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15 MINUTES CHARLIE AND THE FILM FACTORY
Q: How long have you been applying window film? Thirteen (13) years. Q: How long have you owned your own business? Three (3) years. I worked for someone else off and on for about ten years making peanuts, then decided it was time to make it on my own. Q: How did you get started in the business? I started in the late 1980s tinting autos. All of my friends had cars tinted. Q: How many projects do you think you’ve tinted since you started? I’ve laid down hundreds of yards of square feet. Q: What’s the hardest part about owning your own business? The costs of operating a business, whether it’s electric bills, insurance or window film. The most expensive part is advertising, finding new ways to reach customers, staying fresh and keeping the excitement going.
I want to nationally franchise Northeast Tint within the next two to five years. Within ten years, I want to go international and make the company the largest window film installing company in the world. Q: What is your favorite frame to film? Each frame presents its own circumstance, so there’s no least or most favorite. Each time I look at a window, I know what the situation will be … if it’s wood, aluminum, steel, the kind that drips stuff onto the film … but they’re all fun. Q: Did you encounter any obstacles in the tint-off? The only problem I had was dealing with the Washington airport. They smashed my toolbox, broke the bottles and ruined my big squeegee. Q: How competitive did you find the Tint-Off? Very. It’s nerve-wracking, so that makes for a more interesting, competitive situation. Next year, I’m sure there will be more contestants. Q: Will you compete again next year? Certainly. It’s been fun. It’s been such a pleasure to finally have an internationally-recognized shooting point to gauge industry standards. For more than ten years it seems that when I’m on the job, whether it’s residential or commercial, I find myself competing for “world’s best tinter” on a personal level. The scope of our business happens on ladders, where speed, using extreme caution, your skill with a razor, not dropping things come into play. Q: What are your hobbies? Tinting. I chose my favorite hobby for my career. Mama and papa always said do something you love to do. My day goes by *snap* like that. One minute it’s 6 a.m. and the next it’s 6 p.m. After that, I pick up my paintbrush because I’m an artist, and I’m in a band—Infragreen—singing, playing acoustic guitar and mandolin. I also snowboard. Fun questions: |
Charlie Arakelian, owner of Northeast Tint in Springfield, Mass., walked away with second place in the first-ever Architectural Glass Tint-Off™. The self-described artist and musician sat down with Window Film magazine for an interview after the competition and let us in on what makes him tick.
Q: What are your future plans for your business?WINDOW
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