Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love. Me? I was locked in a situationship with my website. By Sunday, I traded screen time for table time and got back in the field where things feel a little more honest.

Glazed Over on Google Tag Manager

Saturday I was glued to the computer in between errands and family time, trying to make sense of the Google Tag Managers I set up a while back. I went in just to “check the data.”

That turned into way more tweaking and prodding than I planned. I can’t seem to leave the site alone. By the end of the day, I felt good enough to step away and let the data collect for a week or two before I dive back in.

Steak Tacos and Shrinking Margins

Sunday was a voluntary field day. I’ve got some time off coming up, and working that day was the only way to squeeze everything in. So I waived all weekend fees and got to it!

First stop: picking up cocktail tables from Friday’s Valentine’s event at the restaurant that blessed me with those steak tacos. What I didn’t account for was the loading dock situation and having to move everything through an elevator. I was there over an hour on both setup and pickup days.

On top of that, the order grew from the original request, which meant sub-renting additional items. By the time it was all said and done, margins dipped below 50%—and that’s not even factoring in the extra driving and labor tied to the subrentals.

The Order That Almost Was

Next stop was another wine bar doing a similar Valentine’s event. This one stung a bit.

The client originally wanted 30+ cocktail tables. By the time she was ready to book, we were mostly tapped out. She ended up taking the six we had left. I honestly didn’t expect her to move forward at all, so I didn’t plan inventory around it.

Margins here were also under 50%. No subrentals to blame this time—just the reality of smaller jobs.

Forty Tables and a 5-Star Finish

Last stop was the hotel hosting a mah jongg tournament. I was told the 40 card tables would be broken down before I arrived.

They weren’t.

So I broke down all 40 myself. No complaints. I was just thankful they were flexible to allow me to pick up earlier. Had I come on Tuesday like originally planned, I know they would’ve been ready. Even with the extra labor, margins still landed above 70%, right in our sweet spot.

On top of that, I made a new contact at a new venue, and the client left us a 5-star review. After working with them umpteen times, it’s about time.

I planned to head back to the warehouse and unload, but the rain had other plans. I called it a day and left that as tomorrow’s task.

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

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
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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:

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