Tree Farmer’s Daughter: Tools for Small Business

For nearly 70 years, my family owned a Christmas tree farm in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. My grandma and grandpa, affectionately known as Shim and Dibs, planted, pruned, and sold trees to generations of local families. My father and aunt worked year-round to keep the trees in tip-top shape, my cousins helped during the peak sales period, and I would visit from the next county over to watch in delight and wonder as people picked the perfect tree. At one point, my dad planted trees on our farm, and yes, I did cut down a tree for a family using a handsaw (and many prayers). Grandma Shim kept the farm open, standing behind the cash register, until she was 97 years old. She was a paragon of thrift and a shrewd business woman.

Here are 3 tools I learned from observing the tree farm about operating a small business:

Go above and beyond. My favorite story is the year my dad was late coming home for festivities on Christmas Eve because he stayed to help a little boy with Down’s Syndrome pick out the perfect tree. My dad got as much joy as he gave when he gave away that tree.

Everyone has different taste. Tall, thin trees. Short, wide ones. Scrawny, “Charlie Brown” trees. Weirdly shaped branches and ones that didn’t prune perfectly. My family helped all their customers find their perfect tree.

Learn every aspect of the business. My dad knew how to do everything — plant, prune, cut down, shake the excess needles with a machine, drill a hole in the bottom for the tree stand, bale (wrap the tree up with netting), lash it to the roof of a car, and set it up straight when he delivered it. He negotiated, sold in bulk, and made certain there was very little waste.

Whether your business is seasonal, or bringing joy all year round, I wish you and your family a happy, safe, and healthy Christmas.