Today we’d like to introduce you to Jelissa Thomas.
Hi Jelissa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My entrepreneurship story didn’t start with trucks. It started with a drop in childcare center I opened right before COVID hit. When the pandemic shut everything down, it shut my business down with it. That loss humbled me. I had poured everything I had into that center and watched it disappear in a moment. By 2021, I knew my next move had to be something resilient. Something I could scale. Something that wouldn’t collapse the second the world shifted again. Box trucks were trending, and what grabbed me wasn’t the hype. It was the possibility.
I formed D3 Delivery in 2021 thinking I would hit the ground running. Then reality slapped me in the face. There were zero trucks available to rent nationwide. Not one. So even though I had a registered business, I couldn’t move an inch. That forced pause ended up being a good thing. The market thinned out and it gave me time to figure out where I truly wanted to position myself.
March 2023 was when things finally clicked. I got my hands on a rental truck and went over the road for a few months. Those miles taught me discipline, problem solving, and what transportation really looks like when you’re the one responsible for the freight. After getting that experience, I transitioned into final mile appliance delivery, which gave me stability and space to grow. In 2025, we expanded into residential and commercial moving so we could diversify our income and serve our communities more directly.
My biggest turning point came in 2023 when my dad passed away. I had just driven him to rehab and shared my vision for D3 Delivery in the car, not knowing it would be our last real conversation. Losing him didn’t just break my heart. It reshaped my purpose. It pushed me to build a company that creates opportunities for people rebuilding their lives, especially those in recovery or navigating justice involvement. That mission became just as important as the work.
Today, D3 Delivery is a mission driven transportation and moving company serving the Carolinas. My journey hasn’t been linear. It’s been pivots, setbacks, delays, grief, learning curves, and growth. I built this company as a single mom with a rented truck, a vision, and a determination to not let life stop me twice. Every challenge shaped me into the leader I am now, and every step brought D3 Delivery closer to the company we’re becoming.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road at all. One of the biggest challenges I faced was building a transportation company without owning a single truck. That meant everything I offered ran through subcontractors. When you don’t control the equipment, you don’t control the consistency. Subcontracting comes with its own set of risks. If another company is short staffed, changes their schedule, or decides to pull back, your revenue drops whether you planned for it or not. I had to build a brand and deliver high quality service while relying on resources that weren’t mine, and that level of instability made growth feel almost impossible some days.
I was also dealing with a level of grief I wasn’t prepared for. Trying to run and grow a business while carrying that kind of pain forced me into a strength I never wanted to need. There were days I showed up simply because quitting would’ve meant letting go of the one dream he heard me speak out loud.
And without owning equipment or having deep industry experience at the start, I made expensive mistakes. The kind that hit fast and hard. Bad subcontracting structures, trusting the wrong people, eating losses that weren’t mine to absorb, underpricing jobs, learning regulations the hard way. There were moments where the business felt like it was hanging by a thread and I had to rebuild systems I thought were solid.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth. It’s been unstable subcontracting, heavy grief, financial hits, and learning how to lead in the middle of uncertainty but every challenge made me sharper, tougher, and more intentional. Those struggles shaped the version of D3 Delivery you see today, a company that is resilient, mission driven, and built with the kind of grit you only gain by surviving the hard parts.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about D3 Delivery LLC?
D3 Delivery is a mission driven transportation and moving company serving the Carolinas. We specialize in final mile appliance and furniture delivery, residential and commercial moving, and professional assembly services. On the outside, we look like a logistics company. On the inside, we’re a second chance pipeline.
What sets us apart is that we intentionally hire and train individuals who are justice involved or in recovery. I built this company during a season when I was rebuilding my own life, so I understand what it means to need an opportunity that most people won’t offer. D3 Delivery became the space where work ethic matters more than someone’s past, and where people can earn a living and rebuild their confidence at the same time.
We’re known for professionalism, clean communication, and a level of care customers don’t always expect from a small moving and delivery company. Every job matters to us. Every item is handled with intention. Our teams show up trained, uniformed, and committed to doing the work right the first time. Whether we’re installing appliances, assembling furniture, or completing a full residential move, clients feel the difference the moment we arrive.
Another part of our story that makes us unique is how we started. For a long time, D3 Delivery grew entirely through subcontracting because we didn’t own a truck. That forced us to work smarter, build strong relationships, and earn business through reliability alone. Now we’re transitioning into owning our equipment and expanding our capacity, but the resourcefulness that carried us this far is still at the core of how we operate.
Brand wise, I’m most proud that people trust us. Customers trust us with their homes and their belongings. Employees trust us with their livelihoods. Community partners trust us to show up with integrity. That trust wasn’t given. It was earned move by move and mile by mile.
For readers, the biggest thing to know is this: D3 Delivery isn’t just a moving and delivery company. We are a community centered brand committed to quality, opportunity, and impact. We offer final mile appliance delivery, furniture assembly, residential and commercial moving, and labor only services. Beyond the services, what we provide is a dependable experience and a real chance for people to start over and build something meaningful.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The quality that has carried me the furthest is resilience. Not the cliché version people say lightly, but the kind you earn from surviving real loss, financial strain, delayed progress, and moments when you genuinely wonder if you should start over again. My resilience is what kept D3 Delivery alive when I didn’t own a truck, when subcontracting fell through, when the money got tight, and when my father was killed and I had to keep leading through grief.
Resilience gave me the ability to pivot quickly, to problem solve under pressure, and to rebuild systems that weren’t working without letting pride get in the way. It’s the reason I could study this industry for years before even getting access to equipment. It’s the reason I could take costly mistakes and turn them into strategy. It’s the reason I could expand into final mile and later into moving without a blueprint or mentor.
But resilience also shows up in softer ways. In how I treat my team. In the way I hire people who are rebuilding their lives. In how I stay grounded in my mission even when things get challenging. Resilience taught me not to lead from fear, but from intention.
Another characteristic tied closely to my success is my willingness to be teachable. Transportation is unforgiving. The ego will bankrupt you faster than a bad contract. I learned early that asking questions, double checking everything, and staying open to learning is what keeps you competitive and protected.
If I had to sum it up, my success came from refusing to quit, being willing to learn, and choosing purpose over pride every time. Those qualities turned a paper LLC with no equipment into a real company serving the Carolinas today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.d3-delivery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d3_delivery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/d3delivery
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/d3-delivery-llc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@D3-Delivery
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@d3delivery
