Trenton Delivers Focuses On Trustworthiness, Friendliness, And Community

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

When entrepreneurial-minded people notice a problem or need where their passion could be put to use, they often jump into action. That’s the story of how Jessica Bowman and her husband, Joel, decided to launch Trenton Delivers this April.

The need in the community was for a delivery service that handled shopping lists, gifts, and a variety of other items in addition to food. The problem was that DoorDash stopped paying drivers adequate wages. Bowman’s passion is in supporting local businesses, helping the community, and doing it all with a friendly smile.

Bowman and Joel grew up on the other side of Lookout Mountain in Lafayette. After living in High Point, N.C. for a while, they moved closer to home in 2016, but this time in Trenton.

Bowman reflected, “I always wanted to move out of Lafayette. I thought, ‘There’s nothing here. I’m going to live in a big city.’ But we moved to Dade County, and we feel like we’re at home here for the first time ever. I’ve embraced the people, and they’ve embraced me.”

While in High Point, Bowman started working in social media marketing and growth management. This gave her a thorough knowledge of how small businesses can grow with social media, which led to her starting a small business in 2021 called Grow Up Trenton which provided social media/marketing services for small businesses.

To supplement her entrepreneurial efforts, she began driving for DoorDash because it offered her the flexibility needed to work other jobs and care for family members. However, while she started out making $7.50 (before tips) per delivery, DoorDash lowered the base driver pay over the years until it reached $2.00 per delivery this spring. Drivers use their own vehicles and are not compensated for fuel or wear and tear and tips are not guaranteed, making the low pay especially unreasonable.

Bowman said, “You have to become very selective. Accepting every delivery would mean driving orders all the way to Alabama just to earn $2.” However, to keep getting offered delivery jobs, drivers must have a high acceptance rate.

Added to that, DoorDashers don’t know how many orders there will be in any given time frame. She explained, “It’s very much a gamble. You can sit in Trenton for two hours waiting for delivery orders, and you might make $200 or $20.”

Compounding these problems, DoorDash charges restaurants to be on the app and adds service fees to orders, meaning the customer pays more but neither restaurants nor drivers benefit from that money. Once customers have paid for all of this, they must choose to tip the drivers.

Bowman started a Facebook group for DoorDashers in the area because she noticed other drivers in stores and restaurants picking up deliveries, but they didn’t talk to each other. “I felt like we needed a network community,” she said.

Because of this leadership step, DoorDashers came to Bowman when the pay dropped to $2 per delivery, asking her what to do. Bowman had no plans to start a delivery service. She was focusing on writing a book and considering another small business idea at the time, but hearing from the other drivers pushed her to take a different step.

In early April, Bowman started Trenton Delivers. The goal is to be able to hire other drivers, providing an alternative employment option for current DoorDashers, but right now, Bowman and Joel are the primary drivers. The Bowmans are both gig workers with a number of other side jobs, some remote and some in person, which allows them to invest their time in Trenton Delivers.

By setting fees based on time and distance, Trenton Delivers guarantees that drivers are paid at least $1 per mile and keep all tips. Tips are encouraged, but not required. Customers pay exactly what the restaurant charges plus a delivery fee and the optional tip.

Bowman reported that most deliveries in Trenton cost about $5, but she’s had customers pay close to $30 due to being far away from town.

The small business faces some difficulties, such as the lack of balance created by dead periods with no orders and busy mealtimes with multiple deliveries. There’s not enough demand yet for a full team of drivers, but sometimes, there’s too much demand to be met by just two drivers.

Bowman explained that customers place orders directly through restaurants and schedule a delivery online at trentondelivers.com. For things like grocery lists and other items, these can be entered on the Trenton Delivers site. Bowman confirms scheduled deliveries via text, and payments are made with cash or through Venmo or Cash App.

Bowman said that it can take customers a time or two to adjust to the system, but she’s available to answer questions and help customers.

Bowman has also delivered produce from a produce stand, a bouquet and cupcakes for a birthday surprise, and tied balloons to a fence for a graduation surprise. Special occasions and fun surprises like this are her favorite part of the job.

Trenton Delivers can only deliver alcohol within Georgia, and Bowman is currently researching laws about tobacco and products like CBD oil. Large items are considered/priced on a case-by-case basis. Bowman also has dreams of one day adding a rideshare branch to Trenton Delivers. She said, “That is a service I get asked about all the time.”

As a local small business itself, Trenton Delivers hopes to help keep money circulating within the Dade County area and bring awareness to local businesses. Bowman sees delivery service as a way to spread the word about local businesses. She explained, “I can say, ‘I know exactly what you need because I go to this store all the time.’ I have a better connection to the stores because of the delivery. I have a heart for entrepreneurship and people who have a dream. The more we can lift each other up, the better everybody’s going to do. Let me be your megaphone.”

The Bowmans know that small business ventures are not easy, but this hasn’t deterred them. They are very thankful for the people in the community who came alongside the fledgling venture. For example, a local business encouraged Trenton Delivers to join the Alliance for Dade, but the expense wasn’t one that fit into the budget. However, someone in the community sponsored the company to be a member of the Alliance.

Bowman said, “That person has been an angel to us. They also helped us with a couple of other things, like getting our booking system and website.” Being part of the Alliance has proved helpful thus far, leading to exposure and connections.

Also, a moment of crisis became a moment of thankfulness when the Bowmans’ previous vehicle (a necessity for a delivery service) broke down. A customer offered to sell the Bowmans her Jeep Liberty at an affordable price and with a payment plan. Bowman said, “She’s a very kind person. I’m very thankful for the community, because we couldn’t have done this by ourselves. Something always happens to make it where we can keep doing this. It’s been an exercise in faith.”

Because she finds joy in giving gifts and acts of service, Bowman incorporated service into Trenton Delivers’ business model. She connected with North Georgia Worship Center to help deliver some of the church’s Friday food boxes for free. She is open to other opportunities to serve the community through the business.

Customers can visit trentondelivers.com, call or text 423-682-4484, or message the “Trenton Delivers” Facebook page.