December 5, 2025 – Daily Recap

A solo grind with margins that made me wince

Author

Ramon Luna
December 06, 2025

Today was the opposite of yesterday — no drifting, no wasted motion. I dropped the kids off, headed straight to the warehouse, and got to work. Two hours of cutting lights, loading the truck, and getting things organized set the tone. I wasn’t playing around.

Quick Pickups, Brutal Margins
Stop #1 was the cocktail tables from the bank. Easiest job of the day, no surprises, no complications. But the margins? A painful 38%. Not great, not shocking, but still a reminder of what desperation pricing can look like on paper.

Stop #2 was another pickup, this time from what seemed like a corporate party at someone’s house. I had waived the rush fee on this one too, so the numbers landed almost identically — around 37%. Consistent, yes. Encouraging, no.

The Big Job: Pop-Ups on the Patio
The final stop was the one that mattered: setting up two pop-up tents — a 10×20 and a 10×10 — with lights on a customer’s patio. It’s a repeat job, so I knew the setup, the quirks, and the drive. What I wanted this time was better margins, so I forced myself to do it solo.

An hour and a half later, everything was up. While I was working I was annoyed at myself for being cheap. But honestly, it was totally fine. I’ve got to reset the valuation of my time. The real punishment was the drive back — one of those routes where it’s either 20 minutes or an hour depending on the universe’s mood. Today, the universe chose chaos.

But I finished strong, and honestly, after yesterday’s slump, it felt good to be back in motion.

Until next time
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🛠 Tools I Use (and Recommend)

These are the tools that keep Peachy Party ATL running smoothly — from quoting clients to managing logistics to staying organized.

  • Goodshuffle Pro (referral) – My go-to for inventory, scheduling, contracts, and payments. It keeps the rental chaos under control.

  • Gusto (referral) - I’m still learning about payroll, if Im being honest. But Gusto has an easy to use platform and give me the confidence I need t go to the next level.

💳 My Credit Card Stack

These are the cards I actually use to manage cash flow, earn rewards, and soften the blow of big purchases.

US Bank - Triple Cash Card
Updated: November 2025
$500 cash back bonus, 0% APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers

Amex Blue Business Plus (referral)
Updated: October 2025
12 months 0% APR + 15k Membership Rewards after qualifying spend.

🎪 Rental Industry Resources

If you’re in the rental world — or thinking about jumping in — these are the channels, tools, and communities I use to keep learning and leveling up:

📚 What I’m Learning From Right Now

A rotating list of the things feeding my brain so I can feed the business.