In this episode, host Allison Howell speaks with two rental entrepreneurs, Anna Samodarov of Memorable Events Rentals and Erica Trombetti of La Affitto, about navigating the logistical and financial hurdles of the event industry. Anna discusses managing the extreme seasonality of the Sacramento and Bay Area markets through flexible staffing and proactive booking. Erica shares her transition from wedding planning to rentals, emphasizing the importance of quality control, damage policies, and the "buy-to-rent" trap that many growing businesses face.

What’s in this episode:

Navigating Seasonal Cashflow

Flexible Staffing Models for Scheduling & Hiring

The "Utilization" Test for Inventory

Leveraging Industry Relationships

Implementing Damage Waivers

Strategic Saying Yes to New Inventory

Quotes:

• "During the slow season [...], let's really make more appointment time slots available and focus on making those bookings." — Anna Samodarov
• "If these pieces aren't paying their rent, they don't get to stay here on the shelf." — Allison Howell
• “...that's how business works, it's always a risk, you have to make these decisions and be okay with whatever happens.” — Anna Samodarov
• “One inquiry does not equal cash in the bank, right? Even if someone asks about it, that doesn't mean they were actually going to book it.” — Allison Howell
• "You will not grow, you will burn out. You will hate what you're doing if you don't hire help, if you don't learn how to delegate." — Anna Samodarov
• "If you insist on being there with them, then you become the bottleneck for your growth." — Allison Howell
• "We didn't want to have what big box companies had. We wanted to be something completely different. So that was our focus." — Erica Trombetti
• "Being a smaller rental company, every cup counts, every plate counts." — Erica Trombetti
• “I also was a very ‘yes, yes, yes,’ and then I went into ‘no, no, no,’ and you feel bad for saying ‘no, no, no,’ then you're like, ‘oh no. No one's gonna wanna use you. You should go back to saying yes, yes, yes.” So I think that is just the cycle. Everyone kind of goes up and down in business and trying to feel what works best. — Erica Trombetti
• "What was happening was we were using all of our profits to buy all of our inventory. And we got to the point where like, okay, we just can't anymore." — Erica Trombetti
• The tricky part about it is if you just keep buying, then the things you currently own aren't going to rent, right? The hope is if you say no, that they actually rent something that you do own. But the risk is if they say no that they get what they want somewhere else. — Allison Howell

RESOURCES:

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!  

Learn what to do with an underperforming piece in your collection with RW’s Utilization & Liquidation Worksheet

Learn what Erica learned at our conference by grabbing your spot for Lend & Gather Online! 

Join the Lend & Gather mailing list to be the first to hear about our next conference for boutique event rental business owners. 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram

AND OUR GUESTS:

Erica Trombetti of La Affitto

Website | Instagram

Anna Samodarov of Memorable Events Rentals

Website | Instagram | Facebook

This episode features a conversation with Tammy Noel, the founder and lead curator of TableMade, a specialty tabletop rental company located right outside of Atlanta. Tammy discusses how her background in corporate product development influences her creative process, the calculated risks she takes with new collections, and the importance of using data to navigate business plateaus.

Highlights:

The Transition from Corporate to Creative: Leveraging product development experience to curate a unique collection.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Using dollar and time utilization metrics to dictate inventory growth and pricing strategies.

Leading vs. Following Trends: Recognizing the "bell curve" of client adoption and the patience required for fashion-forward items.

Operational Innovation: The seven-month journey of creating custom, sustainable packaging to ship flatware nationwide.

Maintaining Brand Standards: The bravery of walking away from "good enough" prototypes to protect brand identity.

The Power of Community: Overcoming growth plateaus through styled shoots, networking, and industry collaboration.

Quotes:

• "In the beginning... I just took a lot of trust in my own tastes because... I had no historical data to rely back on, but luckily it worked out." — Tammy Noel
• "I'd much rather be setting the trend versus following it." — Tammy Noel
• “When they want something unique, unexpected, unusual, those are the kind of validating words. I’m like, okay, we’re doing it the right way.” — Tammy Noel
• "If you have a piece that has really high time utilization, it's going out all the time, but it's not making you very much money, then you can say, oh, my rates are too low." — Allison Howell
• "There's honestly no amount of money that I can spend to put out a product we're not proud of." — Tammy Noel
• "If I had ego, TableMade would not be the business it is today." — Tammy Noel
• "It has to be more than a product. People have to enjoy working with us." — Tammy Noel
• "People first, style always... that is our mantra." — Tammy Noel
• "I realized we are only going to get out of our community what we pour into it." — Tammy Noel
• "It’s not so much just about the pictures or where is this getting published. It’s really about that opportunity for people... to see what it’s like to place an order with you, see what it's like to collaborate, see what it's like for you to deliver. It’s like a kind of a rehearsal." — Allison Howell
• "You can always find out, okay, how much did I pay for it? How much has it brought me in the last 12 months? How much is it going out in the future? So you can do that math on your own, but having that information can be so powerful in making those strategic decisions moving forward." — Allison Howell

RESOURCES:

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Rental Utilization Explained + Two Goals

How to Use the Collection Activity Metric 

RW’s Rental Inventory Utilization & Liquidation Worksheet

Essential Pricing Strategies for Event Rental Businesses Webinar

Getting More Out of What You’ve Already Got

Five Ways to Squeeze More Money Outta That Piece

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram

AND OUR GUEST:

Tammy Noel of TableMade.

Website | Instagram | Facebook

This episode discusses the importance of strategic growth, intentionality and operational efficiency with 2 different rental companies. First is Jenna Mackanich and Jillian Mackey, owners of Lilac and Lace Co. located just outside Philadelphia, PA. The second is with Courtney Inghram, founder of The Collection by Courtney Inghram which services Virginia and North Carolina.

What’s in this episode:  

-Strategically Staying Small

-Creating Operational Efficiencies

-Defining Success Through Intentionality

-The Power of Sisterly Partnership

-Tricks for Managing Tabletop Rentals

Quotations:

"I think that that has become ingrained in a lot of us, the more options you offer people, that's positive... I have found that the less options I offer, but that are more geared towards a specific kind of client that has allowed me to find success in this small niche." — Courtney Inghram

"We were hungry because this was our first couple years in business. So we just took on everything... but we were creating a lifestyle that really wasn't sustainable for our home life." — Jillian Mackey

"I think we as women just want to make sure that we're talking to people in the right way and we don't want to offend anyone. You kind of almost shoot yourself in the foot a little bit... when you don't send those emails and make those calls and just put yourself out there." — Courtney Inghram

"So we've really streamlined our processes... and that's really, really helped us this year to the point where, I don't know if it's okay to say this but we owe way too much in taxes now because we're too efficient." — Jenna Mackanich

“The more instruction you can give people, the better. Because the person who rented it is almost certainly not the person who’s going to be packing it.” — Allison Howell

"It's very fulfilling to see the finished product. This is creating memories. People are sitting around a table together, having this once in a lifetime moment. That makes me feel good and like what we're doing is important and it's not just all frivolous." — Courtney Inghram

“Every year I feel like there’s a new challenge we have to overcome, but when you figure it out, it’s a really good feeling.” — Jenna Mackanich

“If you’re the type of person who needs help right now, send an email to a handful of people, because it might be that they can’t get back to you today but they can get back to you in the future. It’s not personal sometimes when they don’t respond.” — Allison Howell

“We have a very small space for storage, which has caused me to be very intentional both about the pieces that I buy and make an investment in and…sell off the pieces that aren’t doing their job anymore.” — Courtney Inghram

Resources: 

Never overbook or doublebook any in your rental inventory ever again with RW Elephant. 

Organize your warehouse with:

• Item Labels for your Event Rental Warehouse
• 5S Event Rental Warehouse Guide

Platescrape Dishwashing Kit for onsite scullery

This episode features Raul Rodriguez, founder of 2R Creative and Lavish Event Rentals, who details his rise in the luxury event production market. He discusses the organic launch of Lavish and the decision to create a separate brand identity for the rentals side. Raul reveals the strategic advantage of focusing on the unique tableware niche and how he scaled the business by investing in high-quantity, designer inventory.

What’s in this episode:  

• Organic Launch of Lavish Event Rentals
• Strategic Creation of a Separate Brand Identity
• The Unique Tableware Niche
• Scaling Through High-Quantity, Designer Inventory
• Emphasis on Brand & In-House Fabrication for Differentiation

Quotations:

"I need to know what you're going to want before you know you want it." - Raul Rodriguez

"We want to rent it for an event. And I said, you heard wrong, but that's a great idea." - Raul Rodriguez

'We have a software that tells us every piece, how many times it goes out, how much money it generates. We know everything, what are our so-called greatest hits. And I'm always asking our staff, what are people asking for? What is renting the most?" - Raul Rodriguez

"Hey, if somebody had all the top line China, I'm talking Versace, Hermes, Baccarat, Christophe, would you guys rent it? And the response from everybody was a resounding yes, who has it? How can we get it?" - Raul Rodriguez

"People make decisions with feelings. So I wanted them to immediately open up the lavish web page or Instagram anything that they see, feel, touch. And they're like, I want to be a part of this world. These people get me and they understand me." - Raul Rodriguez

"I don't usually pay a lot of attention to what the other companies are doing. I don't like weigh myself down with like, oh my God, they have this, I need to get this, or they have that, and I'm like, no, I don't, there's plenty of space, you know, they're doing what they're doing and we're doing what we're and that's fine." - Raul Rodriguez

"I see things from one perspective, but I want to see things and hear about things from all the different perspectives, I talked to the caterers, what do you guys need? What's out there that doesn't exist?" - Raul Rodriguez

RESOURCES:

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram

AND OUR GUEST:

Raul Rodriguez of Lavish Event Rentals

Website | Instagram | Facebook

Ashton Pollock is the founder of Bespoke Decor — a design-forward event rental company based in Vancouver, BC. What started 12 years ago with a few vintage finds has grown into one of Vancouver’s leading rental companies. Today, Bespoke is powered by a tight-knit, woman-led team that cares deeply about good design, great service, and making the rental process feel easy.

What’s in this episode:  

• Best practices for creating culture
• Handling conflict within your team
• Being self-aware as a leader
• Trusting your company to your people
• Setting yourself apart with branding

Quotations:

“People know what they're doing here. They're good at what they do because the environment has been set up to learn and to grow and to do these things and to give freedom to make decisions.” - Ashton Pollock

“If you were to strip everything back, you just have to simply respect and be kind to the people that you are with, even in moments of frustration, and trusting their attention, trusting who they are as a person, and communicating as frequently as possible.” - Ashton Pollock

“I just don't understand when people say, oh, it's not personal. Like, **** that, it's personal. Of course it's personal. It is my entire livelihood.” - Ashton Pollock

“I have a rule. I'm not allowed in the building if I'm a ‘Stressy Bessy.’ I have to check myself. If I'm a ‘Stressy Bessy,’ I work from home. Because I'll project. I know I will. And that's not what I want.” - Ashton Pollock

“It takes a lot of, “Nope, you know what? I'm not going to say anything right now. I'm going to shower. I'm going to reset. I'm going to have a sleep, and then tomorrow I'm going to know what to do." But it can be tempting to be like, X, Y, and Z has happened. We're going to talk about this right now, but that's never the best case.” - Ashton Pollock

“So I am a lover of change, baby. I really like to see things change. So we have rebranded every two years pretty loyally.” - Ashton Pollock

“Everything has been a pain in my *** at some point. Team included, inventory, trucks, whatever it is. But at the end of the day, like I've met some of the people in my life that will be there until I'm a little old lady carrying around a chair. And that is just a gift in itself.” - Ashton Pollock

“I think that's attractive to your ideal client. They recognize that they are going to get that quality in the work that you're doing. You're being very intentional, even with the copy that you're writing. And they see that intentionality in your design. They see that intentionality in the color palettes you put together. They see that in all of those little aspects of what you do. And they can see that this is going to translate into my event. And that really speaks to them.” - Ashton Pollock

RESOURCES:

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram

AND OUR GUEST:

Ashton Pollock of Bespoke Decor

Website | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok

Christie Zangrilli is the Co-Founder and CEO of Party at the Moontower, an Austin based boutique event rental company specializing in modern-eclectic furniture and custom build backdrops and decor. Christie holds a BA in Communication Design from New York University and a MFA in Design from The University of Texas.

What’s in this episode:

• Studying design, and moving to Austin
• The seed idea, fundraising, and launching with 3 partners
• The five factors in setting your brand apart from the pack
• Discovering your core values with frameworks for operational guidance
• Navigating relationships and buying out partners
• Managing growth from the post COVID boom and customizable builds
• The importance of Lend & Gather Conference in the business’s growth

Quotations:

“Another thread that I see through the people who have that sticktoitiveness, that longevity, are really just people who can see the bigger picture. They see, oh, I'm not just dropping off stuff at a wedding or not just renting tables and chairs. You recognize hey I'm creating culture here. This is the stuff of celebrations. This is what makes up these milestones and memories for people. ” – Allison Howell

“And so I think what I learned from you, Allison, which you've always said is like more inventory doesn't mean more money. And so we've really taken that to heart and that we don't just buy things that we think are cool. There are exceptions. I would like to say we're more intentional and focused and super planned out on what our collections are, but they are largely driven by what the market is asking for and what also feels on brand to us.”  – Christie Zangrilli

“Tomorrow, this big box company could literally go buy every single thing that you have. So inventory is never going to be your unique differentiator and so I was like, oh man, like that's super scary but made us realize how important all of the brand pieces were and how that goes into operations. So again, what are the things that you are winning?” – Christie Zangrilli

“We are going to reevaluate once a year, it is planned. Let's stick it on the calendar. We will hire somebody to do it. It becomes less uncomfortable because it was pre planned versus a reaction to something happening that seems more confrontational.” – Christie Zangrilli

“You're liable for them as the business owner. I personally am liable for their well being. And I'm also personally liable for keeping them paid. I was at the point where I was like, if I'm going to shoulder all the additional stress of having all these employees and also the business was growing and doing really well, I want to be responsible for all of its successes.” – Christie Zangrilli

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Christie Zangrilli of Party at the Moontower

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok

Holly and Charlie are owner/operators of Locate to Create. Their mission is to “Locate” items to “Create” bespoke events and experiences. They use props, furniture and styling to tell people’s stories with an underlying theme of sustainability. Their diverse portfolio features an eclectic array of items and furniture pieces curated to cater to various personalities and styles. 

Partners Holly and Charlie couldn’t be more different but that’s what makes them work so well. Charlie loves logistics and operational efficiency while Holly is the creative mind and driving force that clients can’t get enough of. Their combined strengths and work ethic earned them the national award for Venue Stylist of the Year in 2024. They operate just outside of London, England.

What’s in this episode:

• How Holly got started right out of Uni with the help of mentors
• Charlie joins the business and roles are defined
• Using Instagram and styled shoots to increase social media reach
• Winning Venue Stylist of the Year Award and leveraging it for growth
• Sourcing inspiration and finding creative options for storage
• Can you believe this is our job?

Quotations:

“How can we take that and display it creatively? Or come up with a prop that is useful for that, but also looks great. It creates a photo opportunity and then all the guests are taking pictures. That is what couples love. Practical and pretty I always say, and that's why we really try and focus on that as a company.” – Holly

“One of the benefits and beauties of working with your partner, business partner, romantic partner. She's at one end of the desk. I'm at the other one. It's not a particularly difficult task for me to say, “Oh, Holly, I think she might want styling.” – Charlie

“We know now that actually seeing couples on our Instagram page, for example, real couples is fantastic, but actually styled shoot couples like models doesn't work as well. People just want to really see our products. So we don't post that much of our couples as much as we love them. But it's the products that we're trying to sell and the service.” – Holly

“Sometimes when we get an award or we achieve something in our business, we say, okay, check that off onto the next thing. But it can be so valuable for us to say, okay, I got this thing, or I achieved this thing or I have this thing in front of me, how can I squeeze more out of it so that I can get all of the benefit or value out of this thing that I already have before I move on to the next marketing opportunity or before I move on to the next thing or before I invest in the next phase, right?”

– Allison Howell

“We never want to be the sort of company where we're doing thousands of events every year. So it's very important to us to identify very strategic venues to try and penetrate into a high proportion of their yearly total events. And as you say, having that leverage to get in there and actually capture those for us, that's a far more valuable way of doing business and expanding business.” – Charlie

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guests:

Holly and Charlie of Locate to Create

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok

Holly and Amanda are the Greenhouse Picker Sisters. They’re fifth generation pickers with a love for all things vintage and unique. Greenhouse Lane is their family’s street name and hosts some of their dearest memories; ones of love and southern tradition. When they’re not on the hunt for their next amazing piece, you can find them spending time with their husbands and children.

What’s in this episode:

• Why and how the sisters were lead to the industry
• Growing the business, running the family and enriching the community 
• The separation of roles and resolving conflicts between founders
• Curating and pricing an eclectic, customer driven collection
• The rule of 3 wow factors guaranteed to make clients happy
• Carving out their market and maximizing margins

Quotations:

“We would get money, we would pour it back in. We would get money, we would pour it back in. We were very passionate about not going into some crazy debt for this business where we couldn't walk away. So we would load, we would unload the trucks. We were everything. We were marketing. We were labor. We did that for years. We got your software, which was amazing.” – Holly Barton

“...this is just a little plug for Lend & Gather. We have to go to that this year because we have gotten as far as we have by the grace of God, by hard work, sweat, blood, tears, and a great industry. Our industry is awesome, but we still have so much to learn on the business side.” – Amanda Cox

“There's always more to learn. There are always ways that you can improve. There's always lessons that you can learn and things that you can do differently next time. Because that’s what entrepreneurship is about, right? Recognizing and celebrating our successes and then saying, ‘Okay, what's next?.’” – Allison Howell

“When I had a baby three years ago and obviously that pulled me a little bit away from the business. She stepped up. She's had personal things where I've had to step up and that did create conflict. But I think we have worked through it and ultimately when we started this business, we knew and it still stands true. If she's ever out of it, I'm done. If I'm ever out of it, she's done. If it's coming between us, then we're done. ” – Amanda Cox

“The term in our marriage is fight fair. And my husband is my business partner. So similarly to you being sisters and business partners, the relationship is super complicated because you develop a dynamic and then there's a pattern that happens, right? And whether the pattern’s in your kitchen or the pattern's in your office, that happens whether you're intending for it to or not, because that's what you practiced and it's the roles you've gotten into.” – Allison Howell

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Holly Barton and Amanda Cox of Greenhouse Picker Sisters

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Over the last 18 years, Mandy Majerik has turned her mom and pop flower shop into a key player for floral production in the southeast. She also founded and operates PropHouse which offers boutique prop rental to her clientele. Mandy has both her AIFD and PFCI certifications. She has a custom build shop, a custom paint shop and is opening a custom print shop. She’s got the heart, the hustle, the history and the headspace to successfully operate her growing businesses of 30 employees.

What’s in this episode:

• What Mandy does after taking over her family’s flower shop
• Breaking into the rental market with PropHouse 
• How she manages multiple businesses and dozens of employees 
• The logic behind her collection and approach to purchasing
• The importance of safety nets and icebreakers when hiring 
• Milestones and giving back!

Quotations:

“I think when I made the decision that I would raise the minimum for floral and really push towards the props. I wanted to be a leader in that market in our area. Being able to do the whole event design and incorporate or push new ideas on people. That was the avenue that I saw as an opportunity because I was really doing it anyway.” – Mandy Majerik

“I was very driven to make it something that was distinct and different. And I think I've just been riding the wave going in that direction.” – Mandy Majerik

“There's some things that I buy just because I personally think this will do well in the market. Or someone doesn't have it to offer where we are. And so that gives us a leg up sometimes of something different that we have that can be that little pivot point tipping the scale to rent from us versus someone else.” – Mandy Majerik

“I think you have to be organized and have a plan. I think you have to be a person who sets goals. Because if you don't set them, you're not going to be able to reach them. ” – Mandy Majerik

“Bringing me joy is being able to give back to the people who I think dedicate themselves so much to the business, the crazy business that we're in. ” – Mandy Majerik

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Mandy Majerik of HotHouse Design Studio + PropHouse Rentals and Styling

HotHouse | Facebook | Instagram

PropHouse | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Ann started Borrow out of her garage in 2012 with the belief that people need local art and design in their lives. Borrow provides modern, made + antique furniture for the events and homes of the community she lives in. She has a BA in Creative Writing and a childhood history in theatre. When she's not at Borrow, you'll find her at home with the people she loves. 

What’s in this episode:

• How Ann started borrow with only $7,000
• A tragic event that destroyed nearly everything
• An efficient and effective system for furniture repair
• Her method for keeping herself and her team accountable
• Learning how to “chill” as a boss and fostering culture
• Being a role model, reaching milestones, and more!

Quotations:

“You're not starting over. You're gonna go in and rebuild as an absolute expert. When you first started this business, you were not an expert. You didn't know what the hell you were doing. ” – Ann King

“We always have kept good records. So I was literally able to just press that button on RW Elephant and spit out exactly how much stuff we had.” – Ann King

“I'm way less attached to the collection. It's stuff. And probably the biggest takeaway is, you think it's about the furniture. It is not about the furniture. Not at all. It is about the people. It is about the people that you work for, that you work with. It's about your community.”  – Ann King

“When you call OSHA in and you say, I want to do this the right way, can you show me how to do it? They love you for that. They understand that you're just trying to do things the right way. So it's not scary at all. It's very, very informative and helpful.” – Ann King

“One thing we did invest in, and actually it was a company that we found at Lend & Gather. We hired Upright Labs to come in and give us a 150 page deck of how to reset the warehouse for primal efficiency. So that was massive and a big investment, but totally worth it.”  – Ann King

“I didn't realize that like management was about empowering and supporting. It's not about telling and teaching.”  – Ann King

Resources:

The Lend & Gather Conference

The RW Elephant mailing list features more event industry resources and happenings—including announcements about new Trunk Show episodes!

Thank you to our sponsor:

RW Elephant: Mighty inventory management software designed to help you conquer chaos and reclaim your creativity!

Website | Instagram 

And our guest:

Ann King of Borrow Curated Furniture + Design

Borrow | Instagram | Facebook