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.

Pricing & Profit

Jan 4, 2026

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

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

•

6 min read

The 9 Numbers

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

Jacob Hastings

Nov 30, 2025

•

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

•

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

•

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

You'd Never Let a Ground Guy "Try Stuff" With a Saw

Nov 23, 2025

•

5 min read

You'd Never Let a Ground Guy "Try Stuff" With a Saw

So why are you doing it with your ad account? | The Backcut Issue #30

Jacob Hastings

You Can't Market Better Than You Lead Yourself

Nov 22, 2025

•

5 min read

You Can't Market Better Than You Lead Yourself

How straight-line leadership turns reactive marketing into reliable revenue | The Backcut Issue #29

Jacob Hastings

Your Customers Already Wrote Your Best Ads

Nov 20, 2025

•

5 min read

Your Customers Already Wrote Your Best Ads

Why your ad copy sounds generic and how to fix it with words they already said | The Backcut Issue #28

Jacob Hastings

They Didn't Forget They Need Tree Work. They Forgot About You.

Nov 16, 2025

•

5 min read

They Didn't Forget They Need Tree Work. They Forgot About You.

Why remarketing costs $5/day and converts better than chasing cold leads | The Backcut Issue #27

Jacob Hastings

Nov 15, 2025

•

6 min read

The 93-Cent Customer

How losing money on every sale built a $21 million business | The Backcut Issue #26

Jacob Hastings

Nov 13, 2025

•

6 min read

The System Problem

You're not overwhelmed - You're the system | The Backcut Issue #25

Jacob Hastings

Nov 9, 2025

•

7 min read

The Backcut Issue #24

Sharpen your thinking. Drop the bs. Grow your business.

Jacob Hastings