Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry Jasmin.
Hi Jerry, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m honored to be here and thank you for having me. My name is Jerry Jasmin. I’m a husband, dad, therapist by trade, and an entrepreneur.
I started Treedrop in 2017. We deliver and install live Christmas trees to residents and businesses in the Orlando area. Treedrop started as a mission-driven project. There was a void in the Orlando Christmas tree market, and because of my poor experience trying to find Christmas tree delivery company, I decided to create Treedrop.
This is how the story goes. My wife and I moved to Downtown Orlando in 2016. That holiday season, we were looking for a place to buy a Christmas tree. There were no tree lots in the downtown proper area. As a result, we had to drive outside of Downtown to find a tree. The selection wasn’t the best and the service was downright awful – not what you expect when buying a Christmas tree during the most wonderful time of the year.
When we finally settled on a tree, we had a couple of barriers to getting it to our place. I didn’t want to scratch my car paint, so I opted for transporting the tree inside of my car. That left a big mess, and there are probably pine needles in that car to this day. We had to get the Christmas tree into our high-rise apartment – we lived on the 19th floor.
A couple of hours spent and hundreds of pine needles later, we got the tree up and it wasn’t one that we were really proud of. It was practically see-through because it was that bare. After reflecting on our experience, I thought to myself, “There has to be a company that delivers Christmas trees”. I did some research, and no such company existed.
After a couple of months, my wife and I were courageous enough to start Treedrop. We registered the business name with the state, built a website, and trademarked our logo/slogan. Despite having created an amazing solution for thousands of Orlando residents, our first-year sales were underwhelming. But we kept on fighting, and we have finally become the #1 source for Christmas tree delivery in the Orlando area.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were some struggles in the beginning. To save money in our first year of business, I decided to transport our trees from North Carolina to Florida in lieu of having them shipped to us. That was a disaster. We also dealt with several unscrupulous website developers and lost a significant amount of money trying to build our website and app in the early years. As stated before, our first-year sales were horrible. We over-bought Christmas trees, and Christmas trees don’t sell after a certain time-period. So, we were stuck with a bunch of inventory that we could not sell.
What else? I’ve been ghosted by staff, even blocked by employees when they decided this wasn’t the right job for them. I probably did about 97% of the deliveries by myself in the first two years.
Our website was new and innovative, our service was polished, but it was hard convincing people that our service would save them time, money (in most cases), and backaches. But anytime you disrupt the status quo, it can be difficult to get people to buy into your product or service, no matter how innovative and helpful it is.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a Mental Health Counselor by trade. I work with individuals, couples, and families to identify their concerns, and we set goals to work through the identified concerns.
It’s hard to say what I’m known for. I’ve worn many hats, and I have a wide range of talents. I’ve studied architecture, I’ve started a non-profit organization, and I was even a music producer for a few years. I’ve had music placed on internationally distributed albums, TV shows, and even movies. From time to time, I’ll randomly spot my music on Netflix, a reality TV show, or sometimes an NBA game.
I think what sets me apart from others is my inherent ability to connect with people. I can connect with almost anyone from any background.
I think what sets Treedrop apart from other Christmas tree retailers is our anticipatory service, our attention to detail, and our willingness to meet our clients’ expressed and unexpressed needs. I had an amazing opportunity to work at the Ritz-Carlton for a couple of years, and I gained invaluable insight into what true customer service looks like. Their service values aligned closely with my personal values, and I will implement them in any business that I start.
What I’m most proud of is my resilience. I’ve had my share of challenges and setbacks – some that made me want to quit. But I have a strong support system. My wife has a way of finding the last little seed of faith in me and watering it when I start to lose hope. I wouldn’t be here without her. Also, being able to leave a legacy and the opportunity to create generational wealth is something I’m very proud of. Earlier this year, my wife and I were heading to a meeting, and we were wearing our Treedropuniforms, and our three years old says to us “Mommy and Daddy, I want to be like you with Treedrop”. That’s a feeling that cannot be matched.
I’m also proud of brand that we’ve been able to create with Treedrop. It’s truly a special service. We’ve met some amazing people on our journey. Some of our clients have been with us since year one, and they’ve said that they are Treedropcustomers for life. We’ve also had the opportunity to service celebrities, professional athletes, and some internationally recognized brands such as Ferrari, Hyatt, and Chevrolet. To have the earned the trust of these individuals, families, and brands is something we take seriously, and we prioritize keeping these relationships for years to come.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Both of my parents were born in Haiti and migrated here in the 1980’s. There are many risks involved with leaving your native land to seek opportunity. I grew up thinking my parents were conservative, but they took many risks in their lives trying to provide a better life for our family. So, while I may not have recognized my parent’s risk taking when I was younger, I now see that they took many risks when we were growing up. My mom even started her own drapery business, and my dad had a photography business, both in addition to their day jobs.
In business, it doesn’t get much riskier than starting a seasonal business that sells live goods. The window to sell the items that you have to buy wholesale is very slim, and you need a lot of things to go right to sell your inventory before your window closes. So, I’m no stranger to risk taking.
I believe that risk taking is necessary for anyone who wants to succeed at anything in life. Mark Zuckerberg once said “The biggest risk is not taking any risk”. It’s normal to have a fear of failure, but you can’t let the fear win. On the other hand, it’s good to have some fear, as it can keep you grounded. My perspective on taking risks in business is, it’s ok to go for it! But doing research can help mitigate risk or help you make more calculated risks.
Contact Info:
• Email: jerry@mytreedrop.com
• Website: www.mytreedrop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treedropapp/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treedropapp/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/treedropapp
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/treedrop-orlando
Image Credits
Shadrina Booker of Vityl Media
