Jump to content

Window Film Industry

tjordan06

Recommended Posts

tjordan06

tjordan06

Posted
Posted

Hello,

I am considering purchasing a window film business in my area. It is a business that does mainly commercial flat glass. They also do some residential. I am curious what condition the industry is in currently? What are the trends that you all are seeing? Is there any one product that is way out in front of the others? What are some major problems unique to window film? How has the poor economy affected window film? Or anything else that you may think I should know.

I really need a guage of this industry, and figured that you all would be the best place to get that. Thank you so much for any information that you can provide to me!!!

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 40
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Roach

Roach

Posted
Posted

Alot will depend on what area of the country you are in....

Generally speaking, window film is a luxury item for residential, so with the economy being what it is, people aren't getting it done as much.

If you are in an area that has a cold winter, business might slow down during the off-season.... in which case you either have to be super busy in the spring/summer, or offer other products and/or services to hold you over during the winter time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TTS

TTS

Posted
Posted

If you want to gauge how business is with commercial window tinting... take a good hard look at construction/sales/leasing of buildings in your area...

Whats the industry forcast for construction trades over the next 5 years ??

Past that.... it's do your homework on the business you are looking at.. :twocents

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Tint Chick

Guest Tint Chick

Posted
Posted
If you want to gauge how business is with commercial window tinting... take a good hard look at construction/sales/leasing of buildings in your area...

Whats the industry forcast for construction trades over the next 5 years ??

Past that.... it's do your homework on the business you are looking at.. :lol2

Good advice there :lol2

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tjordan06

tjordan06

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I would not recommend buying a company with no knowledge of the industry. Failure would be knocking on your door. It would be like me buying a printing company...I have no clue of the inner workings, margins, supplies, etc.

Well aren't all of those things easily learned? Isnt the sales, marketing and operations aspect of it more important? (not an argument, just questions)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tjordan06

tjordan06

Posted
  • Author
Posted
If you want to gauge how business is with commercial window tinting... take a good hard look at construction/sales/leasing of buildings in your area...

Whats the industry forcast for construction trades over the next 5 years ??

Past that.... it's do your homework on the business you are looking at.. :lol2

what do you mean by construction trades?

I am abosulutely doing my homework on the business, I am just curious on what advice the experts could offerl up

Link to comment
Share on other sites
addicted to tint

addicted to tint

Posted
Posted
If you want to gauge how business is with commercial window tinting... take a good hard look at construction/sales/leasing of buildings in your area...

Whats the industry forcast for construction trades over the next 5 years ??

Past that.... it's do your homework on the business you are looking at.. :lol2

what do you mean by construction trades?

I am abosulutely doing my homework on the business, I am just curious on what advice the experts could offerl up

Unless you are independantly wealthy, you will either be financed by the owners or have to go to bank. The first thing you need is a p&l statement. This can be your gauge to this business in particular. Then you may want to get the same for the past 3 years to see what direction the business is heading. If it's like most in this this industry and others, it has considerably less cash flow.

The sales/installation learning part is tough. You are totally reliant upon installers and sales people. So if you can't keep it together you may have to do their jobs. The business end is tough too. Accounts payable/receivables/inventory/ payroll/taxes...... At your age you don't know if you can hack it or not even if things were good. :lol

Today's economic environment is the toughest in modern history. I'm sure you've heard the news :lol2 .

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fiveofeen

Fiveofeen

Posted
Posted

Most of the time the only people who buy tint shops are those from outside of the industry, the reason being that most people from within the industry would just create a new shop. Why? because the person running the business is its most valuable asset and when they leave after the sale there is little value left in the business other than contacts and accounts... many of which arent going to be around without that key person there anymore.

We don't really discuss prices here but I've seen fairly large operations in socal for sale for 50k with not a single bite right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  •   Sponsored by
    martinmetalwork.com

    rewiredtech.io

    tinttek

    filmvinyldesigns

    The Tint Tutor

    ride wrap

    Lexen

    Tint My Ride

    tintwiz

    auto-precut.com

    signwarehouse

  • Activity Stream

    1. 2

      Llumar air 80 vs 3m Crystalline - dealer advised to go regular 3m ceramic over Crystalline

      @Tintguy1980 pretty much covered the difference in the films. Since Ceramic films absorb the heat, the vehicle must be in motion to push the hot air away. No motion means more heat building up in the glass and radiating inward to you. Since Crystalline redirects heat away, the radiating inward heat is much less if you are in traffic or sitting still. As far as the shop, they either don't want to stock Crystalline since it is $$$$ per roll or do not want to install it since it takes more work and time. Also, not all 3M dealers can install Crystalline. If you check the dealer locator, if they do not have "Crystalline Preferred" listed, then this is most likely the case. With that being said, we absolutely love the Ceramic IR line, so you can't go wrong there.
      DynamicATL in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    2. 0

      Graphtec Plotter

      I should reach out to graphtec about this issue, but I'm curious if anyone else has experienced the same problem with their plotter. My graphtec plotter can cut specific designs flawlessly without any problems with pressure or shape. Occasionally I experience an issue where I will plot a design consisting of two fronts or a rear windshield window, and the cut is flawless, but just before the plotter finishes, allowing me to remove the excess material from the machine. It reaches the end as if it will finish feeding it completely and then abruptly lowers the blade as if it still needs to cut the design, slicing right through the pattern it just created. Do you have any thoughts on why that occurs?
      Tintguy Santa in Plotters and Cutting Systems
    3. 0

      FOR SALE Jaguar V LX 40" plotter

      Selling a like new Jaguar VLX 40" plotter. Works perfectly, we upgraded to another plotter and don't have space for this one. Only available for pickup, located in Orange County. If interested or you have any questions please contact us at 949-888-6581. Priced at $3,800 OBO.
      AudioToyz in Plotters and Cutting Systems
    4. 2

      Llumar air 80 vs 3m Crystalline - dealer advised to go regular 3m ceramic over Crystalline

      Easy technical explanation of the difference between Crystalline and regular 'ceramic' labeled products, including 3Ms: Crystalline is designed to 'reflect' NIR (Near Infrared, the sun's energy we 'feel' first) as opposed to 'ceramic' products absorbing. Absorbing translates into feeling the sun's energy radiating off the window as your arm is rested next to it. Therefore, Crystalline is superior to ceramics. This is the pitch I would make to you as a buyer. Maybe the dealer you spoke with simply doesn't want to pay the price for a roll of the product. I've had Crystalline 40 on my front door glass for 8 yrs now and it shows zero sign of any degradation in color, performance and clarity. Crystalline would be better than AIR80 for the windshield as well.
      Tintguy1980 in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    5. 2

      Llumar air 80 vs 3m Crystalline - dealer advised to go regular 3m ceramic over Crystalline

      I just got off the phone with a 3m dealer in Dallas and he strongly advised me to save my money and get their regular ceramic and not the 3M Crystalline. He said I'd never know the difference and acted like it was NOTHING more than a marketing strategy. So that's got me all confused. He could make more money off me, but I feel like he's being honest and I appreciate that. But, then I hear everywhere else how much better Crystalline is over other products. So, I'm still debating on Air 80 or Crystalline for the windshield and Llumar IRx or Formula 1 or 3m Crystalline for the other windows.. So much to consider! FYI, I generally like the best for a couple hundred more, BUT I do want there to be some improvement.
      dtximages in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    6. 1

      Reimbursement for warranty work on solar or safety film

      Crap shoot.
      Tintguy1980 in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    7. 1

      Beginner trying to learn, where I'm at...

      Welcome to the forum! I would recommend Global non-cap ppf and get a second bottle with plain water only to flush the edges for better adhesion. If you're leaving water behind try using a different squeegee. I prefer a dark yellow turbo from Interwest. Instead of heating I think you should be streaching the film into place to pull the fingers out.
      Dano in Paint Protection Film, Clear Bra Forum
    8. 4,178

      What did you tint today?

      Y'all try not to get too excited, but this is the four cylinder Suzuki version of the Geo Metro with a whopping 1.3L. No ac or power steering but getting 45mpg on 13" rims.
      Dano in Window Tinting - General Discussion
    9. 1

      Beginner trying to learn, where I'm at...

      Hello, thanks for allowing me to join. I'm a retired auto technician/High School Automotive Instructor. Enjoyed working on cars all of my life. I have had and still have several nice cars (mostly Corvettes) and enjoy keepng them nice. I have a lift in my garage which helps with the install on lower areas of the vehicle. I have been tinkering with PPF film here and there on rock chip prone areas on my cars. I have been sucessful sometimes installing where it was acceptable to my liking, but never perfect. I have had to rip several off and start over. That doesn't bother me because I really want to master this. Education isn't free and if it means wasting film and time I understand. I have gotten over the fear of installing it on small areas (front of wheel well area on rear quarter of C8 Corvette) and shrinking it with heat gun to smooth out fingers but cannot do an insatll without getting any bubbles completely. Some installs the bubbles have dried over a couple of weeks and were acceptable for me. But other installs were not, and I had to start over. The solution I'm using is the typical 16oz distilled water and 2 or 3 drops of baby shampoo. The film is Ebay pre-cut kits. Can anyone shed any light as to what I'm doing wrong to minimize the bubbles? Is there a different solution I should be using? Is there a better film to start with that is easier to use for beginners? I'd appreciate any advice or tips I can get. Thanks in advance!
      vetteowner in Paint Protection Film, Clear Bra Forum
    10. 4

      Xpel; rookie (me) popped air pocket and nicked paint

      Thanks for the reply! I will see what happens. I tested the paint on a scrap of PPF I had sitting around, the it seems really secure. Just for perspective, I attached a photo of my goof. It really was a small divot, just bugged me that I did it at all. I did place a very small bit of paint on the top of the exposure. Living in MN, rust is always the concern, so I am hoping I have this sealed. While I know that PPF can't heal a cut like this, it was very flat so the exposure should hopefully be minimal. (What looks like a fold is the reflection of a seam in the ceiling)
      JonMN in Paint Protection Film, Clear Bra Forum
×
×
  • Create New...