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Seasons of Success Growth in Work, Growth at Home
When I was a younger man, success was simple: Grow the business, make money, and provide for my family. That was the whole thing, and I don’t think I questioned it for the first decade. I knew how to work hard — I’d been doing that my entire life
— and I figured that if I just kept going, everything else would fall into place.
But something shifted in my early 30s. My wife and I had young kids at home, and I started to notice that while the business was thriving, something didn’t feel right. I’d come home after another 15-hour day and realize I didn’t even know what my son had been up to that week. And worse, he barely knew me. That was the wake-up call, but I didn’t know what to do with it at first. I’d always thought of success as something you earned through hustle and grit. But at that moment, I started wondering … success at what cost? The Time We’re Given I read somewhere that 80% of the time we get with our kids is over by the time they turn 18, and that stopped me in my tracks. I had younger kids then — 7 and under — and realizing how quickly that clock was running hit me hard. It forced me to look at everything differently. I started asking better questions. Not just “What do I want to build?” but “What do I want them to remember?” I knew I had to change, but change without direction becomes chaos. I didn’t want to flail around chasing balance. I wanted to become the kind of man my kids would run to, not just because they needed me but because they trusted me.
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That wasn’t easy to admit, but pretending I had it all figured out would’ve cost me everything. So, I started learning. I joined a small group of other men on a similar path. I leaned on mentors and had regular check-ins with a wiser man who’d seen more life than I had. And most of all, I turned to my wife — someone who instinctively knew how to be there for our kids on a level I didn’t yet understand. These weren’t grand gestures. It was about doing small things consistently, like showing up, listening more, and letting go of the idea that I had to be perfect. What I Know Now Today, our kids are grown and carving their own paths. Andy, JD, and Luke have each built lives they chose, not ones I tried to map out for them. They’ve all married incredible partners: Caroline, Matthew, and Bianca. And watching them step into adulthood with confidence, purpose, and heart has been the greatest return on investment I could have ever hoped for.
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And that meant getting real about what I didn’t know.
Learning to Be Available As a young dad and business owner, I knew how to build things. I could manage projects, lead teams, and even build a tent washer from scratch, but I didn’t know how to be emotionally available. I didn’t know how to be present in ways that mattered most.
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LOST REVENUE, THE TRUE COST OF INEFF
Turning Tension Into Trust
Tent rental businesses have many moving parts. To succeed, you must keep up with customer demand and manage your crew and inventory while staying efficient to maximize profits. It’s a delicate balance, and dirty tents can throw everything off. The sooner you can address inefficiencies in the tent-cleaning process, the sooner you’ll see an impact on your overall profitability. Hidden Costs of Inefficient Washing Many companies share a similar problem. Crews often spend excessive time trying to stay ahead of their dirty pile, but it’s never enough. As the season ramps up, employees who are already stretched thin don’t have the time or energy to clean them properly. Then, a ripple effect starts. With dirty tents piling up, companies don’t have enough clean ones to meet seasonal demand. So, their only option is to buy extra tents that will probably only be used a few times a year. The rest of the time, they sit in storage and eat up capital that could have been spent elsewhere. You also have the problem of last-minute demand during peak season. Some of the most profitable bookings are those that come in with short notice. If all your tents are
Smart Strategies for Handling Tough Customers
Rude customers are a growing problem for businesses.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 70% of workers experienced or witnessed acts of incivility daily for three months in 2024, damaging employee productivity and morale.
Is it ever okay to “fire” a customer? Or is there a hidden upside to investing the time and energy required to win them over?
dirty and can’t be sent out, that’s lost revenue. Worse yet, if you send out a tent that’s less than spotless, the client will notice, and they will tell people. Reputation is everything in this business, and nothing kills word-of-mouth marketing faster than a tent that doesn’t meet expectations.
Challenging customers allow you and your employees to practice active listening and show empathy for the customer’s anger or frustration. Consider the possibility that the customer is having trouble understanding what to expect from your product or how to interpret the instructions. In some cases, the customer’s problems may have nothing to do with your company. They could be looking for attention or venting to ease their own anxiety over other issues. To understand the problem in depth, allow the customer to voice their complaints completely — don’t interrupt them. Practice active listening by making eye contact, avoiding distractions, and signaling your interest by verbally confirming you hear their concerns. Repeat a description of the customer’s complaint to show that you understand. For example, you might say, “If I understand you correctly, you’re upset because the product you received arrived too late for you to use.” This shows the customer you’re paying attention and validates their emotions. Figuring out the underlying issue can help you respond most effectively. Even if your business is not to blame, never descend to the level of an irate customer by abandoning your professionalism, politeness, or respect. Instead, apologize for their distress and work with them to find a solution. With luck and a little skill, you can turn that stressful encounter into an opportunity to show you are committed to excellent service — and transform that irate customer into a loyal, trusting fan. 2
“Buying our first machine was a big decision for our company after learning about so many different cleaning styles being used in our industry. We definitely made the right move. Our machine not only does a better job, but does the work of two full-time staff members and shows up for work every day.” –Richard Young Event Rental, Gretna, Louisiana Testimonial
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WASTED LABOR FICIENT TENT CLEANING
Many business owners start out with a simple mindset: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This line of thinking may work in the early days, but it quickly becomes unsustainable as a business grows. Successfully managing growth requires delegation. Without it, business owners overwork themselves and risk becoming the biggest obstacle to their company’s success. BUILDING A BUSINESS THAT SUPPORTS YOUR LIFE The Power of Delegation Stages of Delegation In the early days — typically under $1 million in revenue — most owners are the business. They handle everything from daily operations to sales, marketing, and customer service. This is often out of necessity because no one else is around to do it. While this can work for a time, it creates a problematic habit; if you do it all, nothing works without you. The first step toward delegation is recognizing that your time is best spent growing your business rather than running everything. Once a business starts to grow and approaches $3 million in revenue, hiring additional employees and assigning responsibilities is necessary, but many owners still have difficulty letting go. They may delegate some tasks but remain the hub of every decision. That means employees come to them for approval and problem-solving. This is more
How long would it take your crew to recreate this before & after?
A Smarter, More Profitable Approach To break this cycle, you need to improve washing efficiency. Fixing your washing process can fix multiple pain points at once. Automating the process reduces labor costs and improves employee morale because your crew isn’t overworked. It also improves turnaround time, extends tent life, and eliminates unnecessary inventory. Finally, with more grade-A tents available, you can take on more premium clients and higher-paying jobs.
Tent cleaning isn’t a behind-the-scenes issue — it affects all aspects of your rental business.
If washing inefficiencies are slowing you down, it’s time to rethink your process and invest in a smarter way forward.
like micromanagement with extra steps than true delegation.
Delegation happens when employees stop waiting for instructions and start taking ownership. At this stage, an owner’s role is not simply to hand out tasks; it’s to develop leaders capable of managing entire areas of the business independently. Once a company has surpassed the $5 million mark, it’s all about collaboration. Owners must trust
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None of them work in the business, and that’s more than okay. What matters most is that they’re living lives that are fully their own. If I had stayed focused only on building a company, I might’ve missed the chance to help them become who they are. That time was never going to come back around. So, here’s what I know: The business matters. It does. But it doesn’t matter more than the people in your life and not more than who you are when the workday ends. You don’t get those years back, and success that costs you your connection to the people you love isn’t really success at all.
department heads and decision-makers and shift from being involved in every task to focusing on guiding the overall vision of the company.
Letting Go to Level Up Many owners resist delegation because they worry it means giving up control, but it actually gives them more control — control over their time, their company’s growth, and their personal life. A business that depends on one person can only grow so far, and a business owner who spends every waking minute managing their company has no time for anything else. Making delegation a priority means creating a business that runs with you, not because of you. 3
–Steve Arendt
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Inside This Issue 1 Building a Life Beyond Business 2 Savvy Ways to Handle Difficult Customers The Cleaning Bottleneck Holding You Back
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3 Delegation Tips for Growing Leaders 4 Europe’s Hidden Paradise: The Hawaii of the Atlantic
If a trek through timeless volcanic landscapes dotted with crater lakes, waterfalls, and hot springs, plus access to awe-inspiring marine life sounds inviting, the Azores may be the vacation spot for you! The Azores are an increasingly popular tourist destination, often called “the Hawaii of Europe” for their remote mid-ocean location and volcanic origins. The archipelago encompasses nine major islands 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal and is one of the best whale-watching sites in the world. Visitors should plan their trip from the end of April to the beginning of May to view larger migratory species, such as the blue whale. The rocky shorelines of the Azores ascend as high as 7,713 feet atop the Ponta de Pico on the island of Pico. The islands’ untamed beauty offers plenty of outdoor activities, from kayaking to hiking. The climate is subtropical, with year-round temperatures ranging from 57 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Religious festivals and traditional holidays abound on these predominantly Roman Catholic islands, an autonomous region of Portugal. Beyond that, however, the islands’ culture, dialect, and cuisine vary widely.
The largest island, São Miguel, is home to numerous hot springs and Europe’s only two tea plantations. An emblematic nature area, Sete Cidades, includes the famed Lagoa Azul (blue lagoon) and Lagoa Verde (green lagoon). Numerous healing hot springs in Furnas offer opportunities for wellness and relaxation seekers. Ilheu de Vila Franca, a flooded crater islet accessible from the southern shore of São Miguel, offers exceptional visibility of unique marine life, plus snorkeling, swimming, and cliff diving. Wine lovers will enjoy the island of Pico, where vintners produce the islands’ complex volcanic wines. The Azores Wine Company offers tastings, tours, and overnight stays. The island of Santa Maria has the only white-sand beaches in the region. And Faial Island’s bountiful hydrangea gardens have earned it the nickname “The Blue Island.” Foodies will also enjoy famous local foods, including octopus stewed in wine, kale soup, fried mackerel, and fresh yogurt and cheeses. Taken together, the Azores have something to delight any traveler.
ESCAPE TO THE AZORES
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