Today felt like a mix of momentum and mild friction. Some things clicked easily, others felt just slightly off, and I could feel myself noticing both at the same time. It was one of those days where nothing went wrong, but everything still left an impression.

Testing the Waters With a New Contractor

Today was the first day working alongside what might turn into a new hire. With February looking slower, I made the call to bring him on as a contractor instead of jumping straight into the W-2 process. That felt like the right move—it gives us flexibility and keeps the pressure lower on both sides.

The work this month is intentionally light. My main focus right now is showing him the vision and potential of the role and seeing how we actually work together day to day. It’s less about output and more about fit, communication, and pace.

A Smooth Delivery for a Familiar Client

Our only stop of the day was delivering and setting up banquet chairs for a repeat client. I’ve been to this venue at least a dozen times, so there were no surprises. Everything went exactly how it was supposed to.

Those kinds of jobs don’t stand out much, but they set the tone. Smooth, predictable, no wasted energy.

Warehouse Work and Early Impressions

After the delivery, we headed back to the warehouse. I handled emails and calls and got myself ready for a networking lunch while he finished unboxing a chair order. He knocked it out without any issues.

He worked about three hours total today, showed up on time, and took initiative without needing much direction. The drive gave me a chance to learn more about his character, which is honestly just as important to me as how fast someone works.

A Networking Lunch That Fell Short of “Maximized”

The last stop was a networking luncheon with the same business organization from yesterday. I’ll be honest—it wasn’t my best showing. I arrived about eight minutes late, didn’t have time to get settled, and forgot my “good” shoes, so I kept my work boots on.

Those small misalignments added up. I went straight into the lunch line after checking in and struck up a conversation with a business owner who does residential and commercial lighting, with some event lighting mixed in. We had solid common ground, but that ended up being my only real connection.

The presenters were great, I got some face time, and the food was good, so it was still a win. But I have strong maximizer tendencies, and when I fall short of what I could’ve done, I tend to overthink it more than I probably should.

Until next time
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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.