HVLP Turbine vs Conventional spray guns

Whether you're doing a refinishing job on a simple woodworking project such as a wall-mounted coat rack, or tackling something more complex, such as refinishing your grandfather's antique rolltop desk, you'll need a little knowledge and some basic finishing equipment to get the job done right. There are two basic types of finishing spray guns available on the market. The newer ones are high-volume, low-pressure guns, also known as HVLP, and then there's "Old Faithful," the conventional spray gun. Both of these guns do a good job of putting on finishes, but each has its own design differences that you will have to consider before you decide which you want to buy.

Conventional spray guns operate at a basic, high pressure. They connect to an air compressor and the finish is "blasted" onto your project using this high pressure. Because this high-pressure finely atomizes the spray, in that it produces very fine particles, this gives a very nice smooth application, whether it be a clear shellac, varnish or paint. Despite this excellent end result, conventional spray guns are only about 30% effective. 30% of the finish actually ends up where it's supposed to go, on the wood. The other 70% is released to the atmosphere. This both wastes material and is detrimental to the environment as well.

The high-volume low-pressure spray guns are new to those who like to tackle "do-it-yourself" projects. These guns increase transfer efficiency, which means that much more of the finish medium is actually transferred to the wood instead of wasted. Unfortunately, many of the solvents used today in wood finishing products are detrimental to air quality. Therefore, not only is it industry standard to use the high-volume low-pressure guns, but it is actually mandatory to use a high-pressure low-volume gun, as ordered many local governments and state. With the HVLP system, air is delivered at much higher volume, but with a much lower pressure, so that more finish ends up on the wood instead of in the air.

There are two different types of high-volume low-pressure spray gun systems on the market. The first utilizes pre-existing equipment, because it converts the traditional spray gun system into a high-volume low-pressure system. This is known as a "conversion high-volume low-pressure spray gun." With this system, the spray gun still runs off an air compressor just as a conventional spray gun does, but it uses much lower pressure, about 25 pounds per square inch. It's not as efficient as the newer turbine air system, but it is still much better than a conventional spray gun and is a cost-effective alternative for someone who already owns an air compressor.

The second type of high-volume low-pressure spray gun is the most efficient, and this is suitable for someone who doesn't already own an air compressor. This spray gun operates off of an air turbine instead of air compressor. This delivers an extremely high volume of air at very low pressure, about four to six pounds per square inch. This is more costly than an air compressor, but because it is so much more efficient, it may be worth the investment if you don't already own an air compressor.

Regardless of whether you are using a high-volume low-pressure spray gun or a conventional spray gun, you still must protect yourself by spraying in a well-ventilated area and use proper safety equipment, including a respirator. In addition, many manufacturers now produce several water-based finishes that are not flammable. In addition, because they use water as a base instead of something like lacquer, they are much easier to use and also cause less harm to the environment than do traditional finishes.

by: Megan Cherry

How to Get Clients to Pay Invoices Promptly

1.   1

Make your payment policies clear at the time your services are retained. However yourbusiness is approved, whether it's by a client meeting, or by you submitting a bid, at some point, your client must agree to your estimated price for the work they want done. If your payment policies are stated clearly on your contract, bid, or whatever document you use to bind the contract, you are ahead of the game.

2.   2

Accept all forms of payment and encourage credit card payment. If possible, take credit cards. In this way, you are sure to be paid in timely fashion even if the client doesn't have the funds at the current moment. Shop for a merchant account provider and set up credit card processing for your business

3.   3

Get a deposit in advance. Unless you have a relationship of long standing with the client, get money in advance, and then plan to collect some more midway through the job. Usually, this is 30/30/40 - 30% in advance (to bind you, and to enable you to purchase materials), 30% upon completion of some agreed-upon benchmark, such as delivery of comps (rough sketches, if you are an artist, or small printouts if you make signs or do other design type work, etc), and the balance upon completion. By the way, make sure it's clear that "completion" means on the day you deliver it - not whenever they feel like it.

4.   4

Always let the customer pay when they offer. One of the dumbest things business owners do is shoot themselves in the foot by not accepting a check when it's offered. Many times, a client will ask, "Do you need a check now?" and the business owner says, "No, that's okay, we'll get it at the end." Don't do this! If the customer is happy to pay up front -let him!

5.   5

Make arrangements for payment before you deliver the final product. Hold back enough so that they will need to pay you before you deliver the finished job. It is notunprofessional for you to do so, though many business owners consider this a "low-rent" practice. It's not low-rent - it does not telegraph to your clients that you cannot afford to await payment - it lets them know that you are a professional accustomed to being paid for your work in a timely manner. Just say something like, "Hey, Mr. Jones, I have your job all ready to deliver. Can you have a check ready for me if I swing by around 3 PM?. The balance due is $470.78."

6.   6

Follow up every day until you receive your money. Obviously, you should try to get paid before this need arises. However, sometimes, you have a lapse in judgment, or you're lulled into a sense of security by a client you've had no problems with in the past. The thing is, once your client realizes your payment policies are lax, s/he will opportunistically attempt to exploit it every time. And remember - every minute that you are working to get paid is a minute that (A) you are working a second time for money you've already earned and (B) you are not working on a new job, which still needs to be finished on time, and you're running that job later by the minute.

7.   7

Apply your payment policies to every single customer. Don't give your friend Joe's buddy a bye on this. If anything, treat friends of friends with even less trust than a stranger - they often attempt to take advantage of your cozy relationship with their brother, buddy, whatever. If this guy has not paid you by your due date, call him immediately and ask for payment. If you are put off till the next day, call again the very next morning.

8.   8

Contact the credit agencies. Printing a warning on the bottom of your invoices is fine, but if you fail to follow it up, you won't ever be taken seriously. Contact the credit agencies, Experian, TRW, etc., and report late-payers. If it's their first time, call the client first, and let them know that you're terribly sorry to do it, but unless you receive their payment before the 30 day deadline, you will have to report it to the credit agencies, thus damaging their credit. It's a powerful incentive to pay.

8 Things Really Successful People Do

Real success takes discipline and methodology. Here are eight things the most successful people are meticulous about getting right.

 

Most people claim to want success. But not everyone is willing to do the hard work and the smart work to get there. Often opportunities present themselves and because people are distracted, they miss them or give up on them before things fully develop.

Truly successful people don't leave much to chance. They are disciplined and focused.  They constantly seek new methods to achieve more, in bigger and faster ways. Listed below are eight different practices that will help you concentrate your efforts on rising above the tide.

1. Make Materialism Irrelevant

Fancy cars and houses are all well and good, but many foolishly focus on the byproducts of success, rather than concentrating on building sustainable success in the first place. Establish a bare minimum for your material needs, and then you can enjoy the benefits of success, debt and stress free.

2. Enhance Knowledge

Success comes faster to those who are open, active learners. The higher up the success ladder you climb, the more complex the systems and opportunities that are presented to you. Absorb all the information you can and if you sense a gap you can't fill, connect with people who have the knowledge you need.

3. Manage Relationship Expectations

People in your life require time. Successful individuals attract folk and so they have to carefully regulate the time they can spend with others. It's hard to limit the time you share and still make people feel important. Make choices about the people who matter to you and determine how you each can get value from your interactions. Then make sure they understand your limitations so they don't take it personally when you can't be present.

4. Practice Emotional Self-Awareness

Not all successful people are calm and nice. In fact, many can be volatile. But most are very aware of their tempers and idiosyncrasies. They know how to use their emotions to get what they want from life and work hard to make sure feelings don't become a detriment. Know yourself and learn how to let your emotions work for you in positive ways.

5. Commit to a Physical Ideal 

Everyone has a vision of their own perfect body. They don't have to be fashion models or athletes to be happy. But physical health is a consideration in their life and it's a big distraction when it gets out of whack. Determine the body you believe is worth working for and set a game plan to achieve and maintain it.

6. Gain Clarity About Spirituality

There are many highly successful people like Richard Branson and Warren Buffettwho don't consider religion to be important or relevant. But they have a clear point of view as to the role spirituality plays in their life. Find your own way to be at one with the universe and be clear and deliberate in how you practice.

7. Adhere to a Code of Ethics  

Really successful people live by rules. They may not be the rules of others, but consistency is important for them to maintain power and stability. Their individual view of how the world works is the basis for how they believe people should be treated and they will defend it until their dying day. Determine your ethical lines and broadcast them loud and clear so people around you know where you stand.

8. Focus on Time Efficiency

Prioritization is a key component of success. You can't reach your pinnacle if you are wasting time on distractions. Integration of activities frees up time for greater achievement. Spend your time on activities that are fun, enlightening and productive and soon you'll have gained hours to reap the benefits of success.

Ultimately, really successful people live their lives by design instead of default, so if you want to be one of them, dedicate time and effort to determining the plan for yourpreferred future and execute that plan in a focused and consistent manner.

By Kevin Daum 

Top 5 Tips for Dealing with Troublesome Customers

Advice for small, home and micro business owners.

1. The most important rule to abide by when dealing with awkward customers (and also potentially the hardest one to stick to) is to remain patient. Becoming impatient with customers is very unprofessional (even if they are argumentative and demanding) because they are only trying to get a resolution to their problems.

2. You must maintain a positive outlook at all times, even if the stress of the situation is getting you down. Negativity will only result in increasing the hostility of a problem customer even further.

3. Try to listen more than you actually speak to disgruntled customers. This is important to help you understand what their actual grievance is. Listening carefully increases the likelihood that you will be able to solve their problem.

4. Whatever you do, don’t argue back with a customer, regardless of what they say or the accusations they make. Dealing with a confrontation with your own hostility will only make a bad situation far worse.

5. If you find yourself spending far too much of your time on one problem customer you need to evaluate if this the best decision for the overall health of your business. The customer is not always right and as a small business with a limited amount of resources you may find life easier if you just stop dealing with this person altogether.

By: Stefan Töpfer

How to End the Small Business Feast and Famine Sales Cycle

Do you have feast and famine months in your small business?

Times when you’re so busy you don’t know where to turn and then times when it’s so quiet that you’re desperately willing the phone to ring with a new customer?

Avoiding the feast and famine cycle is one of the hardest parts of small business sales and one of the key early focuses of my small business coaching.

It’s hard because in the famine times:

·         you’ll be frustrated at the lack of activity

·         you’ll be stressed about maintaining cash flow

·         you’ll doubt your ability and business idea

·         you’ll waste money with knee jerk advertising

But I’ve got some good news for you.

I’m going to show you exactly why the feast and famine cycle occurs and how to rid your business of it forever.

Building a Sales Pipeline

The key to ending the feast and famine cycle is to build a sales pipeline.

Like the pipeline that comes into your house to carry water.

If your water supplier has a problem, and the water stops flowing through the pipe, your supply dries up and nothing happens when you turn the tap.

That’s the feast and famine cycle in a nutshell.

You have to ensure that you feed your sales pipeline with a constant flow of new opportunities.

The more opportunities you have coming into your sales pipeline, the lower the risk of famine.

How to Find New Opportunities

I suggest that you pick five small business marketing activities that you focus on every day to pro-actively add opportunities to your sales pipeline.

Such as building a blog for of compelling relevant content, connecting with people who could use your services via LinkedIn, using small business email marketing visiting local business in your town or city to start relationships.  The list is endless, hence why you need to focus.

Why five?

It’s not a magic number but if you do less than five you risk not having enough new opportunities coming into the sales pipeline, and if you do more you risk getting overwhelmed and not doing your best at any.

Building a Small Business Marketing Mix that Works

Consider these three questions to help you pick your five focused small business marketing activities:

1. What’s already working?

How did you find your current or past customers?  Take a look at all of your current and past customers and review how you found them.  Review any activities that worked for you previously, has anything changed, have you stopped doing something?  Can you make that activity work for you again?

2. What can you start today?

Don’t pick things that will take a long of time to get started.

If you’re already in famine you need to get opportunities into your sales pipeline quickly, don’t wait two months to get your website redesigned or to go on a course about how to use Twitter for business.

Focus on things you can start today, when you have opportunities in your sales pipeline you can easily review the results of your marketing mix and decide if you should add something that will help you build for the future.

3. What do you enjoy?

It’s no good having an activity in your small business marketing mix that you don’t enjoy, you’ll put off doing it and hate every moment of it.  That isn’t the best way to build your sales pipeline.

Focus on marketing activities that you are willing to commit to 100%, that you’ll be motivated to spend enough time on to get results.

Don’t Copy Your Competitors

Notice that I didn’t say “look at what your competitors are doing”.  That’s because you need to stand out from your competitors and pick five methods that you are happy with.

It doesn’t matter what your competitors are doing – build a small business marketing mix that you enjoy and that will work for you.

Get Help to Fill Your Sales Pipeline

You don’t have to fill your sales pipeline on your own.

It’s good to have five focus small business marketing activities for continually adding new opportunities to your pipeline, but you can get other people to help you – more hands to the pump as the saying goes.

Remember to ask past customers, colleagues, friends and family if they know anyone who could use your products and services or if they have requirements themselves – you’re looking for new opportunities, not always just new customers.

One of the reasons you should build customer relationships is that customers who are willing to be advocates for your business can spread the word and help build your sales pipeline.

Never Turn off the Supply

The two dangers with the feast and famine cycle are that you are not proactive enough to constantly fill the sales pipeline and that when you get too busy you stop.

If you stop adding to the pipeline the supply will go dry, contacts will go cold and sooner or later you’ll be in famine.

Always ensure that you keep adding to the sales pipeline.  Find ways to be more efficient with your small business marketing when you’re busy but never stop your focus activities, the more opportunities you have in your pipeline the better.

Summary

To end the feast and famine cycle in your small business you need to be constantly proactive, focus on a small number of marketing activities and never stop filling your sales pipeline with fresh opportunities.

Have you experienced the feast and famine in your own small business?  Please leave a comment and let me know how you’ve coped with it.

 By: Robert Peters

Robert Peters is a Small Business Advisor, Coach & Consultant who helps grow sustainable and profitable businesses.

What should bathtub refinishing companies do to make the industry stonger?.

I don't claim to have the answer but I do know of a means to the end . I think if we band together as a group we can make a positive change in the industry. Where we can cause ourselves to make better decisions ,produce better jobs and create better opportunities for ourselves.
 I would like to see if anyone has any suggestions as to how they would like to see this industry function.
If our thoughts and ideas get into the open. then maybe they can serve as seeds of change.

  Please post your ideas. Remember we have strength in numbers and together we can make this industry what it needs to be.
 Please note. lets keep it clean NO BASHING OR CYBER BULLYING your post will be deleted asap !!!

Spectrophotometer....

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Just another way Cogent is changing the bathtub Refinishing industry for the better

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