My week in review: Universal Windows Direct talks Small Business Ownership

Small Business Ownership.  Have you ever wondered what it would be like?  This blog post will give you a small glimpse into what it has been like for me this week.

First of all, I should say I am writing this on a rainy Friday morning.   I am super casual, barefoot in fact, and alone in the office with the latest Cities 97 sampler playing loudly.    On my desk is a large very dark roast from Starbucks and a container of fruit that I picked up at Kowalski’s this morning.  I have the freedom to stop and pick things up for my day, just as I have the freedom to snuggle my little girl for as long as she wants before leaving daycare.   Other parents come and go while I’m there and I let them.  They have bosses, deadlines, meetings and people waiting for them.

I have work.

Enormous, never ending piles of work.

You know when your order a huge salad at a restaurant and you feel like you’ve been eating it forever but it still looks like a full bowl?  That is how my work is.  Effort and result doesn’t impact volume.  It is weird.

Some days I have constant interruptions – the drop everything and do this right now kind of interruptions.  Are you familiar with Covey’s Time Management matrix?  Those are quadrant 4 days.  THE WORST kind of days.   I had 2 of those days this week.

Other days I just give in to the work.  I literally pile it up on my desk and dedicate myself to touching each paper only one time and just doing it.  I don’t care how random the task is or how many programs I have open on my desktop.   I just work on eliminating the pile.   According to Strength finder I am and ACHIEVER.  I need to get something productive done every day to stay in balance.   I had one of those days this week.

Still other days I am alone for the entire day and I have the freedom to jump into a project and give it the real focus and time to do it right, and help it move forward.   The days I get to put plans and ideas into action to help our business move forward are my favorite. They feed my other strengths of STRATEGIC ANALYTICAL and RELATOR.   I also had one of those days this week.

Looking at the last four days, I have at some point or another I have functioned in each of the following roles: • Bookkeeper • Accounts Receivable Rep • Customer Service Rep • Job Estimator • Job Scheduler • Office Manager • Search Engine Marketer • Copyrighter • Project Manager • Office Manager • Graphic Designer

I also managed to work one entire day with my 2 year old in the office with me.

Crazy, right?

Once upon a time, in what seems a lifetime ago, worked for a very large company in Human Resources.   I thought I had variety but mostly what I had was a lot of the same.  A tremendous amount of the same.   I was a machine going through the motions.  I was unable to shake the feeling that I was working in an alternate universe.  Within the 4 walls of that building, nothing (and I mean nothing) was actually as important as what people thought.   The urgency that existed from 8-5 (or 6 or 7) was gone when I got to my car.   It seemed the work didn’t matter.   I knew that life wasn’t for me.

I came away from that alternate universe with tools and systems and processes.   Peggy taught me a mess is fine if you can find what you need.  Heather gave me great time management skills like Covey’s matrix and the pink folder daily system.  And Mark taught me the “touch it once” philosophy and encouraged me to track weekly progress against goals.   I use all of these things.   I know that no matter what my week throws at me I can keep this machine moving forward.

Business ownership still contains long days and it does put us in a constant on call situation.  Our nights and weekends are interrupted more often than not.  But the work matters.  We work with our customers making decisions to improve their homes.  We offer products people can afford.  We help them improve curb appeal.  We repair damage.  We keep their homes safe.  We increase the energy efficiency of their homes and we help them lower their heating and cooling bills.

There is no alternate universe here there is only our universe.

And we wouldn’t trade it for anything.

If you have a home improvement project and are looking for a quote on it, call us.  We'd love to meet you.

Author:  Melissa Brager

Famous Wife of Steve The Window Guy

Warranty on Windows: Why Warranty Matters on Replacement Windows

This article is a light hearted look at why warranty matters when buying replacement windows

war·ran·ty [n. wawr-uhn-tee]

"a written guarantee given to the purchaser of a new appliance, automobile, or other item by the manufacturer or dealer, usually specifying that the manufacturer will make any repairs or replace defective parts free of charge for a stated period of time.

Warranty.

Not too subtely subtitled “how long the manufacturer expects their product to last”

True story.  I have this friend who starts every day by having 2 pieces of toast. With peanut butter (and coffee, of course). One morning her whole morning was disrupted when she realized that her beloved toaster was no longer working.

So.. off to the store she went. She thought buying a toaster would be easy (aren’t they all the same?) but she quickly realized that there are lots of different options. What would she be toasting? 2 slices, 4 slices, or bagels? What color did she want? White, red, stainless steel? Did she want a reheat button? Confusing!! Should she spend more for a popular name brand? Should she just choose an American made product? Does warranty even matter?

Guess what?? She would be having the EXACT SAME decision process if she was buying windows. Everyone starts out thinking every window is the same. Then they start learning about glass package and construction and operation and options and ratings and pretty soon they get overwhelmed. Sometimes they throw up their hands and spend twice as much on a popular name brand. Sometimes they choose an American made product, and sometimes (SOMETIMES) they look at warranty.

Here is the thing. Warranty matters. Every single time on every single product you ever buy. It doesn’t matter how long you shop or how hard the buying decision is for you  -  even how much you spend. Warranty matters. I believe that the bigger the investment, the more the decision should be based on the warranty.

So no surprise that I also believe that when you are looking to make an investment in your home that the warranty of the product should be high on the list of things you look at. Why would you choose to spend more money on a product that you know you will need to replace in 15 or 20 years.

Given the choice  which would you choose? 1) All the options you want, reasonable price, 30 year non pro-rated warranty. 2) All the options you want, up to twice as expensive, 15 year prorated warranty.

Don’t waste your money on a product with a poor warranty.   Get all the options you want, spend an amount of money you are comfortable with and always check the warranty!

Call Steve the Window Guy from Universal Windows Direct and have him show you our exclusive line of windows and doors. He can work with you to determine the options, color and styles that work best with your house. Give him a chance to show you how our warranty is one of the best in the business, and how our factory direct pricing model can save you hundreds of dollars on your next project.

Author: Melissa Brager Related Articles:

About us: Meet Universal Windows Direct, MN

Hi!  I’m Melissa Brager .   I spent over 15 years working for huge companies in Corporate America.   Then I quit.   My husband Steve spent 20 years working  for a construction company and doing  home remodeling on his own.   Then he quit.   Now we work together running Universal Windows Direct, Twin Cities .

This is Me

If you’ve met me you know that I like a lot of variety and I feel really good when I feel all the right things are taken care of.   So while Steve is out running around I stay in the office managing all the behind the scenes details that keep us moving.

If you’ve met Steve you know that he works hard, I mean really really hard to  earn your business, to  provide the best customer service he can and to earn your repeat business and your referrals.   He is the type of small business owner that works on super speed all day every day.

This is Steve.

Several months ago we were blessed with a perfect baby girl.   So our days are more interesting and more fun and more complicated all at the same time.

This blog is a mixture of information on windows, siding, and doors;  with small business anecdotes, and my life as I balance growing our business, working from home, and caring for my baby.

Read, enjoy and connect.  We’d love to hear from you!

Melissa Brager

Universal Windows Direct, MN