Two Atlanta friends turn Christmas tree sales into a $230,000 scholarship business

Two Atlanta friends, Jack Faught and Calder Johnson, started selling Christmas trees from a pickup truck in 2015 to help pay their college expenses. A decade later, their small seasonal venture has grown into a seven-location business that sells thousands of trees during the holiday season and has donated more than $230,000 to community causes. A significant part of the money goes towards college scholarships for students who need help affording higher education. The business has also created seasonal employment opportunities for young people, supported local schools and youth sports programmes, and funded tree-planting initiatives. Their venture has turned a college side hustle into a community-focused enterprise.How two Atlanta friends started selling Christmas treesThe idea took shape in 2015, when Faught and Johnson were 16 and 17 years old and studying at Grady High School, now known as Midtown High School, in Atlanta.The two friends had known each other since first grade and were already working at a Christmas tree lot in Atlanta's Virginia-Highland neighbourhood. While working there, they noticed that customers were paying around $60 for Christmas tree delivery. They saw an ...