How I Messed Up Thanksgiving: A Lesson in Balance

Welp, I think I messed up Thanksgiving.

Not a single dollar earned this year—or almost. To be fair, we had exactly one booking, bringing in less than $400. SMH. How did this happen in our third season of business? Let me break it down (and overanalyze it) because that’s what we do here at Peachy Party ATL.

Year 1: The Mad Dash
Our first Thanksgiving season was chaos. An influx of small order requests came flying in, and while it was good to be busy, it was also a lot. Immediately, I knew I couldn’t sustain that level of activity for small returns. By Year 2, I adjusted by increasing our delivery fee, which cut down on those smaller orders without impacting overall sales. Win-win, right?

Year 3: Too Much of a Good Thing
Enter Year 3, where I accidentally sabotaged myself. Here’s what went wrong:

1. Price Hikes:
   I increased the price of our basic black folding chairs from $2 to $2.50. Small bump, but not a big deterrent.

2. Ignoring Customers:
   For the last two Thanksgivings, we worked with a client who booked a high-ticket tent job. This year, I purposely didn’t reach out to them because, frankly, I don’t enjoy working for them. Don’t get me wrong, if they had called, I would’ve quoted and executed the job with a smile, but they didn’t—and neither did I.

3. The “Perfect” Plan:
   I thought I had it all figured out. My family was in town (free labor, anyone?), and for the first time, I didn’t have a 9-to-5 job looming over me. The plan? Bundle small orders into one efficient delivery route on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and pick them up Friday. Easy-peasy. But then...

4. Nobody Booked!
   We got plenty of inquiries for extra tables and chairs, but not a single person converted. The one event we did book? It was a Tuesday delivery, which doesn’t even count in my “Thanksgiving Blitz” plan.

Lessons Learned: Finding the Balance
Our delivery fee does a great job of deterring unprofitable smaller orders, but clearly, I tipped the scale too far. There’s a balance to be struck, and I’m still figuring out what that looks like.

For next year, I’m considering running a Thanksgiving special: a flat delivery fee within a specific window to maximize efficiency while still capturing those smaller orders. The good news? I’ve got months to digest this and come up with a strategy that doesn’t make me want to throw my hands up in frustration.

But let’s be honest—those smaller orders are tough. The back-and-forth communication can drain time and energy, which makes them tricky to manage alongside bigger, more profitable jobs.

Looking Ahead
Thanksgiving may have been a bust, but it’s not the end of the world. I’ll take this time to reflect, adjust, and strategize for next year. Who knows? Maybe we’ll figure out how to make next Thanksgiving our most profitable season yet.

Until then, here’s to lessons learned (and maybe not messing up Christmas).

What do you think? Should I tweak anything?

Be sure to subscribe if you want to keep up to date!