We recently connected with Jonathan Claasen and have shared our conversation below.
Jonathan, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk about innovation. What’s the most innovative thing you’ve done in your career?
Our company, The Jonsteen Company, was based on a new way of seeing trees and bringing that vision to a population of folks who were not necessarily “tree poeple” or gardening enthusiasts. I often call our products “gateway drugs to nature.” and “trees for the people.” With apologies to Joni Mitchell, we indeed put “a frame” around trees in a new way, and tried to translate an enthusiasm for their beauty, interest, natural history, and intrinsic value through artful and interesting packaging and a “you can do it” attitude. We were born in national and state parks, steeped in the parks mission of “natural history interpretation,” and created a way to make tree and grow kit selling as easy as selling a postcard or keychain or book or t-shirt. We addressed shelf life, support after the sale, and added an ironclad replacement guarantee for anyone of any age interacting with our trees or grow kits – all efforts to reassure customers and engage wholesalers to take a chance and join with us in promoting and educating about trees and nature. With these tools we brought live trees to places where trees had never gone before – like art museums and corner pharmacies and theme parks and fancy hotels – any place with an inclination to get onboard our tree train. The other innovation was bringing trees to consumer markets in sizes and at price points that were not available formerly in the nursery business. We were packaging up “forestry” size seedlings, not typical “landscaping” sized trees. That gave us the opportunity to forge a completely new market with a new approach and new price points. We were very early to bring trees to the internet and use all the amazing tools there to “show and tell” the wonder and life-enhancing qualities trees bring to individuals and the planet. It all works together in our mission to share the joy, knowledge, and experience of trees and nature to people everywhere.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I grew up literally in the redwood forest in Arcata, California, a small college town in Humboldt County at the heart of the last stands of old growth redwoods on the planet. I studied creative writing and design at Pepperdine University. I started in business as a professional “wordsmith” doing technical and creative writing and graphic design. As my business evolved, I ended up being mainly a “publicist” and advertising/public relations manager for a luxury inn/restaurant/wine seller in Eureka, a winery in Napa, and an Arcata jewelry maker which was one of our community’s biggest business success stories. I had a friend who came to me with a tree-selling project his parents had developed at Muir Woods National Monument. They were retiring and he asked if I wanted to partner up and do something with these “trees in tubes.” I thought, ah-ha! Something I can help create which will develop its own momentum – a way of making income without me being tied to my desk. I could sell trees instead of selling my time as a “creative” and marketing strategist. Though I do love the world of fine dining, luxe resorts, and high-end wine, I far more enjoyed researching, writing about, designing around, and marketing trees and natural history. The tree business was such an “undiscovered country” such cool, new territory for me that tied into my childhood growing up in the redwood forest. It gave me a new mission in which I could use the same tools I honed in marketing luxury goods and experiences to making trees “objects of desire” in the consumer mind.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Growing this business was not pretty. It was not profitable for a long, long time. I borrowed against my family’s residence. I wrote grants. I borrowed from family. I relied on longtime community family connections and we worked with economic development non-profits and business incubators. My partner threw his efforts into sales trips out of the area and we both had to be dogged evangelists for this idea of selling trees and grow kits. We had to push, push, push, and though our love for trees was strong and translated well, sometimes it was a really hard sell to clients who were super paranoid about dealing with a “perishable” product. Trees did not seem to be much in demand. They weren’t the latest Playstation or iPhone. Total commitment to what were trying to do was the key. And, honestly, it was not easy.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice
I don’t understand what the heck these are, but as a designer, I really hope that somehow, some way, some of our grow kit designs can become NFT’s and money will rain down from Cyberworld!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jonsteen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonsteentrees/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonsteentrees
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jonsteen-trees
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonsteentrees
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCExPQmAdXyaF3kK3wa8yk7g?app=desktop
- Other: https://sequoiatrees.com/