May 3–5, 2025 - Daily Recap(s)

Quick note before diving in: For the month of May, I’ve decided I’m officially working weekends. Not just the usual Friday drop-off/Monday pickup — I’m proactively planning installs and removals on Saturdays and Sundays without charging extra (unless a client specifically requests it). This lets me keep inventory moving and say yes to more bookings. In May, that flexibility matters.

Friday: From Frustrated to Booked
The rain-induced rush continued. I was still frustrated from Thursday — all those leads and nothing to show for it. But Friday turned around. I booked two last-minute rain jobs, which helped ease the sting.

Before that, I was up early building a landing page for Summit Chair rentals. I’ll be adding photos and a blog post soon, per my in-house marketing consultant (aka ChatGPT). Would love feedback if you’ve got any.

With those jobs locked in, the schedule got tight. I had a funeral viewing later in the day, so we moved quickly.

First up was an outdoor dance floor install — our first time putting SnapLock tiles over subflooring on grass. We wrapped it in about an hour. The panel configuration made it hard to use our electric dolly effectively, so I’m thinking of rearranging the layout to make handling easier next time.

TV Rental Debut
Next stop was across town to install a trade show booth — our first official TV rental. The client had a few hiccups with their USB, so we’ll see if any feedback comes back. Either way, another service officially in the books.

I made it to the viewing on time. Barely.

Saturday: Sunrise Start & Tent Marathon
I was at the warehouse by 6 a.m. — an hour before the crew. I still like pulling and prepping alone, even though I know I’ll eventually need to give that up. For now, it works. By the time they arrived, we were ready to roll.

Stop 1: A last-minute 20x40 wedding tent set up at an Airbnb. The planner made a video showing exactly where it needed to go — no bride, no groom, no drama. It was a smooth hour-and-a-half setup, even with concrete weights (which always slow us down).

Stop 2: A 10x20 pop-up tent referral from a larger company. The client had big expectations for this light-duty tent — installing it on a patio with a fireplace in the way. I warned them not to move it after setup… but they did. Thankfully, it held up during the massive Saturday night storm.

Stop 3: A Derby party setup — and apparently Derby parties are a thing. Clearly, I need new friends that can show me the finer things in life!

This was also our first run with the 20x15 high-peak from Central, a tent I purchased for a wedding next weekend. It was good to try it out at a lower-stakes event. I’m considering offering two of these as a 20x30 alternative to heavier one-piece tents. Setup took about an hour and went great.

Stop 4: Dance floor pickup
The weather didn’t give us much grace — on-and-off rain slowed things down. Usually, removal is quicker than install, but this one took about the same. The client asked for weekend pickup to protect their lawn, which made sense.

• Revenue: $2,296

• Total Job Cost: $347

• Profit: $1,949 (84.89%)

• ARA Calculator Profit: $1,971.45 (85.86%)

• Difference: +0.97%

• Wow. This is a first — the ARA calculator margins were lower than mine. I’m going to chalk it up to the fact that this job was part of a long day with multiple stops, so my labor was spread more evenly.

After that, it was home to change and head out for the funeral service.

Sunday: Tight Window, Clean Execution
My guy had to get to his corporate job, so the window was short. I focused on the priority pickups.

Stop 1: A quick table and chair drop-off for a last-minute client. No frills — in and out in 10 minutes.

Stop 2: Pickup of the pop-up tent
I was genuinely worried this tent wouldn’t survive the storm from Saturday night. But when I got there, it was fine. They’d moved it slightly from where we installed it (even though I told them not to). Still, it turned out okay.

• Revenue: $317

• Total Job Cost: $142

• Profit: $175 (58.47%)

• ARA Calculator Profit: $172.58 (40.89%)

• Difference: -17.58%

• Not great margin contributions on this one — especially compared to the ARA benchmark. But it was a simple, fast job, so I’ll take it.

Stop 3: Pickup of the 20x40 wedding tent
This one needed to be knocked out early before I lost my extra hands. Pickup was just as smooth as install.

• Revenue: $1,954

• Total Job Cost: $183

• Profit: $1,771 (90.63%)

• ARA Calculator Profit: $1,668.92 (85.41%)

• Difference: -5.22%

Final Stop: TV pickup from the convention center
This was supposed to be a Monday job, but the client sprung a Sunday-only pickup on me. I tried to charge an after-hours fee. They started using words like refund and cancel. So I bit the bullet and made the run.

• Revenue: $1,403

• Total Job Cost: $359

• Profit: $1,044 (74.39%)

• ARA Calculator Profit: $938.58 (66.90%)

• Difference: -7.49%

• I’m happy with these margins, all things considered.

Until next time
It was a full-throttle stretch — from last-minute bookings and installs to funeral services and product testing. These are the kinds of weekends that remind me why I do this… and also why I need a nap.

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