When Tanner Schwannecke and his three brothers started 3-T Tents and Events in Nashville four years ago, they had something most startups don’t: a legacy. Their family had been in the rental business since 1942, starting in Michigan with their grandfather. They knew the industry. They understood the hustle.

What they didn’t anticipate was how their previous software would quietly drain thousands of dollars from their margin — and how impossible it would be to track a tent with 50 pieces across 10 weekend events.

The Hidden Tax on Every Transaction

Tanner and his brothers came from a sales background. They understood CRMs, they knew how to close deals, and they could make a professional quote. But their previous software had a problem that kept eating into their profits: mandatory credit card processing fees.

“Every time we took a customer payment online, which is what everyone mostly does nowadays — 3% fee,” Tanner explains. “We covered that initially. For every $100,000 you do in sales, that’s $3,000 in your margin.”

They could pass the fee to customers, but that felt wrong. It hurt the customer experience and made their pricing less competitive. But absorbing it themselves was unsustainable.

Then there was the inventory problem. When you’re running 10 jobs in a weekend and each tent is essentially a 50-piece puzzle, keeping track of what’s on the shelf versus what’s in the field becomes impossible.

“It was pretty tough to figure out what was on our shelf without going and checking our warehouse out,” Tanner says.

Research Like Your Business Depends On It

Tanner didn’t rush the decision. He spent 1-2 years researching, attending the ARA (American Rental Association) show, and — most importantly — talking to people actually using the software.

“It was really knowing who the biggest, best companies were and then calling other event rental company owners,” he says. “When I was working with or subrenting from another company, I’d ask which system they used and if they liked it.”

He identified the “big three” in the event rental software space and systematically gathered real-world feedback. When people praised Goodshuffle Pro, they were specific. When they complained about competitors, they were honest.

Tanner Schwannecke

"It's a lot easier to succeed when you're super organized. And Goodshuffle Pro makes it super easy to be organized."

Tanner Schwannecke

Owner / Operator @ 3-T Tents & Events

“I found out quite a few people use Goodshuffle Pro, and others that use other softwares told me problems they had with them,” Tanner recalls. “I didn’t hear as many about Goodshuffle Pro, which stuck out to me.”

But the real tipping point came from a friend running a much larger operation in another state. When someone you trust — someone whose business you respect — tells you software is amazing, you listen.

Breakthrough #1: Payment Processing Gains

When Tanner discovered Goodshuffle Pro’s ACH payment option, everything changed. Instead of forcing customers to eat a 2.9% credit card fee or absorbing it themselves, they could present both options seamlessly during checkout.

Customers could pay via credit card if they wanted, and many still do, but they also had the choice to pay directly from their bank account with no additional fee (3-T Tents covers the small ACH processing cost, which is significantly lower than credit card fees).

“If you do $100,000 in sales, and if you give the customer the choice like Goodshuffle Pro allows you to do so seamlessly, that alone is a couple thousand dollars in savings,” Tanner explains. “It really offset the software cost entirely for me.”

The payment processing wasn’t just a feature; it was a revenue recovery tool built into every transaction.

Breakthrough #2: Inventory Gets Organized

The other game-changer was inventory management. Tents are complex — each one contains dozens of poles, stakes, weights, and fabric pieces. Before Goodshuffle Pro, tracking all those components manually was a nightmare.

During the transition, Goodshuffle Pro’s team took 3-T Tents’ massive inventory spreadsheet, which amounted to hundreds of pages of data, and imported everything for them. This was included as part of committing to the annual plan.

“That saved many hours of manual data entry,” Tanner says. “Now my guys can walk in and it’s way easier than before. They have a checklist with a timestamp for everything going in.”

No more walking into the warehouse to physically count items. No more guessing if that 20×30 tent was available next Saturday. The system knew in real-time what was on the shelf and what was promised.

The Support That Keeps Showing Up

For Tanner, the decision ultimately came down to support. Some competitors charged extra for ongoing assistance. Others provided minimal help after onboarding. Goodshuffle Pro was different.

“The support piece at Goodshuffle Pro was a huge part of the decision process,” he explains. “I found that with one of the top competitors, you only were provided so much support and then you had to pay additional.”

And the support team didn’t just disappear after setup. Their Customer Success Manager, Colin, checks in regularly, unprompted, asking what he can help with. That level of proactive care made all the difference.

On the Path to 2xing Revenue

One year into using Goodshuffle Pro, 3-T Tents is on track to double their revenue. The growth isn’t just about having better software — it’s about having systems that remove stress and create confidence.

“Now that we have Goodshuffle Pro versus our prior more basic software, I find I’m way less stressed thinking in the back of my head if we have something available,” Tanner says. “It allows me to think more clearly and better serve everyone that we work with.”

Clients constantly compliment how professional and easy their quote process looks. The automatic quote expiration feature prevents the nightmare scenario of someone booking something months-old at outdated availability. The inventory tracking means the warehouse team always knows exactly what needs to go out.

Tanner Schwannecke 2

 ”If you want to grow, make those stressful things disappear so you can focus more on serving and growth.“

Tanner Schwannecke

Owner / Operator @ 3-T Tents & Events

“We’re always getting compliments on how amazing our quote process looks,” Tanner shares. “If that piece looks great, then it shows through in every other area of the business.”

Tanner’s Advice: Start Organized to Grow Fast

Looking back, Tanner’s advice is: don’t wait until you’re drowning to get organized. Write down everything that’s stressing you out about your current system. Write down what customers tell you they wish was better. Then demo software that can actually solve those problems.

“It’s a lot easier to succeed when you’re super organized,” he says. “Goodshuffle Pro makes it super easy to be organized.”

For 3-T Tents, investing in the right software wasn’t about chasing features. It was about stopping the revenue bleed from payment processing fees, gaining complete inventory visibility, and building a foundation for sustainable growth.

The hidden tax on every transaction is gone. The warehouse chaos is solved. And Tanner can finally focus on what he does best — serving clients and growing the family business his great-grandfather started over 80 years ago.