Jacob Hastings

Jacob Hastings writes The Backcut and leads Growth & Client Strategy at Growth Ring Media. He started on the sales floor of a tree gear shop, talking every day with climbers, owners, and estimators about the jobs they were trying to win. Now he works with tree services across the country on ads, lead quality, and pricing so they can stay booked with the right work—not just any work.

Operations & Systems

What Happens To Your Tree Company If You Disappear For 30 Days?

Feb 21, 2026

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8 min read

What Happens To Your Tree Company If You Disappear For 30 Days?

Your business can't outgrow the person running it. Here's the math. | The Backcut Issue #55

Jacob Hastings

Google/Maps

The 10-minute test that predicts what city to expand into next

Feb 14, 2026

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8 min read

The 10-minute test that predicts what city to expand into next

One free Google search tells you if a city is wide open, a fair fight, or a dogfight to avoid. | The Backcut Issue #54

Jacob Hastings

Pricing & Profit

The Overhead Math Most Tree Services Get Wrong

Feb 7, 2026

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6 min read

The Overhead Math Most Tree Services Get Wrong

You're busy. But are you actually profitable? (Here's how to know) | The Backcut Issue #53

Jacob Hastings

Lead Generation

How to Track Every Marketing Dollar, Even the "Untrackable" Ones

Jan 31, 2026

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7 min read

How to Track Every Marketing Dollar, Even the "Untrackable" Ones

The answer to “Did this ad work?" or “Is XYZ ad network worth it?”| The Backcut Issue #52

Jacob Hastings

Intake Forms & Sales Process

A Website That Prints Trust (So Your Ads Actually Book Jobs)

Jan 24, 2026

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6 min read

A Website That Prints Trust (So Your Ads Actually Book Jobs)

The 5 pages that turn paid clicks into booked estimates | The Backcut Issue #51

Jacob Hastings

Operations & Systems

The Site Safety Plan That Wins Better Buyers

Jan 17, 2026

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6 min read

The Site Safety Plan That Wins Better Buyers

The 1-page scope that protects margin and filters bad buyers | The Backcut Issue #50

Jacob Hastings

Operations & Systems

Why “just using cell phones” is costing you booked jobs

Jan 10, 2026

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4 min read

Why “just using cell phones” is costing you booked jobs

The hidden admin tax that caps your booked work | The Backcut Issue #49

Jacob Hastings

Pricing & Profit

Jan 4, 2026

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4 min read

The $500 Guy Beat You on Paper

How to win hazardous removals without cutting your price | The Backcut Issue #48

Jacob Hastings

Ads, Tracking & Data Feedback

Jan 3, 2026

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3 min read

The Cost-Per-Job Scoreboard

Why cost per lead misleads and how to stop flying blind | The Backcut Issue #47

Jacob Hastings

Lead Generation

Jan 2, 2026

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3 min read

The Google Leak Switches

3 hidden settings that quietly turn buyers into tire-kickers | The Backcut Issue #46

Jacob Hastings

Lead Generation

Dec 28, 2025

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4 min read

The Good Neighbor Protocol

How to build local trust that ads can’t buy | The Backcut Issue #45

Jacob Hastings

Pricing & Profit

Dec 27, 2025

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5 min read

Stop Quoting Trees. Start Diagnosing.

The 6-step framework to close bigger jobs | The Backcut Issue #44

Jacob Hastings

Lead Generation

The Google Stack + The Estimate Graveyard

Dec 26, 2025

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4 min read

The Google Stack + The Estimate Graveyard

Two Leaks Killing Your Close Rate | The Backcut Issue #43

Jacob Hastings

Lead Generation

Dec 21, 2025

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4 min read

Turn Every Job Site Into a Lead Magnet

A simple crew-to-customer photo pipeline that keeps your marketing consistent without extra man-power. | The Backcut Issue #42

Jacob Hastings

Lead Generation

Dec 20, 2025

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5 min read

The 3-Text Review Engine

Turn happy customers into next month’s calendar | The Backcut Issue #41

Jacob Hastings

Operations & Systems

Are you accidentally paying customers to use your equipment?

Dec 18, 2025

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6 min read

Are you accidentally paying customers to use your equipment?

The math behind overhead, equipment rates, and profitable minimums | The Backcut Issue #40

Jacob Hastings

Ads, Tracking & Data Feedback

Dec 14, 2025

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5 min read

Prequalify Your Leads Before You Drive

One form question that kills tire-kicker estimates | The Backcut Issue #39

Jacob Hastings

Lead Generation

What's actually getting you jobs right now?

Dec 13, 2025

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3 min read

What's actually getting you jobs right now?

Real-world marketing intel from tree service owners | The Backcut Issue #38

Jacob Hastings

Commercial Tree Work

Dec 11, 2025

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7 min read

Uncle Sam Has Tree Work

How to win six-figure city, county, and school contracts for your tree service | The Backcut Issue #37

Jacob Hastings

The Local App Tree Guys Are Sleeping On (For Now)

Dec 7, 2025

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5 min read

The Local App Tree Guys Are Sleeping On (For Now)

Most tree guys have never heard of this app (and the leads are cheaper than Facebook) | The Backcut Issue #36

Jacob Hastings

Dec 6, 2025

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6 min read

The Winning Bid

Why your process is costing you jobs (and how to fix it) | The Backcut Issue #35

Jacob Hastings

Dec 4, 2025

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6 min read

The 9 Numbers

The metrics between you and doubling your revenue | The Backcut Issue #34

Jacob Hastings

Nov 30, 2025

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6 min read

The Untrackable Advantage

Why the tree services winning long-term aren't obsessing over clicks | The Backcut Issue #33

Jacob Hastings

Nov 29, 2025

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5 min read

The $150 Champagne Campaign

How to steal a $19k marketing strategy with a Sharpie and a stamp | The Backcut Issue #32

Jacob Hastings

Nov 28, 2025

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5 min read

The Best-Kept Secret in Town

Why the guy with worse skills is booked out while you're staring at an empty Thursday | The Backcut Issue #31

Jacob Hastings