06/16/2026
They think you cut trees...
They don't know about the calculations you run in your head before you put a guy on a rope.
The exact angle of the lean, the tie-in point, where the houses are, where the kids ride bikes, and whether the homeowner is the kind who'll wander into the drop zone if you don't lock the gate.
They don't know about the call you took at 11pm and you were the only outfit who'd answer the phone.
And they have no idea that the bid you walked away, the one your competitor took for less, was going to hurt somebody.
They think it's chainsaws.
You know what it actually is.
So does every owner in this country still running a real shop, doing real work, holding a real line.
There aren't that many of you.
Most of you don't know each other.
You should.
The other guys, you don't even count them.
They'll be gone in 2 storm seasons.
The standard you hold is the most expensive thing in your business...
Insurance.
Real training.
Great equipment.
Pay scales that keep your employees around.
Time off when a guy's wife is sick.
The bid you don't lowball because you can't run the job safely at that number.
It's also the most valuable thing you own.
And it's the one thing nobody at any business conference, any trade show, any marketing agency, any PE buyer's diligence call will ever know how to put a number on.
