Surviving the Rain: A Day in the Life of an Event Rental Business - March 10, 2025

Rain, Rentals, and Reality Checks

Today was cold, wet, and all about adjusting on the fly. I had two tent pick-ups scheduled but emailed the clients, practically begging to reschedule. Thankfully, they agreed.

New Chairs, Big Response

After handling quotes and follow-ups in the morning, I finally headed to the warehouse to unbox 200 new woodgrain padded chairs from Chiavari. I put them on the website as a test, and the response has been great. Even better, I priced them with enough wiggle room to negotiate if needed. Bookings are already rolling in!

Solo Hustle and Cocktail Table Woes

I was on my own today—ugh. First stop: a wedding site we set up Friday. While the full pickup was rescheduled, I still had to grab the cocktail tables for another job. Speaking of cocktail tables, it might be time to increase inventory. I’ve been eyeing Palmer Snyder’s, but their pricing feels retail. ROI has to make sense. Oh, and if you’re following along and keeping count, this was trip #4 to that job site. Can’t wait to see if the profit justifies all this effort!

Quick Win, Then a Painful Pickup

Dropped off the cocktail tables to a corporate client—easy win. Then, drove across town for a miserable pickup. The customer left tables and chairs out in the rain. Luckily, they were stacked well, so not too much dirt. If they were wood, they’d be toast.

Here’s how that job broke down:

• Total Revenue: $600

• Job Costs (ARA Calculator): $350

• Profit Margin Contribution: $250 (42%)

Not acceptable. Delivery fees ($225) basically carried the job. Just another reminder that pricing delivery properly is critical. The only possible win? A good review—definitely sending a follow-up request.

A Surprise 5-Star Review

Remember that brutal job from a few days ago where we had to move concrete up a hill manually? Well, turns out all is forgiven—I just got a 5-star Google review from that client! Ha! I’ll take it. Proof that even the toughest jobs can leave a good impression.

Closing Out a Tough Day

After that last brutal pickup, I headed back to the warehouse to unload and call it a day. Long, wet, and exhausting—but at least it’s done.