If someone found a $7,000 Dior handbag being sold for $1,700, they might be suspicious. That's why, for mother-daughter duo Dianne and Gabrielle Melillo, the consignment business isn't just about good merchandise. It's about trust.

"We work in a field where our items are pre-owned," Gabrielle says. "Our customers must trust us and our level of transparency. We treat them like we would treat our friends. We would never steer them in the wrong direction on these items."

The Melillos are franchisees with Season 2 Consign, a brand that sells secondhand goods in person and online. They opened their first territory in 2023 in central New Jersey (a territory is their assigned region for sourcing goods), and this year, after being named one of the International Franchise Association's Franchisees of the Year, they opened a second territory in northern New Jersey — making them Season 2 Consign's first multi-unit owners. Here, they share what they've learned building a trust-based business.

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