The first time Ben Collier tied a 7-foot Christmas tree to the top of a family’s car he was only 11 years old. “I wound up tying their doors shut with the family in the car,” the general studies sophomore said. “I don’t know how they got out.” Collier, now 21, has come a long way from making rookie mistakes on a Christmas tree lot. He runs Toy Soldier Christmas Trees on Perkins Road near Bluebonnet Boulevard. A 40-foot tall inflatable toy soldier clearly marks his lot. “I’ve learned what to do and what not to do,” Collier said. “The little details along the way have really helped me learn the business.” This Christmas season is the first year Collier is responsible for running the entire lot. His father, Craig, has been selling Christmas trees for more than 35 years and started when he was 20 years old. Craig Collier said he taught his son the ins and outs of the business throughout the years. “It teaches you a lot of things,” Craig Collier said. “It’s pretty parallel to most business, just in a little bit simpler form. [Ben] got little lessons all along the way, and he’s at a point now where he’s in charge.” Ben Collier said he used to simply show up to work at his scheduled time and sell trees to customers. “It’s definitely more the business side of it this year. I’m starting to learn the behind the curtains stuff that goes on,” he said. Ben Collier said this year he is responsible for the logistical details of running the lot. He said he began working several weeks before Thanksgiving to obtain legal permits and sign a lease to rent the lot. He said he also keeps track of the business’ financial records and makes sure there are enough workers to help customers. Craig Collier said running the lot will teach Ben aspects of business one cannot learn in a classroom setting. “This is real world application of one of the things that you’re in college to learn,” Craig Collier said. “When you apply that to the real world, you start learning why it’s important to have math classes to know how to handle money and legal classes to deal with leases and contracts.” Ben Collier said he opened the lot Thanksgiving day and plans to close Christmas day after selling a few trees in the morning. He said seeing his dad successfully run several businesses he started when he was as young as 18 – including gas stations, restaurants, snowball stands and Christmas tree lots – has nurtured his entrepreneurial spirit. “I don’t see myself working for somebody,” Ben Collier said. “I don’t need somebody else to tell me how much [money] I can make, and what I should do. I feel like I should be able to decide that myself.” Ben Collier said he plans to switch his major to business and become an entrepreneur. “I feel like I can learn here [on the lot], and I can learn [in the classroom] at the same time,” Ben Collier said. “It’s important to do both. It goes hand in hand.” And as the semester draws to a close, most University students are dedicating time to study for final exams. Ben Collier said juggling exams and running a business is not always easy. “I’m basically trying to prepare for finals a week ahead, which I usually don’t do,” Ben Collier said. “I’m trying to get ahead while I can, so I can keep my grades up.” Ben Collier said he spends anywhere from five to 12 hours on the lot every day, and at least 12 hours on weekends. He said it is not uncommon to take home two hours worth of paper work as well. Ben Collier said working on the lot has shown him no matter how well planned things are, something will always go awry. He said some customers complained his lot was poorly lit, so he immediately made it a priority to better light the lot. He said he also didn’t expect thieves to get over an 8-foot fence. But when he realized a Christmas tree was stolen over night, he started laying barbed wire to protect his trees. “It’s a lot of trial and error,” Ben Collier said. “You do the best you can at first.” Ben Collier said he can sell more than 100 trees on a good day. He said some days are slower because of poor weather conditions. Ben Collier said he sells four types of Christmas trees. “People are different, and they want different trees,” Ben Collier said. “It’s really about tradition, and we’re trying to serve the customers as best we can.” Craig Collier said he bases the number of trees to buy on how many he is able to sell in the first week of business, and he is still teaching his son how to calculate how many trees to buy. Brennen Womack, management junior, is a high school friend of Ben’s and has been working on the lot with him for three years. “[Ben] is definitely a hard worker,” Womack said. “With school, I have no idea how he does it. It takes a lot of time to run this business.” Ben Collier said there are always some trees remaining at the season’s end. He said the remaining trees are often sold at discounted prices to be placed along Louisiana’s coastline to help prevent erosion, and some are picked up by people who use them for New Year’s Eve bonfires. “I think it’s a great learning experience for my son, and I’m proud that he’s out there doing it,” Craig Collier said.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]