Behind the Bark
If It’s Not Repeatable, It’s Not a Business - It’s a Job.
A lot of guys hit $20K+ months, then stall out.
Not because they’re bad at the work.
Because they never built a repeatable system to get the work.
You’re wearing every hat: quoting, cutting, billing, posting pictures, answering calls.
You’re exhausted, but you tell yourself it’s just a busy week.
Truth is… every week looks like this.
That’s not a business. That’s a job with no boss and no boundaries.
Real businesses grow when systems take over what owners let go of.
Limb of the Week
Your Systems Are Your Safety Ropes
In tree work, you'd never send a guy up without a rope and a plan.
So why are you running your business without one?
Here’s what no one tells you:
The crew that hits consistent growth isn’t the best at the work… they’re the best at repeating the work without breaking down.
That means:
A booking system that weeds out tire-kickers.
A follow-up process that gets reviews without begging.
A pricing model that doesn’t need to be re-explained every time.
Ads and site pages that bring in the right customers on autopilot.
It’s not sexy.
You don’t need more hustle. You need a machine.
Don’t wait until you’re burned out and buried in missed calls to fix your systems.
Fix them before your growth becomes your biggest risk.
Sawdust
💬 [Tool] Pre-set your voicemail to auto-text a link to your quote form using a tool like PhoneSites or GoHighLevel. This alone can cut price-shoppers in half.
📘 [Book] The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber: a must-read. Your tree business is not just a job you gave yourself. It’s even free if you listen to the audio version!
🔧 [Fix] Your Google profile doesn’t just need info - it needs confidence. Customers don’t want “Tree Work LLC.” They want to see that you’re the crew who gets it done.
Kickback
Follow-Up Isn’t Everything - But It’s a Lot
Sometimes you lose a job because the other guy was cheaper.
But most of the time? You never had a chance.
Why?
Because they forgot about you. Or they never heard from you again. Or you made it hard to say yes.
Even if you’re not the cheapest, being the easiest to book puts you back in the running.
The right system doesn’t guarantee every win, but without one, you're not even in the game.
Want us to look at your marketing and show you how to get an extra 3–5 jobs per week?
Refundable if it's not worth 10x that. All you have to do is ask.
Written by Jacob Hastings
Head of Growth & Client Strategy at Growth Ring Media
