In the city of San Fernando on the outskirts of Los Angeles County sits a family owned window covering company located on First Street by the name of JT Blinds. The story of JT Blinds begins with Steve Tristan and his unusual success story. Started in 2002 initially as a side business to help supplement the income for Steve and his family, JT Blinds has grown in to an established provider for window coverings and screens to a variety of industries such as apartment communities, hotels, construction, commercial and residential markets. Steve Tristan was introduced to the window coverings business fresh out of High School during his days as a weekend party DJ and a re-seller of out of print vinyl records. After applying for an Installation position at a then-leading blind manufacturer Gilmore Enterprises, Steve was able to climb the corporate ladder from an Installer to Customer Service Representative and eventually to Sales and Management, providing the experience needed to form his own company when he made the decision to go out on his own. It’s not every day that you come across an individual who grew up in a poor area of the San Fernando Valley and managed to make himself a success without much help, support or even prior training. Learn a little bit more about Steve and his journey from a DJ to a company President.
I imagine that 20 years ago when you started as an Installer for Gilmore Enterprises, that you didn’t see yourself owning your business and becoming a company President.
Back then, I was just happy to pay the rent with my job but I’ve always had a drive to do “something more.”
Tell me about the formation of JT Blinds.
Everything happens for a reason and I believe that God has a plan for us all and my plan was to be here doing this. When I quit my job, I didn’t want to initially compete against the company I had worked for. I was nervous and a little scared because I had to support my family.
There’s so much competition in the window coverings business. How are you able to make JT Blinds a success in the midst of so many competitors?
By establishing relationships and building a rapport with people, while providing excellent service. I had a lot of relationships out there already when I started JT Blinds. I began focusing on residential work a lot of business came from referrals and word of mouth. I began networking with people without even realizing what networking was back then. I was just being myself and I’d meet people and promote the business anyway that I could. There was this one company that I established a relationship with and they asked me what I needed to get my business going. They ended up helping JT Blinds get off the ground and we were able to move forward. It all goes back to relationships.
I’ve noticed that your company has focused a lot on Home Automation lately.
There are several companies that are helping us with that but the main one is Q-Motion Shades. Their products have an attachable module called Q-Connect that allows your shades to be programmed in to a Home Automated system where everything is tied in all-together; the door locks, heating, air condition and now blinds and shades. There are other brands that we carry which have the same type of systems; it’s just that Q-Motion has the most advanced technology in our industry in my opinion.
What’s your ultimate goal with JT Blinds?
We used to focus primarily on the apartment market but we’ve expanded by going after different markets like residential, construction, tenant improvement, interior designers and facility accounts. We launched product lines for Shutters and Roller Shades and I’m looking to offer more products that would allow for even more opportunities like our Internet venture Best Custom Screens which offers window screens, patio screen doors, security doors and sunscreens. We have big plans for the Internet market in the upcoming future where a lot of our recent leads have come from.
Another goal is to increase the awareness on our PVC recycling program and raise funds for it whether it’s through a private organization or the government. I was a speaker at a seminar at UCLA recently for an Architect and Design class and when I showed them photos of the Pacific Garbage Patch mainly consisting of plastic products, they had a look of shock and surprise. Our company has been trying to encourage people to not throw their PVC blinds away. It’s something that I really believe in and would like to focus more on but it’s hard without the support and finances for it.
This year I was able to work with Hope of the Valley, where we donated blinds to a house built for homeless women and their children. Partnering with Hope of the Valley and organizations like them to serve the community is something that I want to do more. I want to do more with my business than just provide for my family and employees.