Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea and Trey Rinando.
Hi Chelsea and Trey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We are a husband/wife duo. We both came from marriages that we thought were forever and then found ourselves in situations that resulted in divorce. As luck (or God’s incredible plan) would have it, we both joined the same dating app around the same time and were each other’s first dates. Trey was previously a stay-at-home dad and taught himself to woodwork during his time at home. As our dating got more and more serious, we started to look for ways to combine my creativity with his business. It has evolved from there!
We got married in our backyard during Covid, and between the two of us, we have five kids. It’s important to us to be there for them as much as we can. Owning our own business has allowed us to be present for school dropoffs and pickups, activities, meals, weekends, etc. We’ve grown and evolved as a family and a business over the past few years and seem to be finding our groove. Trey Rinando Woodworking is an almost perfect blend of both of our strengths. We have learned our places within the business and know how to make each other excel.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Business ownership is never a smooth road. If it was, everyone would do it. There have been plenty of times we (or more specifically, I, Chelsea) have questioned if we can do it. Am I good enough? Will people like what I make? What if I fail? Trey tends to be more level-headed about these things and makes me see clearly.
When Covid hit, the cost of lumber sky-rocketed. At this point, I think it’s about 3-4x what we were paying pre-covid. That makes the furniture side of our business near impossible. That was a scary thought at first, but we have learned to adjust our sails and let the winds take us another way. Trey still builds furniture when it’s requested, but we’ve transitioned into other lines that more of the market might want.
Business ownership has a tendency to take over your life. And in our case, it has also taken over our home. We work A LOT and we have inventory all over our house. That can be stressful at times. We have had a huge amount of growth in a very short amount of time. Eventually, we will figure it out. (Maybe!) In the meantime, we will remind ourselves that this is just a season and we will soak it all up with gratitude.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Trey Rinando Woodworking began as a company that built farmhouse-style furniture. We certainly still do that, but we have also transitioned into home decor and other gifts. Engraved cutting boards are big for us. We do a lot of closing gifts for realtors. We make engraved tumblers, hats, signs, keychains, earrings, and so so many Christmas ornaments. There is no specific item that I am more or less proud of. I love that we get to make closing gifts and be part of a family’s excitement of a new home. I love gifts that are special to the recipient, whether that’s an engraved cutting board for a wedding gift or a cutting board with grandma’s handwritten muffin recipe engraved. But I also love making bulk orders that are gifted to a company or team. It’s a special honor to know that you were involved in creating the perfect item to make someone smile. We don’t take that lightly. Maybe that’s what sets us apart and why we’ve seen success.
Can you talk about how you think about risk?
I am pretty risk-averse. If this was a one-woman show, we’d have stopped a long time ago! Trey takes risks. Trey sets goals, and when he reaches them, he sets another one immediately. When I stand there and tell him about an idea I have, I will then instantly take four steps backward. Meanwhile, he’s on his phone ordering the product/part we need to try my new idea. He doesn’t take time to freak out about the risk. He takes a mental note of the time and money that could be wasted if we fail and then decides if the potential benefit makes up for it. Then we try it. I wouldn’t say we never fail, but we definitely don’t fail often. And I don’t say that to toot our own horn. It’s just that we seem to have figured ourselves out. I think the paths we’ve taken in our lives to get to this point have taught us so much about ourselves, about what we’re capable of, that we kind of already know what we’re good at. And we just run with it!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ShopTRW.com
- Instagram: @TreyRinandoWoodworking
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treyrinandowoodworking
