Growing Up Around Window Tint with Cody Tecklenburg

This week on the Born to Tint Podcast, Ricky and Josh Miller sit down with Cody Tecklenburg — 2nd generation tinter and future owner of Tecks Window Tint out of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Cody grew up running around his dad's shop, slipping on plastic as a kid, and eventually made the decision to leave college life behind and come home to build something real.

 In this episode, we get into what it actually looks like to step into a family business, grow it, and carve out your own lane in the industry.

In this episode we cover:
🔨 Growing Up in the Industry — Cody shares what it was like being raised around the shop, starting at 17 cleaning windows for a year and a half before ever touching film, and why that foundation matters
🎓 Leaving College for the Shop — How Cody went from managing a bar to answering his dad's call to come home and get serious about the family business
🔄 2nd Gen Mindset — The unique challenge of inheriting a 40+ year brand vs. building from scratch, and how Cody is creating his own lane with graphics, commercial work, and new verticals
🏢 Flat Glass vs. Auto Tint — Why Cody has gone deep into commercial and flat glass work, the endurance required, and how the revenue math on flat glass absolutely crushes the car-only model
⚠️ The Safety Film Problem in Texas — Cody exposes the massive issue of botched safety film installs on Texas schools and how he's re-educating clients on what proper installation actually looks like
🤝 Contractor Relationships & Glass Shop Partnerships — How getting in with glass companies and subcontracting has been the engine behind consistent work for Tecks Window Tint
💰 Pricing Strategy & Closing High-End Clients — The conversation around raising prices, leading with value, using before-and-after photos to close deals, and why the right customer will always pay a premium for peace of mind
🪟 Exterior Film & Evolving Glass Technology — Why triple silver and low-e glass is showing up everywhere, and why exterior film is becoming the future of the flat glass world
🧴 Tools & Products Changing the Game — ImportTack, Ten Buster backpacks, and what new products are actually moving the needle for working installers

Follow Cody on Instagram: @teckswindowtint & @cody.tecklenburg
Follow us on Instagram: @greenvalleywindowtint

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1:09 — 2nd gen mindset: creating a new branch vs. inheriting an established brand
3:10 — Cody's story: starting at 17, cleaning windows for a year and a half before touching film
4:33 — Leaving college: 3 schools, managing a bar, and dad's call to come home
5:15 — Why going back to the family business was the best decision of his life
6:17 — What it takes to get fast and efficient — repetition and real endurance
8:39 — Flat glass vs. auto tint: different skill sets, different challenges
22:19 — The safety film problem in Texas: botched installs and reeducating clients
29:38 — Building contractor relationships and partnering with glass shops
42:07 — Exterior film installs: flexibility, scheduling, and why Cody wants to expand there
46:18 — How customers are reacting to film darkness and using before/after photos to close
51:57 — Pricing strategy: raising rates, leading with value, and winning high-end clients
1:16:25 — Flat glass revenue math vs. auto: why the numbers don't lie
1:20:19 — Game-changing products: ImportTack, Ten Buster backpacks, and what's actually worth using