Starting a business does not always require a large investment or a decision to leave a stable job. For Vanessa Romano, a 39-year-old mother of two, a modest $500 investment in four outdoor party games became the foundation of a growing event-rental business.
According to PEOPLE, which profiled Romano on October 12, 2026, her venture, Little Party Co., secured 65 bookings and generated more than $9,000 in booked revenue within its first few months. Romano, who works full-time in corporate communications, launched the business after noticing how party-rental ventures were gaining traction on social media. The idea appealed to her because she could start small, test whether customers were interested and retain the games for her family’s own celebrations if the business did not work out.
Rather than investing heavily in equipment or renting commercial premises, she began with four yard games. The relatively low initial cost allowed her to experiment with the business while keeping her regular income intact.
From a small experiment to a growing business
The response was encouraging from the outset. Little Party Co. received five bookings in its first month, generating more than $800 in revenue, enough to recover the initial inventory investment.
The following month, 17 bookings brought in more than $1,800. As enquiries increased, Romano began reinvesting the earnings into the business instead of treating the money as additional personal income. Her total investment eventually reached approximately $4,500, while booked revenue climbed to more than $9,000.The growth reflects a practical approach to building a small business: begin with a limited range of products, assess demand and expand only when there is evidence that customers want more.
Romano has also learned to be selective about new purchases. Rather than continuously adding equipment to make the rental collection look more impressive, she tracks bookings, considers seasonal demand and prioritises items that customers are actively seeking.
This approach helps her manage costs while making decisions about which products could generate enough bookings to justify their purchase.
Managing a business alongside a full-time job
Running Little Party Co. has brought a different set of challenges beyond attracting customers.
Romano manages bookings, prepares equipment, cleans and transports the games, and coordinates collections and deliveries around her corporate responsibilities and family commitments. According to her account in PEOPLE, around three-quarters of customers collect their rentals themselves, while the remaining quarter opt for delivery.
Depending on the week, she handles between two and eight clients.The physical demands can also be unpredictable. Romano has described fracturing a toe after dropping a cornhole board on her foot, yet still having to complete deliveries that day.
The experience illustrates a common difficulty for solo entrepreneurs: when the owner is also responsible for operations, taking time off can be complicated. Time, rather than the initial investment, has become one of her biggest constraints.
Growing the business requires work outside her regular office hours, often competing with family time and the need to rest.
Why she is not leaving her
Despite the early success, Romano does not see Little Party Co.
as a replacement for her full-time job. She has said she enjoys her corporate career and wants to continue building the rental business alongside it. Her husband has also played an important role in making the arrangement possible, taking on additional household responsibilities while she establishes the venture. For Romano, the business offers a way to pursue her entrepreneurial interests while creating greater financial flexibility for her family.Her experience also reflects a broader appeal of rental-based businesses: equipment can be used repeatedly to generate bookings rather than being sold just once. However, revenue alone does not establish profitability, as expenses such as maintenance, transportation, storage, replacement equipment and taxes must also be considered. Romano's story is a reminder that entrepreneurship does not always have to begin with an all-or-nothing decision.
Starting with a small inventory, reinvesting earnings and responding to customer demand allowed her to test a business idea without giving up the security of a regular salary. For now, she is choosing to grow both careers rather than abandon one for the other.