January 12, 2026 – Daily Recap

January jobs, January lessons

Author

Ramon Luna
January 13, 2026

I went into today knowing it would be light, but it still managed to stretch my patience in a few spots. Nothing catastrophic — just one of those days where small inefficiencies feel louder because it’s January. The upside is that even slow days still move the business forward.

When logistics fight back

The first job should’ve been simple: picking up card tables from a venue where I dropped them off on Friday. What I didn’t account for was the venue being closed on Mondays. That one’s on me. I eventually got in touch with the general manager, but the whole ordeal turned what should’ve been a quick 15-minute stop into a 45-minute mission.

It really got me thinking about how common this actually is. Venues closing on Mondays feels almost as standard as barbershops, yet somehow I haven’t run into this much before. The real cost here wasn’t labor — it was driving. Being an hour away made the inefficiency sting, and margins came in under 50% on a $600 job. On paper, not worth the squeeze.

That said, it’s January. That little $600 still helps keep the lights on, and I was honestly just grateful I didn’t have to play out the awkward “extra delivery fee” conversation I’d already rehearsed in my head.

Turning distance into progress

Since I was already far from home, I decided to make the most of it and dropped off some tents for cleaning at a larger company’s facility. This is actually the first time I’m having them professionally cleaned, which feels long overdue. I’m genuinely excited to see how they come back — there’s nothing like fresh white vinyl to make the inventory feel new again.

I even got an official tour of their facility, which is always cool. Seeing how bigger operations run gives me ideas and perspective, and it made the long drive feel a lot more worthwhile. It felt good to turn an inconvenient situation into something productive.

A weekend worry that resolved itself

Job number two was picking up a pop-up tent I set up on Thursday, and this one sat in the back of my mind all weekend. Pop-up tents aren’t really meant to be up that long, in my opinion, and the heavy rain we had definitely didn’t help.

To top it off, the customer’s spouse emailed after install with concerns about runoff near their door. By pickup time, though, everything was totally fine. No one was even on site, the tent was in good shape, and the customer even left us a 5-star review. Margins landed in the low 60s — not amazing, but …January!

The part of the day I always dread

The rest of the day was unloading, organizing, and fielding requests in between. I don’t know why unloading always feels heavier than it should. After being out in the field, I just want to wrap the day up and go home — but the work still has to get done. Some days, that’s the hardest part.

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.

  • Next Insurance (referral) - We all need insurance! This is a great platform to help you get started.

💳 My Credit Card Stack

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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

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📚 What I’m Learning From Right Now

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