Fast forward to today and while we like our little house, there are a lot of things we don’t like about it including how energy inefficient it seems to be. Add to that our complete disdain for our current windows and we were all about hearing what Power Windows and Siding had to say.

Power Windows and Siding Came a Knockin
It all started when somebody came to the house knocking on our door saying that their company was giving out free estimates on windows and that they would put the estimate in writing and would be honored for a year. I’m pretty sure we had gotten one of these guys at the house before and shirked them off, but for some reason we decided to give them a try this time. (I think it was because he said the estimate would only take 10 minutes). So we scheduled the appointment for that Saturday, didn’t think too much more of it and said goodbye to that guy.

A Very Good Presentation
That Saturday at 2pm, the representative from Power Windows and Siding came to our house to do the estimate. I won’t divulge the guy’s name but he was a really nice decent looking dude who went on to do probably an hour or two just straight presentation on the windows… And the presentation was good! He brought out lots of cross sections of the windows to show how they were made, real estimates from local competitors on the windows, he brought out the windows themselves, did a heat demonstration, discussed the company.. Again, it seemed really thorough and after the presentation alone it was hard to not want to buy the windows esp as how we can barely move the windows we have installed now.

Into Hour 3 or 4…
At about the hour 3 or 4 mark, we finally started talking about price. I think for 12 windows we were quoted a price of a little over $10K but don’t hold me to that. Now that price also came with a FANTASTIC double lifetime guarantee that covered the windows from ANYTHING. All acts of god, the kids, even if I locked myself out and broke a window to get back in. Being assured that we would never have to spend another dime on our windows and that we’d be saving some money on our energy bill was looking really attractive. BUT, we’re not millionaires and we concluded that $10,000 was just too far out of comfort zone. It was at that point that negotiations REALLY started as this guy would not take “no” for an answer.

The Estimate – 5 Hours of My Life Gone
It should also be pointed out that when we scheduled this appointment at 2 so that we could talk to this guy while the kids were down for their naps. Since then, the kids went down for their nap, got up from their nap, and we were all trying to just get some food. I had played a game of basketball before this and I was DYING. Every time the rep offered us a new lower price, he gave us some privacy to let us think about it but it was never “Here’s my phone number, think about it for a day”. At one point he even said, “Oh no problem! You two think about it – I can hang around.”

Now if this guy wasn’t absolutely charming and nice to talk to, I would’ve wanted to kill myself and that line wouldn’t've have flown. But don’t think I didn’t know what was going on either – It was quickly apparent that these Power Windows and Siding reps were trained to NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE hence him being at my house 5 hours after the presentation started. Adding to the pressure of everything is that all his reduction in prices were only available “that day”. But whatever… Sales guys are sales guys and I was pretty sure they’d find it in their heart to honor these one day prices two months down the road.

But after more talks, we finally got the guy down to roughly $9000 and with tax credits and their stuff I think it came down to $7500 which WAS in our wheelhouse. So after 5 hours of presentations, negotiations, famine, and dealing with the kids – We finally signed the papers and he was on his way. Again, we felt ok with the purchase because we had a couple days to cancel and we did get the price down to something we liked.

Of Course the Wife Cancels
I sat through a 5 hour presentation, hunger and headaches for these windows. I hate the ones we have now and was definitely looking forward to replacing them. My wife on the other hand had apparently made a secret unilateral decision that she wanted a minivan and she thus decided to cancel the windows. And it was funny that in all the things that we read, all the fine lines that we went over – We didn’t read the fine print on canceling which could only be done with TELEGRAM or HAND DELIVERING THE LETTER to their Power Windows and Siding HQ in PA. I mean, who the hell even knows how to send a telegram?

If you haven’t been able to tell already, this was par for the course with Power Windows and Siding… making it VERY difficult for them NOT to close the deal. Undeterred however the wife discovered you could also send a letter with delivery confirmation or something and so we did. It was at this point that they said that we had to have a followup meeting (you guessed it) IN OUR HOUSE to fill out some “internal” paperwork to really terminate the transaction! And my wife is telling me this as if that’s just the way it was! I on the other hand said, “Enough is Enough!”

I called them up regarding this appointment and it was clear to me that they were on full scramble mode trying to keep this appointment to make one final stab at us. I was transferred from one CSR to the next until I finally spoke to someone who seemed able to end the insanity. She tried to give me some line about “Since this is such a big order, we need you to file some internal paperwork with us…” but I just had to cut her off, “LOOK, your internal paperwork doesn’t have anything to do with us and there is NO reason to send someone to our house again. We are done.” to which she quickly said “Thank you” and hung up.

Power Windows and Siding Conclusion
When I researching this company and seeing other people’s reviews and complaints, almost everyone complained about the process that I went through. And while they are definitely pushy as hell, I don’t think I’ve seen or heard any complaints from those who actually got their windows. Honestly, I wish I had been one of them.

It was a pretty cool affair (despite me coming down with both a sinus and ear infection) and I met some very talented, passionate individuals out there including a very peppy and enthusiastic Stephanie Nivinskus. She’s one of those people that just gives off a good energy when she’s near ya know? So we talked a bit amongst the blaring music and all the commotion of the conference and we said that we’d definitely think about the other for various opportunities that would come down the line.

So fast forward to a week or two ago and Stephanie dropped me a line asking me for some technical help on her website, ImpressionsOnCall.com. Thankfully I was able to help, and that weekend we chatted on the phone where I tried to give her some tips on the finer points of website editing and the like. Well, we ended up having a great conversation (not only about her website) but also her marketing business as well as how our businesses could help each other. And let me tell you – Having the chance to partner with people who are passionate about what they do really gets me going. (And bubbly personalities don’t hurt either)!

So then get this – A couple of days ago I got an e-mail from the aforementioned marketing professional where she asked if I had “received the chocolate yet”? I’m like, “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?” So after I finished accosting the wife on the subject, I turned my attention to the UPS man and eagerly awaited the delivery. A day later I got this awesome package complete with an fantastic feel good card and 4 delicious (and I mean DELICIOUS) brownies!

And let me tell you, nothing makes me feel greater than getting compliments about what I try to do – Not the applications I make or the websites I put together, but the effort I try to put forth for everyone I work with.

So thank you Stephanie for brightening up my day and here’s to a great many projects together!
Everyone else, make sure to check out Impressions Marketing for all of our marketing needs!

I’m trying to remember how long I’ve been in business but at the time that I write this, (like every other time I can recount for the last couple months), my mind is so… BUSY, that it’s hard to recall the small stuff.

But i will say that at least on the financial front, I’m finally breathing a bit easier. There have been so many highs and lows since I left my job… So many times where I’m just trying to move enough money around that I can make the minimum payment on my business credit card that it feels like a great accomplishment to FINALLY have a small amount of funds in the account.

And don’t read it any different – It’s a small amount of funds. But it’s enough to keep the family afloat for a month should a check not go through (or come) and we have not had that small amount of security for a long time.

Assessing My Current Situation
So today when I finally took a breath and found myself in a “good place” – My mind immediately began to race towards all the things I could buy now that I couldn’t before. In my younger days before I had these kids and a wife, I would probably have gone out and bought an LCD, new computer or SOMETHING! Presently however, I’m very content to just not have to worry for a little while and to have the chance to future proof my business!

*whew!* Everything is coming up Millhouse.

Currently, my time has really been split between a certain client site that I had hoped to have done in December, the fantastic goodness that is Borderlands and of course – My kids. It looks like the client site in question is nearing an end which I couldn’t be happier about. It really is a project that has dragged on beyond dragging on. Part of that has been my fault admittedly, but in fairness I know that I’m dealing with one of those clients where you have to gently nudge them at certain times. But I love’em so it’s all good. (#):) (All this time with the site not being done however is hosting money lost so it WOULD be in my best interest to wrap this one up before March).

Kids are doing well and I think I’ve been doing a better job of getting away from the keyboard during the day and giving them some quality dad time. Of course you always worry that it’s not enough but I’m doing what I can and I think it IS an improvement relative to what they were used to. I’ll say though that I think all of us are ready for this cruel Maryland winter to be over so we can go outside and play again. Going on walks and stuff is as good for me as it is for them no doubt.

And finally there is the GEM that is Borderlands. I really didn’t think I’d enjoy the game as much as I have but even on my second playthrough I can’t get enough of the game. I think it’s very possible too that I’ll be downloading all the DLC too! …Which on that note may mean that I won’t be posting again for a long time ha ha!

Well blame it on this snow!

If you haven’t heard, we in MD have been getting hit with a LOT more snow than we’re used to. I think last week we had somewhere around 2 feet of snow and today they’re forecasting another foot or something.

Recently, most of my days lately have consisted of me waking up, shoveling, recovering, shoveling, recovering, shoveling and then going to bed only to do it all again the next day. And let me tell you, trying to find places to put this much snow is very difficult. Around my house I have inadventently built a giant wall of snow, towering higher than the cars in our parking lot. And trying to throw more snow OVER that wall well… My back loves it.

And really, I do LIKE snow. But this is just too much and it keeps coming!

Times when you’re not worrying about keeping your server dues paid, times when you’re not stressed about paying your designers, times when you’re not worried about getting new work…

It’s also these times when you look ahead to when you’ll have some disposable income to blow on the good stuff! Week before last I shared some of the things I’m most excited on incorporating back into my life from insurance to my gym membership, but today I’ll share with you some of the good stuff!

A PS3
If you’ve followed me for any period of time, you may be surprised to hear this but yeah – I’d like to get a PS3 (when I have disposable income that is). I really haven’t come around in my thinking on the system, (being as how there are still only a handful of PS3 exclusives I want to play), but the video game hoarder/enthusiast in me is willing to look past that. Plus, in addition to God of War III coming out soon, I’m hearing that PSN Home is looking a lot better than when I last saw it.

Winterizing My House
As I type this, I’m sitting in my basement looking at the news on my Windows 7 box hoping that getting the latest NVidea drivers will stop Windows Media Center from crashing. And let me tell you, as much as I love my basement, my fingers are freezing. The only reason the rest of me isn’t is because I’m wearing several layers, a hoodie and shoes. It sucks. Last year I tried to do something about this problem myself but it’s way beyond even MY industrious skills.

Amplifier for My Car
I’m not sure if it was around Christmas or my birthday this past year, but around that time I got my some Best Buy gift cards. (SIDE NOTE: If you ever want to make me happy, buy me some Best Buy gift cards). And interestingly enough, “right now” there isn’t too much at Best Buy that I want – Which is to say that I’m at a weird point with my electronics (home theater, computer, etc) where everything is pretty up to date, so the next step up would mean major dollars.

So I was thinking about what I would use my gift cards on, and then I thought that I always wanted to upgrade my car audio. Well after I got a new deck, I had to get new speakers and despite getting rave reviews, I was really underwhelmed with them. So I went onto Crutchfield and asked one of their fantastic advisors what the deal was and they said it’s probably because my speakers are underpowered and that I desperately needed an amp.

I even picked one out at the time, but because I left my cushy 9-5 shortly thereafter, I had to put this little baby on the backburner where she sits to this very day. Truth be told, I COULD buy it using reward points from my credit card but we’ve had a pretty harsh winter so I don’t think I’d be in a rush to install it – Yes, that’s how I roll.

And if you think that’s a lot, think again! I still have more to write but I will not subject my fingers to the frozen tundra that is my basement any longer! Maybe another iteration next Friday?

Now that I’m married, have kids, and just “getting off the ground” with web design stuff, I’ve REALLY had to dial it back. But with every new financial foothold I gain back (it’s a rough transition from the 9-5 to this), the more I can dream about life’s little luxuries.

Day Care
By far, the biggest luxury I’m looking forward to in the near future is being able to afford day care again for my 2 kids. Don’t take this the wrong way, the kids are great and I know I’m lucky to be able to spend so much time with them – But trying to program while my littlest one is on my lap turning off my monitors, trying to take conference calls while my oldest is yelling for more apple juice… It can be a bit trying sometimes. And I also look at this as an important milestone because conceivably with more time, I’ll have more of an opportunity to grow my business. Or at least the theory goes.

Insurance
I know you’re going to get a kick out of this one Pete, but I can’t wait to have decent insurance again either. Right now we have the “if you lose an arm, you won’t lose a leg” insurance so for things like going to the Allergist, I’m pretty much SOL. I’ve been pretty lucky that I haven’t been really sick either but just being able to get back on my allergy meds would do so much for my sleeping habits.

Gym
Lastly on my list of “must haves” is the gym. I belong/used to belong (it’s complicated) to a Globo Gym with admittedly, a pretty high price tag. I really want to get back in there because we all know that staying healthy does A LOT for you. But when you’re home with the kids every waking moment, it’s kinda hard to find a yourself out of the house with an hour to lift.

And of course I have a ton more on my list, but if I wrote them all out here, it would be an extremely long post. I think I’ll probably post more next Friday (fun stuff at that) – So make sure to check back then!

For me, 2009 was a really fantastic year. Without a doubt, my biggest accomplishments were finishing up The Dude Registry, seeing my web design company really begin to flourish, and leaving the 9-5! I can’t tell you how happy I am that I got out of that job. Now to be honest, the job wasn’t ALL THAT BAD, but truthfully – It was killing me.

In other news, I know it has been a while since we’ve talked so I hope you had a nice Christmas. Mine was good but it was WAAAAY too fast. For my oldest kid, it was his first one where he could KINDA understand what was going on. And by that I mean he knew he was entitled to presents. (#):) Oh and check this out – Our holiday card for this year!

A Few Goals for 2010
In the past I’ve said that I’m really not one for resolutions, (since I believe that it shouldn’t have to take ONE DAY to change your life), but this year I wanted to take a second and just set up some goals for myself. First one being to really take my web design company to the next level where it’s bringing in the amount of money I want it to and I can get really picky about the clients I decide to take on. Secondly, I want to show a renewed interest in my own health. I think currently I’m about 190 lbs (at 5″10′), not taking my allergy shots, and overall I’m just disrespecting my body. That really needs to change.

But really, I can’t tell you how excited I am about 2010. For me, (and I believe for you too), it’s ripe full of possibilities which means there’s only one thing to do…

REAP THE WHIRLWIND!

But you know, I think there have been “good” reasons for that. I’ve been actively working with clients with my web design company, got a great site up recently that I’m pretty proud of and I’m putting the “finishing touches” on my super secret big project soon to be unveiled!

And what is perhaps the biggest news yet, I am not working a 9-5 anymore! That’s not to say that I’m making enough money to support me and the family yet, but hopefully I can make it work so I don’t have to go back to that horrible world anymore! Now hopefully all of this means that you will be seeing some more posts from me, but who knows if that’s really going to be happening because the thing of it is, (while I’m not making any money), the kids have been taken out of daycare which means I’m seeing a lot of them, and my FREE TIME is not seeing a lot of me.

So I guess stay tuned true believers and make sure to follow me on Twitter!

If You Didn’t Know…
Don’t be sad because I didn’t tell many people. Unfortunately, I had to tell my wife because there was just no way I could explain away the fact that I wasn’t receiving a check twice a month. ha ha. And not to throw my 9 to 5′s business out there, but my furlough was a result of being on the wrong end of a lawsuit, and big clients not paying because of the worsening US economy.

So when I got the news that I was to be furloughed (with a few other co-workers), I was dolling out the high fives! I was def burned out at work, was tired of the commute and just wanted some time to work on a lot of my side projects. Thankfully during the time off, I did just that. The biggest thing I did was prepare some proposals for potential web design clients and even work out my first paying contract. So that by itself is deserving of applause. Additionally, I also did a lot of work for my new super secret affiliate marketing project which I couldn’t be any more excited about.

Working With Kids
It had certainly been a while since I had worked on stuff from home with kids and it was not easy for a long time. It probably took a good month into my vacation to finally figure out how to be productive with them but when I did it was a really a great thing. Being able to get work done on your schedule WHILE being able to spend copious amounts of time with your kids is definitely a really cool thing and one that everyone should be lucky enough to do. Of course for most of us that’s just a pipe dream since the 9-5 inevitably gets in the way.

Back to the Grind
Yesterday was my first day back to work. I was summoned back a couple weeks ago with an e-mail out of the blue that really just said, “Bush, great news – We’re ready to have you back!” When I read that, I started grinding my teeth. Nightmares of commutes, timesheets, and bosses all started flooding back. BUT, what could I do? My kids need to eat and my mortgage needs to be paid. So as I said, I went back yesterday and tried to make the switch from home life to work life again.

It was difficult to say the least but it was made easier by my awesome co-workers who seemed very happy to have me back. Let it be said that even though my 9-5 itself is not the bees knees, my co-workers are a bunch of very cool and talented people. So after I was welcomed back, one of the guys at work said offhandedly, “Hey, did you know you’d be working for free?” And I joked back that “Yeah, I’m the new intern.” Well, we go out to lunch and they start telling me how they’ve had to hold off on cashing their checks because apparently the company didn’t have the money to pay them.

Are you kidding me!?
I then inquire as to why our System Admin wasn’t back from furlough yet and I was told that “[he's on the fence about coming back because he's not sure why he should if the company can't pay him]“. At this point, I’m feeling a bit hosed. Oh, and did I mention that I had to take a $3000 pay cut too? I kept wondering if I would’ve come back when I did if I had knew that the company was still having these big money problems as a result of the lawsuit in December. I just don’t know. But I’ll say this – With my boss not telling me about these problems in his “welcome back” e-mail… If my paycheck doesn’t go through in two weeks I may just have to take another sabbatical.

Jobs. Ugh.