Running a tree care company takes more than keeping crews busy and getting work on the schedule. The companies that grow with more stability are often the ones paying close attention to how the business works behind the scenes – from operations and job costing to marketing, customer education and team development. Here, tree care professionals and service providers share practical lessons on building stronger systems, making better decisions and creating a business that can hold up through both busy months and slower seasons.

Chandra Brown, seen here in her role as a site leader and logistics coordinator for the nonprofit Saluting Branches.

Chandra Brown

CM Tree Service

Before joining CM Tree Service, Chandra Brown spent 12 years in financial services. Tree care was new to her, but the need for strong systems, clear priorities and quick decision-making was not.

“My experiences taught me how to manage logistics, prioritize and adapt quickly,” she says, “all of which translate directly into operations.”

Her introduction to tree care began with answering phones and sending invoices. What started as a part-time, seasonal administrative-assistant role eventually grew into a full-time position as the business operations manager. Brown had always enjoyed gardening, though not necessarily trees. But she was eager to learn and better support the company’s production staff, so she pushed herself to understand arboriculture and quickly found her place.

“I found my niche in operations,” she says, “but having the arboriculture foundation has allowed me to build systems that actually work in real-world field conditions – not just on paper.”

That foundation started with listening. The team at CM shared everything they knew so Brown could better understand the challenges crews faced in the field and find operational ways to support them. Industry engagement also became part of that growth. Through TCIA, ISA and events such as TCI EXPO and regional ISA programs, Brown was exposed to different business structures, revenue streams and ways to better understand customer needs.

She also implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), helping CM Tree Service structure its business model around client needs and internal strengths. As the company grew, operations became a central part of how CM evaluated work, set goals and made decisions.

“I’m really encouraged by the increasing focus on operations within the industry, especially within organizations like TCIA,” Brown says. “Field work drives revenue, but operations are what make that work efficient, safe and profitable. Long-term success requires both to be strong and aligned.”

Early on, CM reviewed revenue and expenses quarterly, which helped the company set targets and improve accountability. Minimizing debt also reduced operational stress. Making it a priority to save and pay cash for most equipment has allowed the company to grow with more stability and flexibility.

“Understanding our expected revenue per hour allowed us to evaluate bids more accurately, identifying which jobs were costing us money – and, most important, why.”

Today, weekly sales meetings are used to review backlog, new jobs sold, jobs completed, job efficiency and revenue per man-hour. These metrics help CM respond quickly when issues arise. As a leadership team, they review jobs to understand why expectations were not met and what can be done to improve. That process allows the company to identify trends in real time and make operational adjustments throughout the season.

Costs are watched closely, too. Revenue and expenses are reviewed monthly at the management level, and the team has learned that the more frequently numbers are reviewed, the better.

But Brown says growth is not measured only in revenue, backlog and job efficiency. CM also tracks safety, education and career development. The company’s goal is not simply to give employees jobs, but to give them a path to long-term careers. Investments are made in both machinery and the people who operate it, with a focus on keeping employees on staff long term.

“We also prioritize cross-training, growth and curiosity across all roles,” Brown says. “Culture is equally important – we want our team to genuinely enjoy coming to work. We work hard, but we also make time to celebrate through regular team-appreciation events.”

Skylar and Derek Peterson, founders of Peterson Tree Care.

Derek Peterson

Peterson Tree Care

Derek Peterson was two years old when his father, a lineman, died on the job, a loss that shaped his respect for dangerous work and the importance of safety. Peterson’s own career in tree care began in 2002 with Tree’s Inc., a large utility tree-trimming contractor for Rocky Mountain Power. By 2008, he and his wife, Skylar, had founded Peterson Tree Care in Springville, Utah.

That field experience also led Peterson to develop the Transporter, a Rock Exotica tool carrier designed to help production arborists secure chain saws and other tools while working aloft. That same practical approach that strives for improvement shows up in Peterson’s broader business philosophy: know the work, educate the customer and build a company around quality.

“Quality is our main core value,” he says. “No exception. You get back what you put into your workplace. When you have quality employees, equipment and values, you always win. If you’re honest and hardworking, people will seek you out.”

For Peterson Tree Care, quality starts with knowledgeable arborists – and customers who understand the value of proper tree care. That includes educating clients about Certified Arborists, pruning practices, tree structure and overall tree health. Peterson says that kind of education helps build trust and supports the company’s role as a steward of the landscape.

Quality also depends on hiring and retaining employees who care about the work. “We’ve hired amazing employees who are passionate about the work that they do,” he says. “It not only reflects in the quality of their work, but even how they communicate with our customers, and each other.”

Peterson says strong field work has to be supported by strong business practices. That means knowing the numbers, keeping paperwork in order, paying bills on time and compensating employees well. “Your business is only as good as your paperwork.”

Those habits become especially important in a seasonal market. “It’s a game of numbers,” he explains. “You have to know your costs and what’s required of your company in order to thrive. In Utah, tree work may subside for several months, depending on the weather. You have to plan in advance to cover all costs.”

Peterson Tree Care also uses education to shift some work into slower months. During the busier, warmer months, the company encourages clients who need extensive pruning to schedule that work for winter. “Clients learn about the importance of the dormant season and how it affects tree health.”

For Peterson, that combination of quality, planning and customer education comes back to relationships. “Never forget the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated. Sales are essential, but quality relationships are what fuel that fire.”

His broader advice for business growth comes back to people, leadership and humility.

“To have a successful tree company, there are many working parts. It’s virtually impossible for one person to do it all. My team has invested time, effort and energy into ongoing leadership training. To have a good, solid team is the best way to win this game. But above that, stay humble, and always do what’s right, no matter what.”

Jacob Hastings writes a weekly newsletter called “The Backcut” and hosts the “Stumped Again” podcast.

Jacob Hastings

Growth Ring Media

Jacob Hastings grew up close to the equipment side of tree care. His father spent 41 years in sales at Blue Mountain Equipment in McKinney, Texas, the STIHL distributor serving Texas and Oklahoma, and Hastings started working there as a teenager.

“I started picking parts orders when I was 13, working my way through warehouse operations, shipping and receiving, all of it,” he says. “My brother’s a STIHL territory manager in Tulsa now. We’ve bled orange our whole lives.”

After college, Hastings sold chain saws, climbing saws and arborist gear across the counter at Plano Power Equipment, where he got an inside view of how tree-service operators think about their businesses. He eventually moved into digital marketing specifically for tree care with Growth Ring Media, which has evolved into a weekly newsletter called “The Backcut” and the “Stumped Again” podcast.

Because Hastings had spent years working with tree care professionals on the equipment side, he had a head start when he began helping operators with marketing. Over time, he saw a common problem: On the production side, the industry is sharp. But when it comes to marketing metrics, many companies are working without the same level of precision.

Hastings says tree care professionals need actual data in front of them so they can make better business decisions.

“The first thing I’d tell any operator is to figure out what a customer actually costs to acquire, not what a lead costs,” he says. “Those numbers are usually very different. If you’re getting 50 calls a month from Facebook and 10 from direct mail, Facebook looks like it’s winning. But if those direct-mail calls close into $4,000 removals and the Facebook calls are mostly $500 pruning jobs, your budget is pointed in the wrong direction.”

Hastings’ advice is straightforward. First, segment completed jobs into two groups – more than $2,500 and less than $500. Next, trace each one back to where it came from.

“It doesn’t take long to see which channels are feeding you profitable work – and which ones are just keeping you busy.”

If something isn’t producing results in 90 days, he tells clients to move the money somewhere else. “Too many people stick with a channel that isn’t working because they’re locked into a contract.”

Hastings has also learned that helping owners see where their money is going gets their attention quickly.

“I’ve audited Google Ads accounts for tree-service companies where half the budget was going to clicks that had nothing to do with the services they actually offered. Display ads running on junk websites. Broad-match keywords pulling in searches for ‘cheap tree removal’ when their average job was $2,500. Once an owner can see that in their own account, the conversation changes completely.”

Conclusion

Strong business growth doesn’t come from one tool, one metric or one busy season. It comes from paying attention to the parts of the company that are easiest to overlook when the phones are ringing and crews are in the field.

The lesson for small and growing tree care companies is simple: Don’t try to fix everything at once. Start with the process that is causing the most friction. Track the number you keep guessing at. Look at where the work is coming from, where time is being lost and where better systems could make the business more stable.

Small improvements, made consistently, can change how a company runs. And when the busy season slows, the businesses that have taken time to understand their numbers, support their people and strengthen their systems will be in a better position to keep moving forward.

Edward Morrow combines his knowledge as an accountant, arborist and author to help tree care professionals supercharge their careers. Under the TREE S.T.A.R.S. brand, he develops community urban-forestry programs and helps tree care businesses develop client-retention/engagement programs.