I am a gym rat. Maybe not the most professional or endearing term available, but let’s go with it for the sake of going with it.
I work out six days a week and follow a daily routine that centers around my overall health (donuts are the exception). Though it may sound cliché to some, the time in the gym is my therapy. And that –amongst everything else – changed about five months ago when COVID-19 hit.
After sitting and wallowing for a day, I realized that I had to adapt to my “new normal.” Working out is a non-negotiable for me, so I had no choice but to make it work. I borrowed some equipment and weights from a friend and made a garage gym. I even started running again, and things fell into place.
When we’re suddenly faced with unexpected conditions or unique challenges, it’s imperative that we become adaptable. As a business owner, it could be the difference between closing your doors and finding new avenues of growth. Being open to finding diverse solutions to problems, and how you face and overcome those trials and tribulations, is everything.
Rental isn’t exempt from that. After switching our focuses around last month, this was supposed to be our big Renters’ Review issue, where we secret-shop a rental house and test out the equipment, the rental process, and the overall project success. But yet, once again, we found ourselves having to adapt to the current business climate. So, this year, we did a countdown of the top five most popular reviews from the last few years (page 16). Not only did it give us the opportunity to look back and celebrate our past, but it also allowed us to do something new and exciting.
Another definition of adaptability is something that is, “able to be modified for a new use or purpose.” A perfect example of this is Lind Equipment (page 34), who created a light tower that uses UV-C LED light to decontaminate tools, equipment, rooms, PPE, and more. An asset that was virtually unused outside of healthcare before the pandemic, the light could be a game-changer for rental businesses in this new world.
And lastly, in our interview with past Genie president, Matt Fearon, on page 22, he makes a comment, saying, “I think you'll see the industry adapt. Always have, always will... It's not all bad news. It's not going to snap back right away, but the rental industry is creative and they'll adapt.”
I think that’s a lesson that we can all try to learn and implement in our daily lives. Even the gym rats.
Stay strong, stay smart, stay safe.
Alexis Brumm
