There's A Leather Seat Crisis In The World's Auto Industry

Want leather seats in your new luxury car? Join the crowd.

Even non-luxury buyers have come to expect this amenity, according to Bloomberg.

But there's a problem. Leather comes from cows — and the size of the U.S. herd is dropping to levels not seen since right after World War II.

Bloomberg's Lydia Mulvany cited Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kevin Tynan on the trend.

“You’re seeing luxury content moving down further into lower priced vehicles,” he said. “The buyer is getting more for their money right now, and it’s enabling buyers to stretch a little further and say, I can do a leather interior or a luxury car.” . . . Read More!

There are many reasons why repairing cracked vinyl and plastic or damaged leather in your car, boat, airplane, home or office is good for the environment. leather and vinyl repair servicesFibrenew technicians have the equipment and expertise to make cracks, stains, scratches, holes, rips and fades in leather, plastic, vinyl, fabric and upholstery look new again. Restoration is an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective alternative to replacement. For more info about leather repair visit us at www.fibrenew-franchising.com.

Toronto Franchise & Business Opportunities Show

Fibrenew Franchising gearing up for the Toronto Franchise Show on Jan 10/11 2015. Fibrenew has exceptional franchise territories available in and around the Greater Toronto Area. We'll be at booth 124 - spread the word and visit us at www.fibrenew-franchising.com.

What Is The Franchise & Business Opportunities Show?

Toronto's largest & best-attended franchise show - 2 days ONLY.

Our Show gets you face-to-face with the hottest franchises and businesses looking to grow in your market. Plus, FREE seminars from industry professionals empower you with the information you need to know to own a business.
Thousands of attendees have realized their dreams by attending our Shows. Now is the time to realize yours!

Source: http://www.franchiseshowinfo.com/toronto-january-show/visitor/

Clint Covey Moves from Employment to Empowerment with Fibrenew Franchise

 

 Gray hair and an AARP card are no longer signs of an individual close to the road of retirement. It’s becoming more and more common for individuals reaching their senior years, specifically the Baby Boomer generation, to continue their careers past the age of retirement. For Clint Covey, continuing along with his corporate career wasn’t the right option, but what was his second act going to look like? Covey had no idea.

Covey embarked on his journey from Employment to Empowerment when he quit his job as a corporate accountant in 2006 at the age of 53 thinking that he would have an easy time finding a new job. Covey found a job in consulting and simultaneously started school at Concordia University, getting his bachelor’s degrees in leadership and organizational management in an accelerated program in hopes of going the business route.

How The Entrepreneur’s Source Helped Covey

Covey was open to coaching and enlisted the help of an alternate career coach to help him explore his options. Covey worked with coach, Mike Accurso, at The Entrepreneur’s Source, to identify his Income, Lifestyle, Wealth and Equity (I.L.W.E) goals. He also while explored and learned about various business models, figuring out how they could potentially mesh with his goals, needs and expectations. He even learned about ways to fund a business.

After working with Accurso, Covey had developed a real appreciation for the synergies and systems a franchise can provide and honed in on Fibrenew, a franchise that specializes in mobile upholstery repairs and cleaning. This is nothing like Covey would have expected to become a part of, but by working with Accurso, Covey learned that this model was a mobile franchise that allowed him to make a smaller upfront investment, which helped him move forward while also meeting his I.L.W.E goals. In order to invest in his franchise, Covey decided to finance part of his franchise using a portion of his 401K, a growing trend among the Baby Boomer business owner population. Since opening his franchise in September of 2013, business has been good for Covey and he is planning on beginning partnerships with car dealerships to help clean used cars in the near future.

For more information on how you can own a Fibrenew franchise visit us at www.fibrenew-franchising.com.

Source: The Entrepreneur's Source

Learn about the different kinds of leather

When considering adding to your leather collection, it’s important to know what you’re looking for. What type of leather is best suited to your needs? To assist in some of the research, Fibrenew franchising is showing you the pros and cons of the three main types of leather.

Aniline Leather
Aniline leather is considered the most natural looking leather. Some people refer to it as “naked leather” because of how natural it looks. It is known to be very soft and comfortable. A lot of people enjoy aniline leather because it preserves each marking it receives, making each piece completely unique. While this type of leather can be very visually pleasing, it is a material that is easily strained. If you have a busy family or high traffic in your home, this is a type of leather you may want to avoid.

Semi-Aniline Leather
The main difference between semi-aniline and aniline leather is the light protective coat semi-aniline receives. This protective coat is useful because it makes the material more resistant to strain and stains, which helps it to last longer. The color in semi-aniline leather is also more consistent than in aniline leather. The downside to this type of leather is the protective coat leads to less uniqueness; the leather does not retain markings as well with the protective coat.

Pigmented/Protected Leather
The most durable type of leather available, pigmented leather is covered with a polymer surface coating that contains pigments. This coating gives the leather more resistance to scratching, scuffing or fading. Pigmented leather does not have the unique qualities of other types of leather, as the sealant prevents marks from staying on the material. Pigmented leather is an excellent choice for busy families who have high traffic in their homes. Pigmented leather is easy to maintain and makes for an excellent couch or lounge chair material.

As you can see, there are good and bad aspects to every type of leather available. Being informed about which kind works best for your lifestyle is important when purchasing leather furniture. Happy shopping!

3 Main Reasons Why Leather Furniture Should be Maintained

 Cleaning your leather products can seem unnecessary when you already have a busy schedule. Who wants to spend time wiping down their sofa when they could be doing something fun?

While it’s pretty normal to want to avoid cleaning, there are some important benefits that come from regular leather cleaning. We’ve broken down the top three for you in hopes that it will inspire you to keep cleaning!

Lasting pigmentation: The color and overall look of your leather is bound to be better when it’s been subjected to regular cleanings. It doesn’t need to be anything intense; just wiping down your leather products with a damp cloth on a weekly basis can make a world of difference!

Durability: Caring properly for your leather goods will lead to stronger leather, which will last longer over time. Having to replace a leather sofa or chair can be tedious; regular cleaning and upkeep will keep your fabric strong for many years. And don’t forget, Fibrenew professional leather repair can fix any tough fabric issues you may encounter!

Comfort: Sitting on cracked, aged leather is simply not as comfortable as lounging on a pristine fabric. Basic maintenance, such as wiping down your leather, keeping it out of the sun and using a good leather protector, will help keep your leather in excellent shape. You’ll never be worried about company disliking your sofa!

Keeping your leather in great shape isn’t very hard; a little time and effort is all that is necessary! Fibrenew is here to offer tips as well as assistance with difficult maintenance. 

Car and Motorcycle Leather Seat Repair

You may notice that, over time, your soft leather car or motorcycle seats become dry or faded. Many people attribute this to wear and tear, but it is actually caused by heat and light from the sun. Because the leather in your vehicle is likely to be exposed to a lot of sunlight and heat in parking lots, vehicle manufacturers use leather that is highly resistant to sun damage in their seats.

Most car seats are made from fully-finished leather, and it tends to hold up a lot longer in the sun than other types of leather. But, even the strongest of leathers will be damaged by heat and sunlight over time, so it’s a good idea to clean and protect your seats 6-8 times a year to boost their resistance to damage.

You can also try using window shields in a car or covers on a bike to keep some of the light and heat off your leather if you park in the sun for extended periods of time.

It is also a good idea to seek out parking spots in the shade instead of in direct sunlight.

How to fix dried out, faded leather

You can have a leather professional re-dye faded leather for a reasonable cost.  But, once the natural oils found in leather are gone, they’re gone for good.  Leather repair professionals can do a number of things to make it look better, but there is no way to truly restore it to its previous condition.  That’s why preventative maintenance is so important!

How to clean and repair your leather furniture

When it comes to repairing and caring for leather furniture, there are hundreds of options.  Furniture stores and online retailers offer up products that do everything from cleaning to dying leather.  However, you should proceed with extreme caution when you use these DIY products on your furniture.  I’ve heard and seen the effects of horror stories where these products ruined people’s leather furniture, so here are a few pointers on what to look out for.

1. Don’t use any products that contain alcohol or acetone.  Alcohol seeps into and damages the protective surface of furniture leather.  Acetone will remove the dye and color from leather.

2. Be sure to use products designed for upholstery.  Leather used for shoes, jackets and clothing is very different than that used in furniture.

3. Only use products designed for the type of leather you have.  Most furniture is made of aniline, semi-aniline or fully-finished leather.  Because of the differences in finish, it is very important to use only products designed for the leather you have.

4. Dying leather is a highly specialized art.  Professionals receive extensive training on color matching and dying, and it’s not at all likely that any DIY dye kit will produce very good dying results.  So, be very careful with these products – test them on a part of the furniture that no one will ever see before you use it on the visible part of the piece.

5. Stay away from products that say they are for multiple surfaces, even if one of those surfaces is leather.  Most of the time these products contain elements that will damage leather.  It is best to stick with products made specifically for leather.

Also, there are lots of people out there who have heard old wives’ tales about household products to use on leather.  Some of these can be helpful, but there are many that do not work and will ruin your leather furniture.  One example is using olive oil to fix minor dings and scratches on leather.  People also try using finger nail polish remover, shoe polish and window cleaner, among other things, to work on damaged leather.  All of these options can cause major damage to your leather down the road.

Any questions?  Have any experiences with leather products to share?  Post them in the comments!