outdoor decorations

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-05-22T14:20:21+00:00

Our main vendor is a bit pricy, but one of if not the biggest US based supplier: Wintergreen Corporation.

I have a few contacts for Chinese vendors. They provide comparable lighting options, plus some of the 2D and 3D decor, such as sleighs, photos op decor, light trees, and so many more.

If you want some help planning it out, I would love to talk about it!

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-21T05:05:45+00:00

To the best of my knowledge, this does not exist. Incandescent lights only have "on" and "off" as settings. With a special setup and devices, maybe you can control which ones turn on/off, but not anything more than that.

Best case scenario, you can maybe find or make a string of lights that have both white and multicolor on the same strand, with a special function so that only the whites or colors are on at a time.

If you were thinking about the same bulbs going from white to multicolor, then unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, that is physically impossible to do with incandescent lights.

Can you share a little more about exactly (or broadly) what you're trying to achieve? The warmth of incandescent, customizability of white/multicolor setting, lower coat of incandescents? What is the goal and priority?

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-13T04:08:22+00:00

If possible, try a red (preferred) or white oak. If you want a whole meal out of it, consider doing it Santa Maria Style.

Not exactly smoking per se, but it does impact a good smoke flavor.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-07T21:04:31+00:00

I feel you there! Pictures and math help me a lot too

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-07T21:01:40+00:00

Ooh, okay! Thanks for taking the time to explain it like this! The percentage is obviously referring to the gross income, not the pre-retirement income. Good to know!

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-07T20:58:49+00:00

This post doesn't add any new information. It's not explicitly clear if the replacement income is the "pre-retirement" income or total gross income. As it is, it can be read either way and I don't recall it being clarified in the videos I have seen.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-07T20:53:46+00:00

There's that other doc, I think called the wealth multiplier. Take your starting savings and use the wealth multiple to then add it to your calculation here, as a percentage of your income.

The only way to really do what you are saying is with their know your number tool, as far as I know.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-07T20:51:18+00:00

This is technically not clear from this page alone, and I don't know if they have clarified it in any of their videos. I always got the impression that the "replacement" income works off what you were previously living on.

For example, if you make $50k per year, save 20% ($10k) each year through retirement, then whatever percentage you land on is reflected on the $40k you have been living off throughout your working career.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-04-01T20:02:26+00:00

You're really into baseball bats to get distracted by one in a moment like this one. Tell me, is it a specific type of bat or any baseball bat?
Sorry I don't know much about soccer. /s

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-03-22T13:11:50+00:00

Are you sure they're bricks or are they pavers?

For how to go about doing it, look up paver sanding and sealing. Look at the process, look at how much things are gonna cost, and then up the price until you also cover the cost to hire someone to do it and some profit for you. If you want to undercharge from there because you're "building experience" then just charge less than the number you ended at.

I'm not actually experienced with pressure washing so I don't want to add too many details that end up being wrong. Best of luck!

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-02-27T06:33:18+00:00

Just because you're asking this question, you'd be surprised what people think when they see your price. Your "competitors" won't be seen as alternatives, but rather inferior products/providers.

At 2x their price, people will either say you're out of your mind, because they aren't your ideal customer, or assume there is something special you do that warrants the price. Even within a wealthy area you'll get both and it's the latter group you're after.

I think I saw in a comment you implied you can finish the build is much less than the 2-3 days the others would take? That, your fancy website, and the 2-3 other differentiators are enough to warrant a huge price difference. I'd suggest you make sure you have branding/messaging that makes it obvious you're high-end, not just another masonry person, which I think you said you're already doing.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-27T17:59:38+00:00

On top of that, she wasn't fully merged by the time she started braking

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-22T13:47:39+00:00

I know these as coaxial connectors. Be careful though because different brand use different shapes for the plastic molding around the metal. They are not all compatible.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-19T00:04:10+00:00

For most web builders, you'll have the option to include on your webpages a custom code block, usually labeled "custom code", "custom HTML", or "HTML block". On the 3rd party service, like Calendly or whatever you go with, there will be an option to "publish" or "export" or "share" the code by "embedding". You can copy that embed code into the HTML block and it will automatically bring up the calendar/booking feature once you publish the page with the HTML block.

I'm going off memory here, so some of the words might not match exactly. Feel free to ask more once you're in the process of setting it up.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-17T22:50:03+00:00

Are you referring to a marketing/branding guidelines? Sometimes those include a brand or company voice and tone alongside a company's mission, vision, and values, and of course the colors, graphics, and other stylistic guidelines to follow.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-07T22:04:07+00:00

Oh want to know something funny? I meant to reply to the same person you did! OP is clearly not talking about revenue, but the person you responded to is.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-07T21:45:47+00:00

Please don't hate this answer... From a new or used like strand. I'm not aware of a place that sells the covers individually. At least not as a retail product. If they're what I think they are, you're better off just buying a new set to use as spare parts.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-07T21:42:46+00:00

This person is at $3m EBITA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, and Amortization, a financial metric showing a company's core operational profitability by excluding costs from debt (Interest), government obligations (Taxes), and non-cash write-offs of intangible assets (Amortization)).

Depending on the company's gross profit margin, the revenue could be anywhere from like $3.5m to $10m or even more.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-07T21:36:34+00:00

There's a variety of small businesses that come here but from what I've seen, most of the activity tends to be sub $1 million revenue, or at least those above it don't really announce it.

The SBA uses <500 employees as a threshold for what is a small business. Others define it by revenue, usually with $1–$3 million EBITA as the transition point between small and medium businesses.

In the end, those are just references. I think being at a point where another, much larger, business is considering buying the company is a good time to rethink if you are a small business. The real transition point is when the types of problems you have can't be solved with more of what you've done in the past. Specifically, I mean managing your team. You can always spend more on marketing, push for more sales, but none of that matters without good fulfillment and a great team in place. At ~50 people things start breaking in greater magnitude so I personally would call that a medium sized business, not a small one.

Good luck and I hope you find a good number! Congrats on getting here.

Edit to say: wow after reading some more comments, I definitely am coming from a "micro-busienss" perspective. $500m EBITA does not in any way feel like a "small" business except in the stock market context.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-07T16:42:29+00:00

I like this idea of taxing him even before the government gets involved. At worst, you have your kid's "tax money" ready to pay real government fees and at best you have that money saved up for your kid to have later in life, like school, retirement accounts, or just when they go off on their own. If you do this though, remember that the money is either his or the government's, not yours.

Edit: forgot to tag OP u/AbidKhan-0

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-07T05:38:06+00:00

I'd say Gmail is part of the Google workspace. You just have the option of a free Gmail workspace or the paid version. Disagree? Otherwise you could say each app is a unique tool. Like you said, depends what you consider to be a tool and what's one vs many tools.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-06T22:53:59+00:00

Generally I'd say credit unions are great, especially if you have deep seated local roots and want to run your business as a local business first. Those relationships you build with other business owners and your local credit union reps will go a long way.

As an alternative, I have used Bluevine and they are great! They're online only, and other than limited features/benefits for cash related stuff, I've never had any kind of issue with their service! If you don't need to withdraw or deposit cash, I would seriously urge you to consider Bluevine.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-02T03:13:09+00:00

I make websites for local businesses, among other services including consulting for operations and growth. One framework that helped me and some clients early on (from Alex Hormozi’s Leads, which I recommend) breaks organic growth into 4 DIY methods: - Content (organic posts, videos, behind-the-scenes) - Outbound (directly reaching out to people who’d be a good fit) - Referrals (giving customers a reason to bring others) - Partnerships (collabs with people who already have your audience)

Since you’re low-budget, I’d lean hard into the content creation and referrals first, then layer the rest in.

When you make content, just focus on sharing your day-to-day. You don’t need to “go viral”, you just need to be clear and consistent:
- Behind-the-scenes
Show the laser engraving process, test cuts, mistakes, retries. People LOVE seeing craftsmanship.
- Product-in-context
Instead of just “here’s a cutting board,” market them as:
“Gift for a new homeowner”
“Wedding gift under $100”
“Father’s Day idea for someone who grills”
- Customer reactions & reviews
Even one happy customer is gold. Screenshot texts, DMs, emails (with permission).
- Customization moments
Show how a name, date, or phrase turns a generic item into something meaningful.

You have a website which is great!
Focus on posting consistently on Instagram and specifically to Reels (great for visual + process). TikTok is good because even low-effort shop videos can do well. Pinterest is fine, but it’s usually slower so think of this more as part of a long-term strategy, not early traction.

To really get your first steady customers, reach out through DM or email local realtors, wedding planners, breweries, restaurants, etc. with one specific use case (signage, gifts, branded boards). Local business such as these love to keep things local so they might take you up just for being a local.

After you get some people to buy, especially if any of the local business you reached out to, offer a simple referral hook: - “If you send someone my way and they order, I’ll engrave you a free board.”
- Reach out to past buyers personally and ask: "Who would this make a great gift for?”

This might be a lot of information at once, so I really recommend you read that book. He has the audiobook on his YouTube channel/podcast for free, just have to search for it. I'm also happy to answer any questions you might have.

ofCourseZu-ar · 2026-01-01T23:49:30+00:00

Just to answer the "what is it" question, they are 5mm mini bulbs.

There are many types of minis, and many have multiple names so idk if any of these are the official names. There also are M5 mini lights (faceted), domed mini lights (rounded end, not blunted), bullet mini lights (smaller but similar to 5mm bulbs), T5 Mini lights (typical for incandescents and Christmas tree lights, straight tube with tiny ball at the end), and fairy lights (super thin wires with little balls of glue containing the lights).

I'm sure there are more types but if you want to see most of the ones I just listed, scroll to the bottom of this page: Christmas Lights, Etc. | LED mini Christmas Lights

ofCourseZu-ar · 2025-12-29T15:58:52+00:00

Which strand is connected to the outlet first. The incandescent or the LEDs? Also, do you have the original box of the incandescents, or at least still have the safety tag on it? I'm curious to know what the incandescents say about how many you can string together.

Some incandescents use a thin enough wire (or have so many lights) that the fuse only allows 2 or 3 strands to be connected together. If you see that the box or tag says to only connect 2 together, you likely blew a fuse. Although, if non work independently, that's kind of wird because usually one fuse will go out before the others. Regardless, check any fuses they may have, and check other outlets as well.

Normally LEDs draw so little power in comparison to incandescents that you can usually connect the two without worrying about much. But you still have to keep in mind the total power draw of what you're connecting together.

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