Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Rainer.
Robert, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I originally went to school for mechanical engineering and graduated in May of 2018 from Christian Brothers University in Memphis and from there I got my first full-time job out of school doing mechanical engineering, designing medium voltage switchgear for a global leader in energy management. About a month or two into that job I knew that I wanted to do something more. I didn’t know if it was going to be grad school, starting a business or getting into real estate and so I ended up picking up an evening part-time job at UPS doing package handling because I wanted to make some extra money to pay off my college debt.
In that same time frame, there were two co-workers of mine who told me about the final mile white glove trucking industry and how they had their own trucks running on the side, one of them currently and the other previously. A few months after that my girlfriend from college and I broke it off and I was headed into the new year to welcome 2019. By process of elimination I canceled out the idea of real estate and grad school and decided I was going to go after a business but I didn’t know what it was going to be. I thought about doing e-commerce but then remembered that seed that was planted months ago regarding the final mile white glove trucking and decided that was going to be it for me. I spent a month just learning about the different business entities between sole proprietorship, LLC, C-Corp and S-Corp. I also spent time diving into the trucking side of things and learning everything that was needed to start a trucking business and all of the requirements of the FMCSA also known as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. After that I began looking for contracts and once I found one that was promising, I got the insurance and began recruiting drivers and helpers. It would all come together around May of 2019 when I ran my first truck. It was a white glove furniture account doing delivery and full setup of furniture for a major furniture retailer in Clarksville, Tennessee . Keep in mind that I was still employed full-time. I had to use 10 of my 15 days of vacation to get my first truck started. I was juggling my trucking business and full time job so I focused on the furniture accounts here in Middle Tennessee until covid came and shut things down in March of 2020.
My covid story is a little bit different… when covid hit, between when my last truck ran till we were back up and running I can’t make it up. Was about a 2-week span. We were some of the last ones standing and some of the first to come back up. And to see all of these other businesses shutting down that had been in business for decades. It really showed me how much security there was in the industry I was in. On top of that, my full-time job had gone from full-time in the office to fully remote, and after a few days of being at home, it dawned on me that this was the perfect opportunity. I went online and found the highest paying contract that was within driving distance and went for it. Next thing I knew I was in St. Louis, Missouri hot-spotting my work laptop to catch a teams meeting in a 26-ft box truck right before I ran into a customer’s home, who had just purchased a washer from Best Buy and I was going to install it for them. I ended up running my trucking business and working full-time as a mechanical engineer for 2 and 1/2 years. It was such a wild time but I was only 22 and had the energy lol. After leaving my job, I’d continue to do the trucking business and eventually end up scaling to 23 trucks across three states and I think nine different cities, all of which were performing final mile white glove delivery services for major retailers like Best Buy, Lowe’s, Mattress Firm, Wayfair, Home Depot, you name it. But to sum it all up that is how I got to where I’m at today!
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?
Not by any means, but I’m thankful for it because I believe that’s where all the lessons come in. My struggles I believe were rooted in ignorance, just not knowing what I didn’t know in regards to the business I was pursuing.
There was no blueprint and there wasn’t anyone that I knew who was doing it the way I was looking to do it. And by that I mean treating the business like a business, with systems and looking to grow and expand. So I had a lot of learning things the hard way. Whether it be claims, hiring bad drivers, putting people in lead positions who weren’t fit for it or just overcompensating. I learned a lot of what NOT to do.
It was and still is just like any other business, a struggle to find a good quality workforce. On top of that, dealing with some of the final mile brokers who are your partners, but also have their own internal issues. Then you have the retailer who has unrealistic expectations for KPIs. So I had numerous external things that I really couldn’t control along with my internal battles like the financial scarcity mindset I developed from not coming from a lot. I just always had this feeling that my business could just up and end one day and it would all be gone. I believe things like that had an influence on my decision making for certain things.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Rainer Company LLC?
Yeah, so my company is called Rainer Company LLC, and we’re based here in Nashville. We specialize in final mile white glove delivery. We’re the team that delivers and installs big items like furniture and appliances for major retailers like Best Buy, Lowe’s, Wayfair, Mattress Firm, and more.
What sets us apart is the way we operate. I’ve always approached this business with a systems mindset, thanks to my background in mechanical engineering. That experience taught me how to break down complex problems, build structure, and think long-term, which I brought into the trucking world.
But beyond just systems, I’ve always been big on doing things the right way. Integrity is everything to me. This is an industry where it’s easy to cut corners, but I’ve always believed that how you do business matters just as much as what business you do. Whether it’s how we treat our drivers, how we communicate with brokers and customers, or how we show up on the job, doing good work with integrity is non-negotiable.
We scaled to over 20 trucks across multiple cities, and now I spend most of my time helping other contractors do the same. Through my brand, The Final Mile Hustle, I coach and consult final mile operators who are trying to build real businesses not just side hustles. I help them create systems, hire better, and ultimately get out of the truck and into the owner’s seat.
So yeah, whether it’s through delivery or coaching, my brand is all about structure, integrity, and helping people build something they can be proud of.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I have had the entrepreneur bug since I was a kid. I remember selling gum out of my locker when I was in middle school and having a stack of ones so thick at the end of the year that I couldn’t fold it lol. Even before that I remember trying to start a lawn mowing business with two of my friends in my neighborhood. The plan was we would charge $25 per yard and I would keep $5 for booking the clients while they cut the yards and split the remainder. I was around 11 or 12 years old.
I also played collegiate soccer during my time in college and thinking back… I don’t know if I would have stayed in school, had I not been so busy with the course work and soccer. Something tells me I would have had too much time on my hands and started a business but I guess we’ll never know!
Pricing:
- The Final Mile Hustle 🆓 – FREE
- Business Systems Audit Call – Complimentary
- Box Truck Rental – $700/week
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/rainertrucking
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rainertrucking
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081626816599&sk=about
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-rainer-e-i-1a4332101
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RainerTrucking
- Other: https://www.skool.com/the-final-mile-hustle-free/about
