Pence To Pounds

The one product that has been used in households

both new and old and been in existence 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 then 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 themselves.

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

still 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 second-hand glass dealer offers a

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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 essential 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 Descriptions Act and disastrous 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 œ5 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 do not own a suitable ladder you

will have to acquire 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

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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 acquire 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.

Concentrating 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 individual,

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.

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profit margin that far outstrips virtually every

other home-based product orientated business.

Much of it can be acquired 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 second-hand 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 themselves. 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, canvassing and

advertising to be methodically undertaken to

offer an Old Window Collection Service. Telephone

canvassing is ideal so long as it is followed up

with a sales letter or visit.

Calculating and then advertising 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

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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 advertisements 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 individual 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

colours. 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 individual subject that is

best left to the reader to resolve for themselves.

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

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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 individual 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 tape 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 chop saw to turn the frames

into firewood for sale direct to 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

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individual 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 individuals, Value Added

Tax will work very much in your favour 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.