It’s hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. Where did the fall go? I hope you had a safe and successful fall chimney and hearth season.

Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. During this time I often reflect on what’s really important in my life. Family, friends, a healthy business with a dedicated staff and loyal customers. It doesn’t get much better than that.

I want you to know how much we really appreciate your business. Without our loyal customers we wouldn’t be in business. This is something that we don’t forget.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rob Lindemann

All of us at Lindemann Chimney Supply wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!  This is the time to be thankful for our many blessings.

We are blessed to have awesome family that supports the endeavor we undertake to be the best supplier in the industry. There are times when we all travel or work long hours and we thank our families for their understanding.

Our friends in this industry include our many customers and our wonderful industry associates. This industry is truly a close-knit community. If one suffers a disaster we all feel it. And we work together to further the good of the industry.

So during this time of Thanksgiving take some time to give thanks to the most important people in your life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rob Lindemann, CEO, Lindemann Chimney Co.

Did you know that the Chinese symbol for crisis is the same as for opportunity? If something happens in your chimney sweep or hearth business try to look for opportunity in the situation.

Your lead chimney sweep quits without notice. Crisis or opportunity? At first it is a crisis but only because there is no solution. In the process of coming up with the best solution many things happen:  You may be reintroduced to the field; Another chimney sweep moves into the position who proves to be even better than the lead chimney sweep; You know you have to have a contingency plan in place and perhaps you start to understand the frustration that led to the lead chimney sweeps departure. As you seek the solution these many things start to make the whole picture more visible to you.

It’s 5:00 on a Friday night and your new chimney sweep dusts a customer’s house. It just so happens this customer works for the local newspaper and writes editorial columns. Crisis or opportunity? At first it seems like a crisis: 5:00 on a Friday night – who will you get to clean it?; White carpet and a light colored brick fireplace facing; A person who has the capability to blast your company for miles around.  Your new chimney sweep, who shows a lot of promise, is expecting a major chewing out and is ready to quit. To treat this as an opportunity you need to look for ways to put a positive spin on it. Get the best cleaning company out to clean his home, leaving it cleaner than before the dusting.  Talk to the homeowner about why it’s so important to have a professional clean the chimney instead of trying to treat it as a “do-it-yourself” project (in which this happens a great majority of the time). In this case, if a professional messes up, your house can get TLC treatment.  Explain why this is a fluke and show them the pricey chimney cleaning equipment that you use to sweep the chimney. Show this new sweep how to turn lemons into lemonade. Reinforce to the new chimney sweep that this can and does happen, rarely, but even to experienced sweeps.  This is your chance to show this employee how you stand behind him and reinforces his loyalty to you.

These are just a couple of examples of how you can turn a crisis into an opportunity. It all depends on how you look at it. This may mean taking a short walk away from the office. It might mean getting in your car, driving to a remote area where no one can hear what you really want to say about the situation. Often, the best option is to “step away” from the situation and think of what you would tell your best friend if the same situation happened to them.  Whatever it takes, handle it coolly and with confidence and it becomes an opportunity.

BestFlex Chimney Liner Kits are available in .005" 316 Titanium-Alloy Stainless Steel. BestFlex Liner is manufactured with the latest machining technology. As a result it is has stronger corrugations and Secure-Lock Technology which effectively seals the 7-ply crimped seam with a power grip for an ultra-tight locking seam. This makes BestFlex the best choice of its kind.

It is designed to vent fireplaces and appliances that use the following fuels; wood, oil, category I gas and coal applications. Insulation is required for the UL Listing for solid-fuels. Although it's optional for gas and oil, we still suggest insulation to enhance venting performance.

We stock two kit styles. The BestFlex Tee Kit includes a 13" X 13" Top Plate with Clamping Collar, Square Lid Rain Cap, Tee With 10" Take-Off and Tee Cover. The BestFlex Insert Kit features a 13" X 13" Top Plate with Clamping Collar, Square Lid Rain Cap and Stove Adapter with Clamp.

BestFlex is UL Listed and features a Lifetime Warranty that is transferrable to new owners if the home should ever be sold.

At Lindemann Chimney Co. we pride ourselves on being a chimney supply company that provides more than just plain chimney supplies. We love to pass along helpful information like this blog on having a Facebook account.

There are many reasons to create a Facebook account for your business. The most important reasons are your customers and your competitors. Since Facebook is the most important avenue in social media today the majority of people use it to interact with their friends, family, acquaintences and yes, even business associates. Check out these statistics:

People on Facebook:

• More than 800 million active users
• More than 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• Average user has 130 friends

Activity on Facebook:

• More than 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages)
• Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
• More than 2 billion posts are liked and commented on per day
• On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day

• On average, people on Facebook install apps more than 20 million times every day
• Every month, more than 500 million people use an app on Facebook or experience Facebook Platform on other websites
• More than 7 million apps and websites are integrated with Facebook

Mobile:

• More than 350 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile devices
• More than 475 mobile operators globally work to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products

Note: I chose not to include global circulation because I felt it wasn't significant to our industry. Information from Facebook.com

Still think it's not important? Then consider these facts: In January of 2009 Facebook had over 150 million active users. By December the number had increased to 350 million. In 2010 February started off with over 400 million users. In July it was up to 500 million users. As of July 2011 Facebook boasts over 750 million active users. In a little over 2 1/2 years Facebook active users has increased 600 million and it's still going strong! Social media is not going away. To find out more just click on this Facebook Link for more info. And please be sure to visit us at Lindemann Chimney Supply.