285. Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Franchise Business Out of Joy with Rhea Lana Riner

When I tell you you can start a business out of anything, do you have like an internal eye roll? Today’s guest started a business out of her living room. You can start a company simply because you want to help others. It really is that simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy.

Rhea Lana Riner is the CEO and founder of Rhea Lana’s Children Consignment Events, a national franchise with 120 locations in 26 states. What started as a simple clothing swap in her living room has evolved into a multi-million-dollar business.

Listen for the moments of courage – we're talking about the courage to start small and try again when something doesn't work exactly as planned the first time. It takes courage to keep going when you're not sure what the next step will look like.

Rhea Lana was a stay-at-home mom who grew up in a military family. She was an introvert and, according to her, not someone you'd call a leader.

“There was a season in our life where my husband left the corporate world and went into nonprofit work. We moved to another state, and I had these three small children under the age of five,” says Rhea Lana.

She loved the hunt for secondhand shopping. However, the experiences with secondhand shopping weren't great at that time, ranging from garage sales to consignment stores – Rhea Lana felt there had to be a better way with more accountability.

She got 11 women to sign up as consignors. It was a win. But no shoppers came to her first sale. She asked for a second chance and got to work on grassroots invitations. She printed flyers and made yard signs.

“I wanted each mom that was selling her things with me; I wanted her to be able to see exactly what sold and exactly how much so that there would be no questions of just integrity of what happened.”

You really can start with nothing and turn it into something. As women we're so creative; we generate idea after idea. It's essential that we find joy in what we do in business, and we don't have to undertake huge, risky ventures. It can be moment by moment.

Rhea Lana says for that first sale, expectations were low. She remembers when she made $200; it was a win. She went out and bought a fancy purse – the first new thing she'd bought for herself in a long time.

“Because all the money that came in, it went for the kids, or the bills, or the house payment. And I do think that's what women do experience,” says Rhea Lana. “We tend to put ourselves last. And so when I did this little business, all of a sudden, Of course, there was some tension.”

She had to spend money but also felt the freedom to buy for herself, which was motivating. She says that the push for growth helped her narrow her focus to grow and increase her earnings. Her business grew gradually with each event. After working for a few years, Rhea Lana realized she was making in one event what a friend made in a year.

“It was just part of the journey of probably giving me the push I needed to kind of take that next step towards franchising.”

She didn't have the money to hire a consultant; instead, her sister helped her test an event in another community. She read "Franchising for Dummies".

“It just kind of felt manageable. And, sure, there's a level of risk,