Don-isms
80/20 Founder and CEO, Don Wood, started his career at a very young age selling seeds door to door. Being a true entrepreneur all of his life, Don has gained wisdom and real-life experiences from a variety of roles including machinist, salesman, board member and business owner.Check back monthly for the latest insight from this passionate and very involved leader.
- Attitude is Everything
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.” ~ Charles Swindoll
There are a lot of things going on in this world that we cannot control. We cannot control gas prices, the decisions our government leaders make or the weather but we are in charge of our attitudes. The "80/20 ATTITUDE" is the corner stone of our company. It is a reflection of our service to you our customers, our decades of industry experience, and our willingness to do what it takes to get the job done. We hope you will make the choice to react in a positive manner no matter what challenge you face so that you too can experience the power of ATTITUDE.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.” ~ Charles Swindoll
There are a lot of things going on in this world that we cannot control. We cannot control gas prices, the decisions our government leaders make or the weather but we are in charge of our attitudes. The "80/20 ATTITUDE" is the corner stone of our company. It is a reflection of our service to you our customers, our decades of industry experience, and our willingness to do what it takes to get the job done. We hope you will make the choice to react in a positive manner no matter what challenge you face so that you too can experience the power of ATTITUDE.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
- Who Moved my Cheese!
The parable Who Moved my Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson teaches us that when we become set in our ways, and refuse to change the way we do things, we take a chance that our cheese (the things that motivate us in life) become moldy or we may simply run out!
By adapting to change and continually searching for new cheese we become even more successful, not only financially, but also in our relationships, ultimately giving us a greater purpose in life. We at 80/20 are always on the lookout for new cheese. This flexibility and open-mindedness has served us well over the last couple of years and we have been able to find new cheese, a.k.a. new opportunities for our products. We encourage you to check your cheese, it may have moved.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
The parable Who Moved my Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson teaches us that when we become set in our ways, and refuse to change the way we do things, we take a chance that our cheese (the things that motivate us in life) become moldy or we may simply run out!By adapting to change and continually searching for new cheese we become even more successful, not only financially, but also in our relationships, ultimately giving us a greater purpose in life. We at 80/20 are always on the lookout for new cheese. This flexibility and open-mindedness has served us well over the last couple of years and we have been able to find new cheese, a.k.a. new opportunities for our products. We encourage you to check your cheese, it may have moved.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
- Take The Initiative
The Chinese Philosopher Confucius once said: Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.
Many times we catch ourselves desiring more from life... more reward for our efforts, more time with family, more exciting vacations, or nicer things... but what are we really doing to make those things happen?
Some people understand that positive action breeds a positive reaction, they are the ones that go the extra mile and cook their own proverbial duck... while others just do what is necessary to get by and stand idle with their mouths open waiting for their duck to come to them in time.
I learned as a young boy selling seeds door to door that my destiny was in my own hands... nobody was going to give me anything I didn't deserve or work for... While it's ignorant to believe we can control the environment or economy in which we live and work in... we can do all do small, yet positive things every single day to bring about a positive outcome and change.
I challenge you to set forth one positive thing you can do even yet today... Your roast duck is waiting... you just need to get out there and find it.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
The Chinese Philosopher Confucius once said: Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.Many times we catch ourselves desiring more from life... more reward for our efforts, more time with family, more exciting vacations, or nicer things... but what are we really doing to make those things happen?
Some people understand that positive action breeds a positive reaction, they are the ones that go the extra mile and cook their own proverbial duck... while others just do what is necessary to get by and stand idle with their mouths open waiting for their duck to come to them in time.
I learned as a young boy selling seeds door to door that my destiny was in my own hands... nobody was going to give me anything I didn't deserve or work for... While it's ignorant to believe we can control the environment or economy in which we live and work in... we can do all do small, yet positive things every single day to bring about a positive outcome and change.
I challenge you to set forth one positive thing you can do even yet today... Your roast duck is waiting... you just need to get out there and find it.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
- The simplicity of running a successful business...
Think like a customer!
The other day, a young businessman asked me what my secret to success has been over the years. I told him that there was no secret, you just have to think like a customer!
We are all somebody's customer at one point and we know there are certain expectations we have when we exchange our hard earned money for a product or service. We want quality products that serve our needs and assurance that if the product fails or service doesn't match our need, we can work out a way to make it right.
We have witnessed companies over the last few years that have made the mistake of serving themselves first through focusing on the bottom line, skimping on quality, or not serving the customer by making the product hard to use or neglecting customer service. Those companies and CEOs have learned their lesson the hard way. They no longer exist because they abandoned their customers. Their customer, in turn abandoned them.
We at 80/20 know that our customers are the key to our success! We are committed to thinking like a customer in everything we do so that our customers receive a top-quality product and are pleased with the decision to do business with us. From simplifying the design and ordering process, down to washing and verifying each machined extrusion we will always make customer experience priority number one in everything we do.
After all it is a lot harder to find a new customer than it is to keep one... but that's another Don-ism altogether.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
Think like a customer!
The other day, a young businessman asked me what my secret to success has been over the years. I told him that there was no secret, you just have to think like a customer!
We are all somebody's customer at one point and we know there are certain expectations we have when we exchange our hard earned money for a product or service. We want quality products that serve our needs and assurance that if the product fails or service doesn't match our need, we can work out a way to make it right.We have witnessed companies over the last few years that have made the mistake of serving themselves first through focusing on the bottom line, skimping on quality, or not serving the customer by making the product hard to use or neglecting customer service. Those companies and CEOs have learned their lesson the hard way. They no longer exist because they abandoned their customers. Their customer, in turn abandoned them.
We at 80/20 know that our customers are the key to our success! We are committed to thinking like a customer in everything we do so that our customers receive a top-quality product and are pleased with the decision to do business with us. From simplifying the design and ordering process, down to washing and verifying each machined extrusion we will always make customer experience priority number one in everything we do.
After all it is a lot harder to find a new customer than it is to keep one... but that's another Don-ism altogether.
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
- Chance favors the prepared mind.
Louis Pasteur, a French Chemist who lived in the mid 1800's, was more than just a scientist that made it safe to drink milk. He was a chemist and microbiologist that made leaps and bounds when it came to the prevention and spread of diseases such as smallpox, rabies and anthrax.
While this was a great achievement for humanity, Pasteur humbly admitted that he was no genius. He was simply a prepared observer of his experiments. A phrase he often said that is now a well known quote, "Chance favors the prepared mind."
Pasteur realized that there is no such thing as a perfect plan. He realized that one would never be able to predict exactly what chance may bring. Chance does, however, favor those who take action and are open to both success and failure.
80/20 was not the first venture in my life. In fact the 80/20 product line isn't even the same as when I started the company. But if I hadn't taken the action to sell slides and thrusters, I never would have known about the great demand for the T-slotted construction system.
Take a look at your life... are you stuck going in circles trying to develop the perfect plan? Or are you leaving enough room in your preparation for chance to step in and lend you a hand once in awhile?
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
Louis Pasteur, a French Chemist who lived in the mid 1800's, was more than just a scientist that made it safe to drink milk. He was a chemist and microbiologist that made leaps and bounds when it came to the prevention and spread of diseases such as smallpox, rabies and anthrax.While this was a great achievement for humanity, Pasteur humbly admitted that he was no genius. He was simply a prepared observer of his experiments. A phrase he often said that is now a well known quote, "Chance favors the prepared mind."
Pasteur realized that there is no such thing as a perfect plan. He realized that one would never be able to predict exactly what chance may bring. Chance does, however, favor those who take action and are open to both success and failure.
80/20 was not the first venture in my life. In fact the 80/20 product line isn't even the same as when I started the company. But if I hadn't taken the action to sell slides and thrusters, I never would have known about the great demand for the T-slotted construction system.
Take a look at your life... are you stuck going in circles trying to develop the perfect plan? Or are you leaving enough room in your preparation for chance to step in and lend you a hand once in awhile?
Until next month!
Don Wood,
80/20 Inc. CEO / President
