To Market or to Not

Hi all! This is my first post, so I would like to introduce myself before diving in. My name is James Benedetto, and I am an arborist and tree care company owner out of Columbus, Ohio. My company's name is Arborist Solutions, and we have been in business since May of 2019. We haven't quite eclipsed the $1 million mark yet, but we have come close.

This post is not to tell you how to run your business; everyone's aspirations are different. In 2019, our dream was to become the best tree care company in the history of the world. By 2020, we realized that business isn't just about your own dream; it's about doing what clients and tree owners want. Then, around 2023, things clicked: we realized we can have our dream if we make it our clients' dream, too.

So, how does this relate to marketing? Having a clear vision and picking your end goal will dictate what marketing, if any, you should do. If you are willing to do anything someone will pay for, you will want to market aggressively. But if you want to pick and choose the work you do, selective marketing, or even no marketing, might be the better route.

As an arborist, winters get slow every year. However, this past winter, we kept a normal workload the entire season. It wasn't because of expensive Google Ads, flyers, or a lead machine. We stayed busy simply by using Jobber's Marketing Suite ($1,000/year) and relying on a strong clientele we've built trust with over the last few years. In fact, we haven't paid for any ads outside of Jobber since 2024. Right now, we are booking consultations (just the consultations, not even the work) into the first week of May.

We help make our clients' dreams come true by aligning their goals with our own focus on tree preservation and health. This means we don't have to guess how our clients think because we educate them to think more like us. If you just do whatever a client tells you to do, how can they rely on you for professional, honest advice? If you meet with a client who wants to preserve their trees at any cost, and then their neighbor hires you to clear-cut their lot, what does that do to your image?

You can't work for everyone, and honestly, realizing that is the absolute best thing you can do for your business.

So, if you want to grow to be the next Asplundh, market hard and do whatever pays. But if you want to be the expert in your field, pick a specialty and fly!