Churchwell with Chastain, Jenkins and Leathers. Read CJ&L's reaction to my post below.

"Ceci Churchwell is a top agent in our office, and we are so thrilled to have her as part of our team. Read the blog below written by one of her clients, Steve Hardwick with Hardwick Window Cleaning Services (who we also think does a great job and is at the top of his field as well!). You can contact Ceci at 706-247-2682 or 706-559-4520 or ceci@cjandl.com."

Here's the link to my original blog post. http://hardwickwindowcleaning.blogspot.com/2010/04/is-there-room-in-your-market-there-is.html

Check out http://cjandl.wordpress.com/ for CJ&L's blog and poke around a bit.

Beautiful building, beautiful couple, but . . .

This afternoon the love of my life and I attended a wedding in Athens, GA. The location was a chapel, rather than a church, and it was beautiful. Well, let me be a little more clear, the wedding ceremony was beautiful, and so was the bride, but if I may be so bold, I am referring to the building itself. The building was created from wood and stone native to Georgia. Top quality craftsmanship was evident and the emotion I felt simply from being inside the chapel made me feel close to heaven. The windows were not clean.

Sidebar

Oops, did I say that out loud? It seems that all of the air just got sucked out of the room. Guess I have some explaining to do.

End Sidebar

The windows were structurally appealing. Nonetheless cobwebs, smudges, and that almost foggy look that windows get when not maintained regularly were evident. I am a fan of wasp nests as much as the next guy but the largest wasp nest I have ever seen was outside of the window calling my name and distracting me during the service. The wedding service went off without a hitch. However, now I feel obliged to figure out with whom to speak and offer to help this chapel maintain the look and cleanliness of the windows.

Private Gallery - New women's store in Athens

A few months ago Athens got a new women's clothing store on Clayton Street. In the space previously occupied by a shop called Mary, Private Gallery opened. Fran Hughes is the manager. This link is the writeup from the Athens Banner Herald article.

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/041110/bus_604493607.shtml

The cobbler's children have no shoes

Early on in my business I sat down with a VP at a chain of banks in this region. Scant minutes into our conversation she stopped me and said . . . "I'm sorry (to interrupt) but I have to ask you this." I replied, "Absolutely. What is it?" To which she voiced "Are your windows at home clean?"

Now, I know I need to work on my poker face, but this comment came out of left field somewhere and whapped me right in the middle of my chest. All I could do in this stunned moment was make the best of it. I just smiled, hung my head in shame and implored, "Oh, please don't look at the windows at my house. My wife would love it if I would do our windows, but right now they are pretty disgusting."

I used to hear my parents use the old adage "The cobbler's children have no shoes". Now I am living proof. In case you need extra convincing just look at the auto mechanic's personal cars. Do they run well? Probably not. What about the house painter? Bet you his home needs paint on the inside and out.

Yep, I should probably hire someone to clean my windows at home. Of course, the best window cleaner I know is enjoying a rather tight schedule these days and I'll just bet I can't get my house on his list . . . at least not yet.

Six truisms about tape on your windows

When hanging a sign or announcement on your business windows here are a six things to keep in mind.

1. Less is more. Use only as much tape as you need. I know it is fun to completely seal a piece of paper onto a window such that it will withstand an alien invasion, but perhaps using a couple of small pieces of tape will suffice.
2. If the tape is strong enough to rip off your skin . . . you might want to think twice using it on your windows. Duct tape, packing tape, and stranded tape have very strong adhesives. Try to keep them away from your windows. 
3. Masking tape is better than strong adhesive tape, but it still leaves a heavy residue. Actually it is not too hard to clean off, but it is messy enough that you may want to choose a different kind of tape.

This is the window of one of the Downtown Athens restaurants we clean . . . covered with event flyers and tape.
4. Never use tape on windows with an adhesive tint. The tape adheres too well, and you can't scrape it off the tint without damaging it. (See this blog posting from April, 2010 on "4 things to keep in mind when considering tinting your windows" for further explanation.)
5. Whenever possible use suction cups and/or a clear plastic sheath to hold your sign.
6. Use a clear and mildly adhesive tape, like Scotch tape, when needed. It is still not super easy to get off, but it seems to be an acceptable alternative.

If you have other ideas that work share them here with others.

The Royal Peasant

First of all let me say that I love the name, The Royal Peasant. The juxtaposition of those two words makes me laugh.

Secondly, it is the name of a pub in Five Points on Lumpkin St. in Athens. You may or may not know that I lived in London, England for a while in the early '90s. In this comfortable locale surrounded by British paraphernalia and football on the telly (sure you can call it soccer, but this is my memory) I felt transported back to a little part of London that I knew well.

On a recent date with the Hardwick Window Cleaning scheduler, accountant, and mother of my children we visited the Royal Peasant. The food was great. I had fish and chips (how did you guess?). The fish tasted authentic and I can't recall eating chips that were tastier. My wife had the special, a burger with bleu cheese and bacon that was simply amazing.

On the wall is a map of the London Underground - the subway system commonly referred to as the Tube. On the map I showed Michael White, the proprietor, where I used to live between Earlsfield and Wandsworth proper. To get around the city I often walked to the Wimbledon Tube station at the end of the District Line.

I could go on and tell other memories . . . but a better idea is for you to head over to the Royal Peasant and try it out. Take a friend - or three - soak in the snugness - tell Michael I said "awright".

Want to make more on your home sale?

Realtors and home owners. Check out this blog post from last September. Talk about return on investment!

http://hardwickwindowcleaning.blogspot.com/2009/09/want-to-make-more-on-your-home-sale.html

"Wow. I wasn't expecting that!"

I love the excitement my clients show when their windows are newly cleaned.

"I was coming back from the mailbox and my windows were so shiny." This was uttered by a local doctor, and her inside windows had yet to be cleaned.

Truth be told, there is something special about newly cleaned windows. For example, you can see the difference between the windows at Trappeze Pub on Washington St. in Athens, GA and other restaurants on the same street. Check it out any time.

We clean Trappeze every week. Some of the other restaurants downtown are cleaned less often or simply 'not regularly'. ("Not regularly" is my attempt to be kind. My Mom said "If you can't say something nice . . . ")

Another time the owners of Appointments at Five in Athens said they were surprised when they turned into the driveway and looked at their newly cleaned windows for the first time. One of the owners told me later that as they pulled into the driveway she exclaimed "Wow! They look great."

(I took the pic of Trappeze (above). The Appointments at Five pic came from their Facebook page.)

Hardwick Window Cleaning's clients are the best. Comments like these are not unusual. We'll keep wowing you. Thanks for the smiles.

The Two Bucket Method (Pollen Post 2)

Normally windows are cleaned using a single bucket of water. "So", you ask, "What is the two bucket method and why should I care". It is a window cleaning technique used when the windows are very dirty - like a few weeks ago when the pollen was thick, or on a home or business with windows that haven't been cleaned in over a year.

The tools involved are the two buckets and a wetter. A wetter is a long scrubber used to wipe the window to remove dirt and debris.

1. The first bucket is the rinse. The wetter goes to the window then back into this bucket where it is wrung out a few times by hand. Then the wetter is placed in the second bucket.
2. Bucket number two is the "clean" bucket. It is this water that is washed onto the windows and squeegeed off. So the whole process looks like this:
• Wipe off the windows
• Rinse the wetter
• Put the wetter in clean water
• Wash the window again.

We don't need to use the two bucket method very often. Regularly cleaned windows shouldn't get dirty enough to require it. A couple of weeks ago the pollen was so heavy that we not only used the two bucket method, but we used a three step process where bucket #1 (the rinse) was used to give an initial scrubbing to wash the bulk of the pollen off the first, #2 was the rinse to get the rest of the gunk off, #3 was the clean bucket after which window was squeegeed. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Pollen, Pollen, Everywhere (Pollen Post 1)

I was talking with a new business owner last week. He told me about the restaurant he is opening soon in Athens. It seems that while getting their space ready to house the restaurant they were painting the exterior of the building. It just happened that the painting was done a few weeks ago . . . . during the worst of the pollen this year. The business owner said that they are now the ultimate green business; how much more natural can you get than mixing pollen with your paint?

"Rainy Night In Georgia"

It is raining again in Georgia and I am reminded of all the great songs that mention the state of Georgia.

• Rainy Night in Georgia (Ray Charles) 
• Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles solo or Ray Charles with Willie Nelson)
• Midnight Train To Georgia (Gladys Knight and the Pips)
• Devil Went Down To Georgia (Charlie Daniels Band)
• Sweet Georgia Brown (A jazz standard with no lyrics. Used by the Harlem Globetrotters.)
• Why Georgia (John Mayer)
• Georgia Bound (Blind Blake)
• Georgia On A Fast Train (Billy Joe Shaver)

Got any other ideas?

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.