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A FRESH LOOK AT PRIORITIES What 80/20 Taught Me
There’s this principle that keeps coming up for me lately — not just in business, but in life — and it’s surprisingly simple: the 80/20 rule. Also known as the Pareto principle, it suggests that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. It’s not always the perfect ratio, but you’ll see it everywhere once you start looking for it.
Over the years, I’ve learned to lean on friends, mentors, employees, and my wife to help me see things I’m missing. They might say, “Have you noticed this?” and that’s all I need for a light bulb to go off. Having that outside perspective is invaluable because every task feels urgent when we’re at the center of everything. But those around us can help us identify when we’re spending too much energy on things that don’t move the needle.
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I’ve certainly seen it in my own day. About 20% of my time gives me the biggest results. The other 80%? That’s usually
Everything began to improve once I started focusing on the 20% that really matters. My time started feeling more productive. My business
where I’m just staying busy. The rule shows up in organizations, too. At church, about 20% of the people do 80%
of the volunteering. And you probably see it in your business. A small slice of your customers might account for most of your profits, or just a few types of jobs produce most of the headaches. What’s wild is how often we miss it. We’re moving so fast, putting out fires, responding to emails, running from job to job, that we don’t stop to look around. But if we don’t take that step back, we’re flying blind. That’s what the 80/20 rule really gives you. It’s a lens to see what’s working and what’s not. Sometimes, that means noticing which kinds of clients are really worth the energy. Other times, it means asking whether your best people are doing the work that really matters. But it all starts with awareness. And honestly, the first step is the hardest. You have to slow down long enough to pay attention. Still, even when we slow down, we might not always be able to see the difference between what’s working and what’s just noise. That’s where a strong support system comes in.
ran more smoothly. And I felt more grounded at work and at home. It was a mindset shift that touched every area of life. I recently
rolled out a podcast called “Better Lives for Better Business and Better Business for Better Lives,” and it has a lot to do with mindset shifts like these. It’s all about exploring how intentional choices can lead to more fulfillment and less chaos. But I’m certainly not saying that I have everything figured out. Nobody does. What I have learned is that small shifts make a big difference. You clear one thing off your plate, and suddenly you’ve got space to think again. That space is where good ideas live. So, if your days feel too full or too frantic, maybe it’s time to pause. Ask a few honest questions, and don’t be afraid to let go of the stuff that just keeps you busy. There’s better work — and a better life — waiting on the other side.
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–Steve Arendt
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When people ask me about tent cleaning, they usually jump straight to the machines. And I get it. Our washers can change your business, but not everyone is ready to buy a machine. Still, there’s something you can do today — even if you’re still scrubbing by hand — that’ll save time, money, and frustration. All it takes is a little testing. SMARTER CLEANING STARTS WITH A TEST Get Cleaner Tents With Less Work
That big ball of fire in the sky plays a significant role in our lives. Most of us don’t give the sun a second thought unless it gets in our eyes when driving or we need to apply sunscreen before going outside. Without the sun, our planet would be plunged into darkness and frigid temperatures, making life impossible for us, plants, and all the animals that call Earth home. Sun-believable! THE SCIENCE BEHIND OUR FAVORITE STAR
Let me explain.
Whenever we clean something — dishes, cars, tents — four factors make it work: temperature, chemicals, dwell time, and mechanical action. You don’t need to be a chemist to understand that. Think about doing the dishes at home. You fill the sink with warm water, add soap, let
the plates soak for a bit, and then scrub. It works because all four of those things come together. Same with tents.
The challenge is that when you’re cleaning tents by hand, you can’t always control those factors. You can’t keep the water warm. You can’t really soak the whole tent.
In honor of Sun Day on Sept. 21, let’s explore three lesser-known facts about the star at the center of our solar system.
The sun won’t extinguish itself anytime soon. Thanks to science fiction, some people believe that once the sun uses up its energy, it will dim or explode and end all life in our solar system. However, that’s not a real concern. First, you must consider the age and lifespan of our sun. It’s already been around for 4.5 billion years, and scientists predict it will survive for another 6.5 billion. When that time comes, the sun will grow to a red giant, consuming Mercury, Venus, and potentially Earth before becoming a white dwarf. Thankfully, none of us will be around to experience that phenomenon. The sun is very hot. Learning that the sun is hot is not a groundbreaking discovery; even our youngest children understand this concept, but many people don’t realize just how hot the sun is. At its core, the sun burns at 27,000,000 F. The surface is much cooler, sitting at 10,000 F. For reference, lava erupting from a volcano will only reach around 2,200 F at its hottest. The sun’s surface burns so hot that you could boil diamonds on it! We’re learning more every day. Many details about the sun remain unknown. Astrophysicists have spent decades trying to predict and better understand solar storms, which disperse plasma across the solar system, often disrupting energy grids and spacecraft. In recent years, NASA has made a dedicated effort to learn more. They sent the Parker Solar Probe to the sun, where it studies solar wind and the corona from within 4 million miles of the star’s surface. Ideally, this information will make predicting future solar storms and space weather events easier. 2
Elite Tents used our products for a total transformation of this tent. Before & After
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But what you can control is the chemical you’re using, and that’s where most people miss the mark.
Not all dirt is the same. What gets on your tent in an industrial area is totally different than what gets on one from a field or a backyard. So, if you’re just buying the cheapest chemical online and hoping it works, you’re probably wasting your time and effort. You’ve got to test. Pick two or three cleaning chemicals, and try different dilution ratios. Use a toothbrush to scrub a dirty section of tent with each solution, counting 10 passes across the fabric. Then, compare the results. Which one lifted the dirt best? Let the chemical sit for a few minutes before scrubbing, and test again. You’ll find the winner pretty quickly. It only takes a few hours, but once you know what works best on the dirt in your area, your results improve. Scrubbing gets easier, labor costs drop, and tents get cleaner. Do the
I’ve been in the tent cleaning industry for a long time now — nearly 30 years. It’s what I know, what I’m good at, and what I love. Three decades ago, when I launched Teeco and built our first tent washing machine, things started slowly. We had a great product that saved a lot of time and money, but we weren’t selling a ton of machines a year. For a long time, it made sense for my brother’s company to manufacture the machines while I handled sales, marketing, and connecting customers with the right product. That’s really what I do best, and our arrangement worked great. But as the machines we sold aged and came back as trade-ins, I got pulled into manufacturing more and had less time to help customers. That wasn’t really where I wanted to be. As we continued growing, we realized we needed a better setup. So, in October 2024, we made a big change. My brother and I merged into Custom Machine Works, and everything shifted. We got back into our lanes again. I could spend time on sales and marketing, and my brother could continue to focus on the building side of things. And the best thing is that the shift didn’t just help us. It also helped our customers. They say a rising tide floats all boats, and this one truly did. With ISO certification and a skilled team behind us, we’ve tightened production, lowered costs, and started offering more value than ever. Now, for every machine size, we have six different performance levels. That means we can give customers exactly what they need. Speed? Simplicity? Automation? We’ve got it. The same goes for our rebuild program. We’ve improved how we take in old machines and restore them to work like new. That opens the door for smaller companies to get high-performing equipment at a cost that works for them. The value we offer is truly unmatched in the industry, and we couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come. So, if you haven’t checked in with us in a while, now’s the time. A lot has changed. And it’s all been for the better. 3 What’s New (and Worth a Look)
test once, and you’ll benefit from it every time you wash. This is a textbook 80/20 move, and it’s the kind of thinking that makes your whole operation better.
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Inside This Issue 1 Lessons From the 80/20 Principle 2 Amazing Facts About the Sun Make Every Scrub Count 3 Why We’re Stronger Than Ever 4 Turn Lazy Sundays Into Your Productivity Power Hour
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Sunday Habits That Set You Up for the Week NO MORE MANIC MONDAYS
Declutter Decluttering and clearing your space will directly impact your mental state. This can be an overwhelming task at times, especially if you have a house full of kids, but you can make it manageable by keeping up with it every week. It might be easier once the kids go to bed, but take a few minutes every Sunday to walk through your house and pick up any items off the floor, on furniture, and anywhere else they may be lying. Plan Ahead Nothing will better prepare you for the week ahead than planning. Look through your work schedule and your kids’ calendars to make sure you’re aware of upcoming events,
After a long week of work, many Americans relax, participate in their hobbies, and try to avoid increased responsibilities during the weekend. While this can be beneficial for your mental health, have you ever felt like your week was off to a rough start as soon as Monday rolled around? There’s nothing wrong with relaxing on the weekend, but putting aside your responsibilities for a few days can put you behind the eight ball. You don’t need to set aside your Sunday to deep-clean the house from top to bottom, but adding beneficial habits to the final day of the weekend can ensure every week starts on the right foot.
games, or practices. You could also consider meal prepping if the upcoming week looks busier than usual. To take it a step further, prepack your kids’ lunches, lay out clothes for the workweek, and write down additional responsibilities you’ll have throughout the week. Light Cleaning As stated earlier, you don’t need to deep-clean every week, but your home will look much better if you establish weekly light cleaning behaviors. Wipe down the surfaces in your kitchen, clean the windows, and give your floor some love by mopping, vacuuming, or sweeping. If you have the time and energy, consider doing a load of laundry or two. These little tasks will add up, making your house consistently sparkle.
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