A natural entrepreneur
Originally from Northern Ireland, Gareth had been living away in England for the past three years. “I wanted to surprise my parents with a really meaningful Christmas present by sending them some fruit trees,” he explains. “I looked on the web to get trees delivered as gifts, but I couldn’t find a company that would provide the service. Suddenly a light bulb appeared above my head and didn’t go away until I started Tree2mydoor Ltd!”
Getting off the ground
Gareth launched Tree2mydoor in autumn 2003, with funding coming from a mixture of personal savings, the Prince’s Trust and a number of start-up grants and loans. Just six months after launching, the company won a Gift of the Year award.
“Winning the award gave me new drive and determination to grow the business at a time when I was struggling to make ends meet,” comments Gareth. His perseverance paid off, as within five years the enterprise had achieved a turnover of around £200,000.
A creative enterprise
Over the years Tree2mydoor has expanded from its initial selection of trees to other green and natural gift ideas, including gifts for weddings and special occasions. The ability to be creative and pursue new ideas is important to Gareth: “One of the main reasons why I set up in business was because I was not being given the opportunity to shine and be creative in the workplace. I felt restricted and not able to fulfil my potential for myself or my employer.”
Gareth’s top tip for other people who are considering launching a business is to spend time exploring the strength of their idea. “Treat the business idea as a hobby to start with, putting your spare time into investigating its viability. If it looks good, then go for it!”
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