The Living Christmas Company was a Christmas tree renting service in California. The product was designed by Scott Martin, who felt that Christmas trees often went to waste after the holiday. He decided that a holiday rental service was better than buying a plastic Christmas tree or trying to source one from a farm.
The rental service came with a unique type of service. It was brought by a team of people dressed as elves for delivery and pick up. The Living Christmas Company rented out potted trees so that the trees could be planted and taken care of until next December.
Although Martin’s idea was innovative, before coming to Shark Tank, he’d only managed $150,000 through his sales and was looking for an investment to expand production and sales. The rental fee was the primary source of profit for Martin.
Are They Still an Active Company?
Yes, The Living Christmas Company is currently active and in business.
How Did the Shark Tank Pitch Go?
Martin initially came to Shark Tank with an ask of $150,000 for a 30% stake in his company. He dressed as Santa for the pitch and started by sharing the concept behind the company. He started by sharing the story of how he was once responsible for selling Christmas trees, and only then did he notice that these trees were dumped after Christmas.
He decided to revolutionize the Christmas tree-buying industry. The main selling point of The Living Christmas Company was that it was environmentally friendly for preventing the wastage of Christmas trees after the holidays.
The team of elves mainly included military veterans, and each tree had a different name. This meant that families could rent the same tree every year. Martin added that he planned on using the investment to expand his company’s capital and infrastructure.
Then it was time for the Sharks to respond. Robert pressed for sales first, which he learned was at $100-200. Both he and Barbara were disappointed by this price point because disposable trees already sold at this rate. Daymond didn’t feel that the experience of delivery through elves was a good enough alternative to picking out a tree with your family.
Kevin was the first to step out officially. Daymond followed this, who cited the faulty business model and the unexpected costs Martin hadn’t considered. He added that too much cost was involved with the maintenance of trees.
After this, Robert and Barbara stepped out too because they didn’t see the potential for mass production in the company. Even after four years of running the business, Barbara was mainly concerned with the low $33,000 annual profit.
Martin managed to convince Mark Cuban at this stage by sharing that turning waste into profit was a cost-effective way of running his company. He stressed that the company provided jobs to military veterans, who otherwise struggle with employment. After agreeing on a specific number of jobs that Martin would generate, Mark offered $15,000 for a 40% stake in the company.
Martin agreed. Overall, The Living Christmas Company Shark Tank review was positive and left with a good deal. After his success at Shark Tank, Martin expanded the labour team to hire more veterans actively. The company is still in business. They also effectively managed to generate half a million in revenue since the investment.
Our Review of The Living Christmas Company
We decided to try out The Living Christmas Tree Company for ourselves to see what the process of renting Christmas trees was like.
The good news is that the company helps people figure out where to keep their trees after Christmas and saves on tree waste. In the time between Christmas holidays, the trees can be replanted in the wild.
The fact that the trees are pot-grown means that they don’t require fertilizer in order to stay healthy. You can have a real Christmas tree instead of an artificial one without cutting one down. The service is entertaining and renting on the website is a simple process.
The bad news is that the cost of renting is more than the cost of buying a durable artificial Christmas tree.
Pros of The Living Christmas Company
- Good service
- Environmentally friendly
- Waste-prevention
- No maintenance required
Cons of The Living Christmas Company
- Expensive rental service
Who Is The Living Christmas Company for?
The Living Christmas Company is targeted at families who celebrate Christmas but don’t want to buy a fresh tree or throw it away after the holidays. It’s also a fun service meant to entertain children through the ‘elves’ who deliver the tree.
Are There Any Alternatives?
While the idea of having a rented Christmas tree that’s environment-friendly is innovative, most people might still prefer to buy a plastic Christmas tree as opposed to going through the hassle of renting.
That’s why National Tree Company Artificial Christmas Tree is still a good alternative to The Living Christmas Company’s rented trees. Not only can the Christmas tree be re-used every year, saving on the money that would’ve been spent on rental service, but it’s also designed to prevent allergic reactions to pine and is fire-resistant, making it durable.
On top of this, the tree is well-designed with artificial snow dust on the branches and it comes pre-decorated with ornaments and pinecones, saving you the trouble of decorating a tree from scratch, especially if you have a busy lifestyle.
Our Final Thoughts
The Living Christmas Company is a good option for people who are interested in living an environment-friendly lifestyle while supporting the livelihoods of veteran soldiers.
It’s a simple service that gives an elevated experience of Christmas by simulating holiday narratives and having people dressed as elves deliver the trees. It’s intended to prevent people from buying a new tree each year.
Regardless, artificial Christmas trees are much cheaper and long-lasting in comparison.
