The season is changing and yet again, it is time for us to be sun-kissed after the Vitamin D deprivation. How quickly time flies when you are working hard and having a good time. We have done 2 local winter/spring shows this year. Both have given us very good experiences, and we hope to return to more and perhaps expand our territory in the future.

Matt and I returned from my home country, Malaysia, a little more than a month ago and that was a very needed break after a long time away. We are back, recharged and reconnected with friends and family, roaring to go. 

As a team, we agreed that there are many things we will be working on this year and next, to improve on delivering a better service to our clients.  After being in business for a year, we have clarified some of our priorities, and will continue sharpening our business model as we learn and grow. We realised when we went away a few weeks ago for a Business Retreat that our goal is ,"Beautifying Backyards and Safeguarding Families". 

We know what it is like to have a peace of mind, especially when it comes to making sure that our families are safe to the best of our abilities. That is something we will work hard at giving families through our railing systems. This is why, as some of you have encountered before, that we will only install our system when the elements that make a railing system as strong as it can be are all in place to achieve that goal. 

As you think about  beautifying your backyards this year, be sure to work with contractors and suppliers who will ensure that your family's safety is their top priority. Give us a call at 226.984.1081 or fill in the Request An Estimate form if you need help getting a quote.

Signing off,
Grace

The blog has been dormant. My apologies. Suffice to say, we have been busy this summer. We have been pleasantly surprised at how busy our first summer as a business has been, but grateful that we are not completely slammed either. 

Amongst some things that have kept us very occupied is that we have been working tirelessly with the City of London to make sure that all the products we sell here are up to their requirements. This has not been easy, but we are glad to say we are moving forward, albeit slowly. We are hoping to be fully operational in London next year, so, our fingers are crossed.  

Matt and I moved in to our own home in early July, and we are juggling settling in and running this business with Jack and Alice. In the mean time, we are still receiving phone calls and requests for estimates and we are kept busy with installations all the way to September. 

A few weeks ago, we were also able to go away as a business to reflect and take time to consider who we are as a business and how we want to build our foundations. A strong foundation is vital for longevity and that is what we want to build the business upon. So, busy as we were (and are!), we took time to stop and listen to the heartbeat of the business. We left with more thoughts, and have continued developing some key ideas and thoughts for our business. We are pondering on our written mission, and are developing our business values as we speak. 

Every business should take time to ponder these things. We are more than just money making machines. Our business should affect the world we live in positively in every way we can comprehend. It takes courage, and a lot of hard work but we hope to get there.

So, here's to the rest of the summer. Thank you for being a part of our lives.

On behalf of the team,
Grace

Many things have happened in the last few months while we have been 'silent'. We completed our very successful first Home Show in London, received our very first shipment from Calgary, shipped out our first out of province order, installed our very first project and moved in to our very first warehouse! So many firsts! I guess those are the things that make life exciting when you start a business despite all the challenges that come your way.

Matt and I cannot wait to get to Ontario as he finishes school in the next 11 days. Eeeek!! Where did 3 years of schooling go? We will first work on some small renovations in our apartment, pack up and then drive out to London. We will take a 2 week-ish drive which we will be recording on Instagram (so make sure you follow us at @ontariodeckrailingltd to follow our journey), stopping by places that we have never seen, exploring the beauty of Canada,  and visiting some friends and families along the way as we make our way out East.

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad (Jack and Alice) are kept very busy with the business back in London, and we cannot wait to get there to dive into it as well. They have just completed the installation of some beautiful white glass railings for our very first clients at Wasaga Beach near Collingwood, Ontario (photo shown). We are so proud and thankful for all the hard work they have put in while we are finishing up our time in Vancouver, BC.

Thank you for reading and joining us on the journey of our very first year in business! Cheers!

Grace
Writing from Vancouver, BC.
P/S: Our warehouse in London is not quite ready for drop-ins yet, but if you would like to make a visit, please contact us to make an appointment.

Hello friends!

Here we are, the historical day called today, with our website launched and our first blog as ODR ever written! 

We are pretty stoked to start building up our business. We already locked in our first customer ever in the Collingwood, Ontario area. We were not quite ready to completely open shop yet - but hey, a head start somewhere helps keep us on track with opening in the Spring.

We are all kept busy getting ready for our very first home show ever in London, Ontario. The show we will be a part of is the largest South Western Ontario home show - Lifestyle Home Show, running from Jan 26th - 28th, 2018 at the Western Fair District.

Come see us at the home show!

​Grace