The Harsh Truth: Most Rental Companies Are Hyenas, Not Lions (And That’s Okay)

A field guide to the real rental food chain — who’s eating, who’s starving, and who’s pretending

Author

Ramon Luna
December 05, 2025

Welcome to the Rental Jungle

Let’s be honest: half of us think we’re Lions…
but our bank accounts and delivery schedules are screaming Hyena.

And lately, my social media algorithm has gone full National Geographic — lions chasing hyenas, leopards dragging crocodiles out of water (elite content), elephants rolling up like a Secret Service detail.

The more clips it throws at me, the more I realize:

This industry is the damn jungle.

Every rental company I’ve met fits perfectly into one of four species:
Hyenas, Wild Dogs, Lions, or Elephants.

And once you see it…
you can’t unsee it.

So here’s how the food chain really works in the tent & event rental world—who eats, who starves, who pretends, and where I fit into all of this..

🐺 HYENAS

The side hustlers. The scrappers. The under-$500k companies.

Hyenas get a bad rap (thanks, Lion King), but they actually represent a very real and very common category:

  • The solopreneurs

  • The one-truck warriors

  • The “my cousin helps sometimes” businesses

  • The under $500k revenue crew

  • The side-hustlers with full-time ambition

Hyenas thrive on:

  • Scrappiness

  • Pure willpower

  • Being everywhere at once

  • Doing more with less

  • Surviving ANY season

They stretch a dollar like nobody else.
They’re flexible, fast, and can sense opportunity before lions even wake up from their nap.

Hyenas survive off scraps — last-minute orders, backyard events, Friday-night emergencies — and somehow turn those scraps into a functioning business (Well… most days.)

🐕 WILD DOGS

The $500k–$2M companies. 2–5 full-time employees. The biggest herds.

Wild Dogs are the MOST common species I meet in this industry —
and just like in nature, the packs are everywhere.

They’re efficient, coordinated, and relentless.
Two to five people who can run circles around larger teams with sheer speed and teamwork.

Wild Dogs:

  • take down bigger jobs than they look capable of

  • operate with a “move as one” mentality

  • thrive in chaotic environments

But there’s a catch:
Because the pack is bigger, the prey has to be bigger too.
They can’t live off $300 chair orders —
they need real installs, real volume, real consistency.

When I talk to Wild Dog companies, they all say the same thing:

‘We’re killing it… but bro, we’re tired.’

It’s a beautifully organized grind — but a grind nonetheless.

🦁 LIONS

The $2M–$20M apex predators. Two types: Scar & Mufasa.

Lions run territory.
‘Everything the light touches is their kingdom.’
They don’t chase every job — they select their prey.

But there are two clear types:

Scar Lions

Will take anything that moves.
Corporate job? Yes.
Backyard barbecue? Yes.
Job in a storm on a 12-hour turnaround?
Unfortunately… also yes.

Scar Lions grow fast but bleed margin just as fast.
They often venture into the shadowy places that a king should avoid.

Mufasa Lions

Strategic. Calm. Selective.
They hunt smart, not often.

They understand that:

A lion is fully capable of capturing, killing, and eating a field mouse. But it turns out that the energy required to do so exceeds the caloric content of the mouse itself. So a lion that spent its day hunting and eating field mice would slowly starve to death. A lion can’t live on field mice. A lion needs antelope…

- Newt Gingrich

Mufasa Lions know their value.
They hunt antelope:

  • festivals

  • long-term structures

  • corporate retainers

  • high-margin weddings

  • annual accounts

  • recurring contracts

They eat well because they hunt well.

🐘 ELEPHANTS

The rare giants. The long-term builders. The construction-style crews.

Let me be humble:
I don’t know much about these companies.
Not from firsthand experience.
Not from proximity.

But Im a student of the game!
And just like elephants in nature —
I know enough to respect them from a distance.

Elephant companies:

  • build long-term structures

  • travel across states

  • handle industrial-grade installs

  • bring cranes to job sites

  • tackle projects measured in months / years, not weekends

  • live on schedules that look like engineering plans

And unlike hyenas, dogs, or lions…
elephants only produce ONE calf every ~2 years.

So when they finally ‘birth’ a project — or bring a new member into the herd — everyone protects it with intention.

You ever see a herd protect a calf?
It’s flawless.
Everyone moves with purpose.
Everyone knows their role.
Everyone steps up when danger shows up.

That’s Elephant companies.
Hard to take down.
And if someone does?
It’s never by accident — it takes an entire coordinated attack.

Confessions of a High-Functioning Hyena

Me?
Still a Hyena — for now.

Not glamorous.
Not majestic.
But real.

And despite the bad PR, hyenas bring fire to this industry:

  • Resourceful — we make things happen with small crews and small yards

  • Adaptable — customer changes layout last minute? Bet.

  • Hungry — slow season or not, we keep moving

  • Opportunistic — we catch profit Lions don’t even look at

But 2026 is my Wild Dog goal year —
build a small, tight, structured crew.

But I’m cautious. Very cautious.

Hyenas can survive off scraps.
Wild Dogs have to take down bigger prey.
Every day.
Every week.
No breaks.

And I refuse to build a hamster wheel:

Busy but broke.
Moving but not scaling.
Working but not building.

So yeah —
Hyena today, maybe Wild Dog tomorrow.
But the transition has to be intentional.

🧭 So Why Am I Thinking About All This?

Because the algorithm won’t let me breathe.

Every clip is some wild battle:
Hyenas chasing Lions.
Lions chasing buffalo.
Wild Dogs tracking antelope.
Leopards yanking crocodiles out of rivers (peak performance).

And weirdly… it all reminds me of us.
The rental world.
Our roles.
Our seasons.
Our struggles.
Our wins.

And yes — my calendar is open, so I’ve got time for this level of overthinking. (Laughing… but also sad. Very sad.)

‘Everybody Has A Part To Play…So Play Your Position’

Every creature plays a role:

Hyenas keep the hustle alive.
Wild Dogs keep the industry moving.
Lions set the pace and the standard.
Elephants expand what’s possible.

So here I am:

Still a Hyena.
Studying the Lions.
Respecting the Elephants.
Trying to graduate to Wild Dog.

…And doing my best not to get eaten while surviving another season in the rental jungle.

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.

💳 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.