Dean Morrow built his business on classic product — with a twist. Morrow is the founder of Wood Tree Swings. The company seeks to update and personalize this type of product while still maintaining the old-time feel. Read about Morrow’s entrepreneurial experience and the business itself in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does:
Sells a variety of handcrafted tree swings.
Morrow told Small Business Trends, “All of our Tree Swings for sale are hand-crafted, one at a time, in America with attention to superb quality, safety and durability.”
Business Niche:
Offering superior quality.
Morrow says, “We build quality swings and have competitive prices, give free shipping and everything is American made one at a time.”
How the Business Got Started:
By selling an old tree swing on eBay.
Morrow explains he had been selling various collected items on eBay over the years.
He adds, “Then one day I ask my wife what she thought about selling the old fashion tree swing. That is how it started. We sold just a piece of wood with 2 holes one on each side of a board and some rope. The first one sold for $29.00. We went from that to what we have today.”
Biggest Win:
Getting products listed on multiple platforms.
Morrow explains, “We had a website built in 2007 then we got on Amazon and that is where we grew so fast.”
Lesson Learned:
Don’t reveal proprietary secrets.
Morrow says, “A good friend who worked for me in the past before I retired came over and I showed him what I was doing and he went home and started the same business I have today. He copied everything I was doing.”
Previous Career:
Working as a contractor.
Morrow explains he much prefers his new business where he can be sure of getting paid for a product before shipping it out, rather than working for weeks on a project and hoping the homeowner comes through with payment at the end.
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Images: Wood Tree Swings, Facebook; Top Image: Deron and Helen Morrow
This article, “Spotlight: Former Contractor Breaks into Ecommerce with Wood Tree Swings” was first published on Small Business Trends