January 2, 2026 – Daily Recap

Back in business, even when the day fights back

Author

Ramon Luna
January 03, 2026

Today felt like a reminder that momentum doesn’t always look clean. January is already feeling light, which is honestly a little scary, but we knocked out two of the three jobs currently on the calendar. That alone made the day feel necessary.

Starting Solo and Taking the Win

I kicked the day off solo, mostly because I didn’t want to burn labor on a pickup that didn’t need it. I grabbed the cocktail tables and barstools from that last-minute New Year’s Eve job, and it couldn’t have gone smoother. In and out, no issues.

Even better, another 5-star review came through from that deal. The margin landed around 68%, which isn’t amazing — especially for a rush job — but with no actual labor costs, I’ll gladly take a couple hundred bucks to help close out the year.

The Job That Was Supposed to Be Easy

After that, I met my teammate at the warehouse. We loaded up the truck, and in my head this was shaping up to be a clean 2–3 hour day. I fully expected to be home shortly after lunch.

That plan didn’t last long.

At the first stop, we were supposed to install a 15x15 on the driveway. The second we arrived, before even looking in the truck, I realized I’d forgotten the tent box with all the fittings. Immediate gut punch. Luckily, the warehouse was only about 20 minutes away, so we doubled back and recovered without too much damage.

The install itself went fine, but once everything was up, the client decided they didn’t want one of the sidewalls. So we reversed part of the setup, packed it away, and burned more time than planned. To top it off, there were political signs everywhere and a religious podcast blasting on the speakers while we worked. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I didn’t know what was happening.

Managing Expectations (and Doing the Extra Anyway)

The last stop was supposed to be the easiest: four tables and a couple chairs. Simple drop-off… or so I thought.

The customer was expecting full setup inside and out. “For $500, I could’ve just bought all this stuff,” she said — which somehow always comes from people with three-car garages. I explained that setup and breakdown weren’t on the ticket, but we would help anyway.

We set up tables in the living room and outside, hand-carried all the chairs to avoid scratching floors, and wrapped it up in about 20 extra minutes. Honestly, it was fine. A little elbow grease, no real drama, and we even got a small tip at the end.

Hopefully, another 5-star review comes out of it.

Not the short day I planned — but two jobs down in a thin January feels like progress.

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

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.