Ryan Kenny, the founder of the Christmas Tree Hugger, came up with the product with one goal in mind: to fix the fake! The fake in Christmas tree. Here is how it all started!

It’s a fake tree bark wrap that hides the fuzzy, unsightly green base pole that can be found at the bottom of many artificial Christmas trees. It’s the perfect pair of shoes to finish off a killer outfit, in my opinion.

It began as a quick fix for my tree and has quickly evolved into a 5 star rated one-of-a-kind problem solver holiday item for those looking for a more realistic looking fake Christmas tree.

Since airing on QVC and Shark Tank in 2017, we’ve made an average of $35,000 per month, and the trend has gained a lot of traction.

What’s your backstory, and how did the idea come to you?

I have a design and advertising background and have worked as an Art Director for over 15 years, most of which was spent on Madison Avenue.

I chose that job because I’ve been a maker since I was a kid and have always enjoyed coming up with creative solutions to problems. In addition, my interest in entrepreneurship has been a big part of my personality since I was a kid.

As a small business, you must work harder to gain attention, so if that means showing up in person, go for it!

My friends and I were constantly coming up with new business ideas. Opening a bike repair shop in my garage, starting our neighborhood newspaper, creating and selling a custom formulated wax for skaters to use for grinding on curbs, and even creating a haunted house one year and charging candy for admission so we wouldn’t have to go door to door for treats are just a few examples. I could go on and on, but the point is that I’ve always wanted to create something enjoyable while also being my boss.

My wife and I had the idea for The Christmas Tree Hugger. We sat down on the couch after putting the star on top, and it was amazing. But, unfortunately, he stared at us.

I assumed there would be something online to fix the bottom area, and I could think of the most logical solution is to find something that looked like real tree bark. However, I could not locate anything, so I decided to make something myself after Google failed me. I was astounded at how much difference it made.

When friends and family began remarking on how realistic our tree appeared, I realized that many people were interested in improving the tree’s dingy bottom section. That bottom section was the last piece of un-decorated real estate on Christmas trees, and I wanted to claim it. But, before I put too much money on the line, I needed to get a sense of public opinion.

I raised enough money to cover the costs of trademarking, patenting, and small high-quality production runs in China by launching a crowdfunding campaign. It also helped a lot financially to have my art/advertising background to help me develop a cute and quirky brand to go along with the whole concept.

What was your first product’s design, prototyping, and manufacturing process Like?

The process of fine-tuning all of the design, prototyping, and manufacturing details was quick and furious.

First, I went to as many stores as possible that sold artificial trees and began measuring all of the poles’ sizes, lengths, and diameters. This was a task that was frequently completed on weekends and evenings. I’d take a measuring tape into the stores and go from tree to tree. I got a few strange looks here and there, especially when I did a few sessions in Walmart after midnight in my pajamas. However, I wanted my product to be flexible, so the more trees I could sample, the better.

The visit to physical store locations was also beneficial for packaging design and deciding which materials to manufacture my product. Simply strolling through every aisle in stores like Lowes, Home Depot, Target, and Walmart can provide a wealth of inspiration. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know, and paying attention to all the items in the store and how they are displayed provided me with a wealth of information.

After all those long walks through stores, I had a better idea of what I wanted, and I could drill down into more specifics online. Alibaba.com is a fantastic resource for finding manufacturers of all kinds of products.

I emailed a long list of Alibaba companies, including sketches, measurements, and details about how the item should look and function. Many of them asked questions, and we gradually worked our way towards obtaining samples.

It isn’t free, but neither is it expensive. I compared all the samples and chose a company that offered the best value for money. Some of the samples were truly awful, so kudos to the testers.

Describe the steps involved in starting a business

Launching the business has been difficult because our season quickly comes and goes.

We sell a Christmas product, so we have three months to sell and learn as much as we can in the hopes of applying it properly the following season to grow as much as possible.

If you make a mistake, you’ll have to wait another year to make a significant change. So our first season was all about crowdsourcing. We raised enough money to pay for a small factory run of around 3,000 units, which we were able to sell all of.

And after getting that first batch out the door and through our first voyage, I realized I needed to plan our next batch much further in advance. Everything happened so quickly that we had to ship units from China by air to meet the deadlines. It’s not a good situation to be in, so we’ve decided to take advantage of a long time between seasons to make sure we’re prepared months ahead of time.

The following season, we put all of our profits toward trademarking, a new website, new packaging, and stocking up on more inventory, as well as protecting our idea with a few utility and design patents. That was the ideal time for us to appear on QVC and Shark Tank, where the publicity helped us raise even more money. And, while we’re talking about QVC and Shark Tank, never underestimate the power of a cold call. Each of those opportunities came about due to a simple phone call. Look up potential contacts on LinkedIn and start cross-checking their information with the location of the company’s headquarters. Typically, you can contact a receptionist who will send you an email or even directly connect you with the person of interest. Even if it isn’t the best lead, they will occasionally point you in the right direction.

Our most successful season! Our Christmas Tree Huggers have performed fantastically online after all of the attention we received from national television, and that’s where we focused 100% of our efforts this past season. Our primary goal was to sell on multiple online marketplaces. There’s a lot of good data now to help us hit the internet harder next season.

Patience is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned while starting a business. It’s impossible to do everything simultaneously, especially with a seasonal product. However, with a seasonal product, you can take advantage of the slow season to plan a solid strategy for when things heat up. It’s easy to get excited as a high-energy entrepreneur and run in too many directions at once. So take a step back, select a few major objectives, and concentrate solely on achieving them.

What has worked to attract and retain customers since the launch?

Our reviews have been our most valuable asset in attracting and retaining customers.

If you Google “The Christmas Tree Hugger,” you’ll see that it has a rating of just under 5 stars almost everywhere it’s sold. That isn’t because we were fortunate. We went out on the streets and at trade shows, talking to strangers and paying them $5 each to try out our prototypes and anonymously answer questions via a survey app to help us figure out the right pricing, patterns, and packaging.

We learned a lot from that process, including what patterns people preferred, whether they thought having a reversible pattern was worth paying extra for or not, price point experimenting, and whether the packaging provided enough information, among other things. These factors increased our chances of creating a product that more people like.

Furthermore, we ship all orders almost immediately and offer a generous return policy to keep customers happy. We’ve never had the time or money to spend heavily on advertising, so we focus on keeping customers happy and relying on positive reviews to keep them talking. The power of word of mouth is undeniable.

Amazon, Jane.com, Wayfair, Zulily, Homedepot.com, Etsy, eBay, QVC.com, and a few others are some channels where we have a lot of traction and keep getting great reviews.

The goal is to put more effort into social media ads now that we’ve had a few seasons under our belts. Until now, most of our sales and growth have been entirely organic. I wish I had more information than word of mouth and positive reviews, but that has gotten us to this point, along with some excellent public relations. As we continue to evolve, I’m very interested to see how a more traditional advertising push affects our sales and customer retention.

The Christmas Tree Hugger

Another super simple way to get things done is simply too simple to ignore. Reduce the amount of television you watch. Game Of Thrones will keep you up late and steal your potential for success, as much as I enjoy a good series.

This tree ornament should, in theory, become as common as tree skirts, tree stars, and other ornaments. We see our solution becoming a growing part of family holiday traditions when it comes to putting all the trimmings on the tree with more PR, the proper physical store placements, and selling on as many online platforms as possible.

Every season, more and more people realize that our simple solution improves the appearance of their artificial tree and makes it look like a real tree. And, in a landscape where an increasing number of people are switching from real to fake trees each year, I’m thrilled to have something that makes the transition even easier and more worthwhile.

MORE:

• The Success of Diana Paredes, Female Entrepreneurship in the Financial Industry
• 10 Teenage Entrepreneurs Changing the World
• The Top 10 Most Famous Entrepreneurs in the World

Have you learned anything advantageous since starting your business?

Yes! Getting up early before life gets out of hand is a huge productivity game-changer.

Not just writing an email and checking the box as done has led to all of the best opportunities for my company. For example, following up ten times or more, picking up the phone to speak with a live person.

I used to be a night owl, but my business partner mentioned how early he gets up in the morning to get a jump on the day. After giving it a try, I discovered that I had more energy to devote to my never-ending to-do list.

At 4 a.m., the world is quiet. Without all the distractions of a busy world, you can simply cross things off your to-do list. Another advantage is that you will have more time to spend with your family and friends at the end of the day.

Another super simple way to get things done is too simple to ignore. Reduce the amount of television you watch. Game Of Thrones will keep you up late and steal your potential for success. Winter is approaching, and if you’re glued to the television, you won’t be prepared.

What platform(s) and/or tools do you use for your company?

The following are some of our favorite tools and platforms:

Shopify:

This platform gives you the freedom to start a business in any way you want. In addition, there are a plethora of apps available to make your website more user-friendly. It’s also worth noting that customer service is extremely helpful and responsive. You can contact them via chat, email, or phone at any time. In those fire drill situations where every second counts, I found that to be extremely useful.

Combining Shipstation.com and Stamps.com:

This combination of software will greatly simplify things if you have a business that requires shipping items from multiple platforms online. Orders can be pulled in from eBay, Amazon, your website, Etsy, Wayfair, Zulily, Jane.com, and so on. Everything is in one place, and it’s linked to a Stamps.com account so that you can get postage and print labels in a flash. Without these services, we would have imploded.

Skillshare.com:

This is a fantastic resource that gives you access to thousands of high-quality video tutorials that cover almost any software you might want to learn.

For example, I need to brush up on social media for our next big push, so I’ve been enrolling in classes to help me perfect Pinterest and Instagram marketing techniques. You’ll enjoy this platform if you enjoy learning new skills. There’s something for everyone.

What books, podcasts, or other resources have had the most impact?

Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to sit down and read a good book, but listening to podcasts has been fantastic.

The School Of Greatness, hosted by Lewis Howes, is the one I enjoy the most. It includes everything you’ll need to keep your entrepreneurial spirit alive.

The Solopreneur Hour with Michael O’Neill is another good one. In addition, there are numerous tech hacks and useful services available to help small business owners optimize and focus their efforts.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who are just starting or want to get started?

I believe one of the most important factors in my story has been my unwavering persistence and thick skin, regardless of how many people say “No.”

Not just writing an email and checking the box as done has led to all of the best opportunities for my company.

Following up ten times or more, picking up the phone to speak with a live person. As a small business, you must work harder to gain attention, so if that means showing up in person, go for it!

Be fearless and unafraid. The upside potential is far too great to be conservative and passive about.