Establishing any successful small business entails first learning about the business, and it's no different for your tree care business. So what do you have to know first about how much to charge for your tree business? How much money do you have to spend on advertising? What kind of supplies are you going to need to get started?
Every state requires you to obtain a business license before you can legally operate a tree business. A business license is especially important if you want to take on bigger clients or provide a more professional tree care service. Without a business license, most arborists are not allowed to do anything more than trim trees on private property. Some states, like Washington, don't even require a business license for arborists and just require that they have a valid license from the local government. Businesses that are only engaged in trimming trees can also get a license, but there isn't as much of a requirement.
When it comes to actually doing tree business pruning, there are three main types of arborists: licensed tree surgeons, licensed tree cutters, and private individuals who engage in arborist certification programs. Tree surgeons are allowed to make personal pruning decisions. You are not allowed to make any decisions on the branches of your clients' trees. This is because they are allowed to make medical decisions in line with local laws, not tree care standards. Private arborists participate in state certification programs that certify them as experts, but only to show that they have passed specific courses in basic tree care and management.
The second type of tree business specialist is the arborist who does tree trimming work. In order to be licensed in this field, an arborist must have at least a master's degree in tree care and management. There are also some states that require an arborist to have both a tree surgeon's license and a tree care license. In most cases, a tree services arborist is going to have more education and experience than the master arborist.
The last main type of tree business specialist is the tree surgeon or pruning technologist. Tree surgeons and pruning technologists perform invasive procedures such as cutting down big trees that are threatening to cut down other forest trees. They also perform non-invasive procedures such as pulling out termites that have become too big to manage manually.
If you're interested in getting into the tree business, you have several options. However, you want to focus on one area to make sure that you're most successful. It's always a good idea to take a few different approaches. When you have a specialized audience in mind, you'll find that marketing will be a lot easier. Get some good tree service leads online so that you can start promoting today.