Do You Want to Grow Your Glass Company?

Of all the many things we discuss each week on the Shower Door Professionals live-stream, the topic of how to grow a glass business is probably the most popular. I find it helpful to hear the opinions of members from different parts of the country. Companies range in size and scope, so there is a lot of variety in owners’ perspectives.  Some of the shops represented in the group are small mom-and-pop type glass companies, while others are quite large.

The guys from MY Shower Door (Bill and Keith Daubmann) are regular attendees and are generous in their willingness to offer ideas and suggestions. The Daubmann family runs what is probably the largest operation within the group with nine locations across Florida. They are always in the process of adding more products and services and provide a lot of inspiration to the rest of us.

My own small business, Showcase Shower Door Company, may be the smallest of all. Me and my wife Tiffany are the owners/operators, and we have no employees.

Question 1: Do you want to grow your business?

The first question to ask is whether you want to grow your business. There are many who enjoy managing their small shops and have no desire to expand. I am among those who are quite satisfied with our current arrangement. Those who have a very small company and want to grow face the biggest challenge, in my opinion.

Growing from a one-man operation to hiring the first employee is a difficult transition. As an owner-operator it requires a lot of effort. Doing all the work necessary to keep the business going while training a new hire is a tall order. Once a small crew is established the process becomes much easier. Existing employees can be empowered to help in the training of new crew members. 

Question 2: Do you want to grow without adding employees?

There is another option to consider… That is growing without adding employees or even increasing the number of sales. Growth can be accomplished by simply increasing the amount of each sale. This is the track that we have decided to take at our company. Being laser focused on a particular segment of the industry within our local area has enabled us to carve out the higher end of the shower door market for ourselves.

Some feel that the opportunity to grow has passed, but there are many in the industry who would disagree with that assessment. We are experiencing some of the best sales ever, for this time of year.

If you want to learn more, you can always join us on the live-stream. For more information contact me, or search for “Shower Door Professionals” on Facebook.