In today’s world of internet-based businesses, it easier than ever to become an entrepreneur by creating just about anything that can be sold directly to customers online. Just ask Heather Jones BA’01.
Jones and her husband, Tim, have turned a part-time online venture into a growing custom furniture business in Rockwall, Texas.
When she applied to The University of Texas at Dallas in the late 1990s, Jones, who took business classes and was a member of the DECA chapter at South Garland High School, knew that a business administration degree would come in handy if she ever started her own business.
“I really enjoyed my business classes, and the ideas we learned came naturally to me,” she said.
After graduating from UT Dallas, Jones joined the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department doing title work for boat registrations and assisting Texas game wardens with legal work. It was while working there that she and her husband launched THH Creations.
While shopping at a craft show, Jones saw a custom-made, high-end decorative trash can that she wanted to buy as a gift for her mother. She showed it to her husband, and he said he could make it in his shop in the garage. He did, and Jones loved it so much that she decided they could make them to sell.
“It turned out awesome. Tim turned it into a piece of fine furniture that he can make with pine or oak or whatever the customer wants,” she said. “We put them on Etsy.com, and they just took off.”
The couple soon began expanding their line of furniture offerings with Tim, a skilled woodworker, coming up with new ideas for tables, cabinets, chairs, signs and other items. A key to their business is working with clients to customize the furniture to their liking — from offering a variety of woods, trims and decorative add-ons to reproducing existing furniture.
Heather Jones helps by cutting the lumber for each project, painting and applying finishes to the completed furniture, and by handling sales, marketing and customer relations. She said her education at the Naveen Jindal School of Management has been invaluable.
“Everything from my business classes at UTD helps us as a small two-person business — marketing, logistics, dealing with people, understanding costs so we can charge a price that includes all our costs, from materials to shipping,” she said.
“Everything from my business classes at UTD helps us as a small two-person business — marketing, logistics, dealing with people, understanding costs so we can charge a price that includes all our costs, from materials to shipping.”
Heather Jones BA’01
THH Creations quickly outgrew the Etsy platform, and the couple launched a website for THH Creations that saves the business considerable costs.
In 2016, Heather Jones secured a deal to produce 50 wooden Christmas tree displays for a beer and wine distributor to use in area grocery stores. The couple also welcomed a new baby that year, growing their family to four. Jones decided it was time to quit her state job to manage the business full time.
“At first, the risk of not having those job benefits was kind of hard to adjust to,” she said. “But the benefits of starting the business were worth it — like more time with my kids. I’m there for every softball game, every school function.”
The couple continues to expand their offerings and moved the business from their garage to an off-site shop. Jones said they have no plans to open a retail location since THH Creations’ online presence keeps them busy enough. They hope the business’s continued growth will soon allow them to hire a couple of employees to speed up production and prepare furniture for shipping.
Though customers may not meet Jones face-to-face, she said they still appreciate a personal touch and good customer service.
“Tim and I have put our hearts into this,” she said. “We’re making furniture that’s going to last a lifetime, and whenever the customer gets it, and they tell us they’re amazed by it, that makes it worth it.”