Tree Surgeon's Podcast with Henri Ghijben

Henri Ghijben
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Welcome to The Tree Surgeon's Podcast, your go-to resource for everything related to the tree surgery business! Join us as we delve into the world of arboriculture, sharing expert insights, success stories, and practical advice to help you grow your tree surgery business. Tune in to learn from industry leaders, stay updated on the latest trends, and take your business to new heights!

  1. Aug 4

    S2 | E6Arborists Don't Grow on Trees — Nick Pott on Why You Can't Find Staff

    Nick Pott has spent thirty years watching tree surgery firms fail to hire, from both sides of the problem. He ran his own company through the late nineties, back when finding a climber meant £700 in trade magazine adverts and blokes turning up to interview with spikes on. Then he built Arbjobs, the first industry-specific job board in arboriculture. Ask a room of tree surgery business owners what's holding them back and seven or eight out of ten say finding staff. This episode is about why, and how much of it we do to ourselves. Nick spent a full day with the Tree Surgeons Mastermind before we recorded, going through members' real job adverts and explaining why they weren't working. A lot of that came into the conversation. We cover why the person you want already has a job and isn't looking, why keeping a bad apple costs you three or four people instead of one, what six years of salary data says about where wages have really gone, why the best team leader on a site is usually the one on the deck, and why there are only around two hundred arborists within twenty miles of wherever you're standing. Find Nick at https://www.arbjobs.com, including a free recruitment guide for employers built on thirty years of hiring. 🎓 3-Day Business Transformation Course → https://tsbauk.co.uk/3-day-course-page 🤝 Tree Surgeons Mastermind (100+ members) → https://tsbauk.co.uk/mastermind-join 🌳 HRG Tree Surgeons, get a quote → https://www.hrgtreesurgeons.co.uk/

  2. Jul 23

    S2 | EP5 Company Culture Is Your Only Real Competitive Advantage

    In this episode, Henri breaks down why he believes company culture is the single biggest competitive advantage any tree care business can have, bigger than kit, pricing, or marketing. Drawing on 18 years of running HRG, Henri walks through the mistakes he made early on (including employing friends), the two-year stretch where staff morale scores collapsed from over 80% to under 30%, and what it actually took to rebuild trust with his team. He also shares how HRG's stand-down days and quarterly staff surveys work in practice, and makes the case for why the old "hard boss" style of management is losing ground to a more human approach. Want monthly accountability, systems and direct support from me? Join 40+ tree surgery business owners inside the Tree Surgeons Mastermind. tsbauk.co.uk/mastermind-join Want to sort your sales, marketing, operations, finances and mindset in 3 days? My Business Transformation Course covers all of it.S2E5 tsbauk.co.uk/3-day-course-page

  3. Jun 30

    S2 | EP4 Mastermind Members Q&A

    This week I did something different. No guest, just me answering nine questions sent in by our mastermind group, the real questions tree surgery business owners have been quietly sitting on. Kit, cash flow, scale, profit, imposter syndrome, even whether my own addictive personality has actually helped the business. Nine honest answers, no script, no guest to hide behind. In this episode: Tom: the one thing Henri wishes he'd known starting out. Davy: imposter syndrome on bigger or more complex jobs. Alistair: buying kit, hiring kit, and the £10/£100/£1,000 task exercise. Chris: where the profit should actually go. Mark: when scale stops being the driving force. Alfie: managing cash flow on bigger contracts. Ben Harding: the moment things started clicking, and finding his "whos." Isaac: addictive personality as a business asset.   Want monthly accountability, systems and direct support from me? Join 40+ tree surgery business owners inside the Tree Surgeons Mastermind. tsbauk.co.uk/mastermind-join Want to sort your sales, marketing, operations, finances and mindset in 3 days? My Business Transformation Course covers all of it. tsbauk.co.uk/3-day-course-page

  4. Jun 16

    S2 EP3: Building a Business, Losing It All and What Comes Next | Lee Morris

    Lee Morris built Morris Arb from scratch after the 2008 financial crisis, scaled it to 24 direct staff and had £2.5 million of rail work on the pipeline heading into 2025. Most of it never materialised. I sat down with Lee after a full mastermind day where he came in as guest mentor to share his story. We go through the whole journey: how the business grew, the toxic debt that started stacking during COVID, the machinery that sat collecting dust, the safety stand downs that bled the cash position dry, and the decision fatigue that makes it almost impossible to make the right calls when you're running on empty. Lee now works with Geo Access on the principal contractor side, bringing everything he learned as a supplier into that role. His biggest takeaway, and mine too, is straightforward: bank your cash and protect it. New episodes fortnightly covering the real day to day of running a seven-figure arb firm. 🎓 3-Day Business Transformation Course, 14–16 July 2026 → https://tsbauk.co.uk/3-day-course-page 🤝 Tree Surgeons Mastermind, 100+ members → https://tsbauk.co.uk/mastermind-join 🌳 HRG Tree Surgeons → https://www.hrgtreesurgeons.co.uk/

    S2 EP3: Building a Business, Losing It All and What Comes Next | Lee Morris

  5. Jun 9

    S2 EP2: 5am Starts, Six Teams and How I Actually Run HRG Tree Surgeons

    Five to six teams. Twenty staff. Based between Winchester and Southampton. This episode is a look inside how HRG Tree Surgeons actually runs day to day, and what my life looks like directing it. I cover my morning routine, why I started taking it seriously a few years ago and what changed when I did. I also walk through the management team, Mike who has been with me sixteen years, Sonia in the office and my wife handling the finances, and why each of those roles is worth more than most business owners realise until they are drowning without them. If your business still runs through you for everything, this one is worth a listen. New episodes fortnightly covering the real day to day of running a seven figure arb firm. 🎓 Ready to work on your business, not just in it? 3-Day Business Transformation Course, 14–16 July 2026. 👉 https://tsbauk.co.uk/3-day-course-page 🤝 Monthly accountability, proven systems and direct support from Henri. Join the Tree Surgeons Mastermind, 100+ members. 👉 https://tsbauk.co.uk/mastermind-join 🌳 Need tree surgery in Hampshire or surrounding areas? HRG Tree Surgeons, get a quote. 👉 https://www.hrgtreesurgeons.co.uk/

    S2 EP2: 5am Starts, Six Teams and How I Actually Run HRG Tree Surgeons

  6. May 26

    S2 | EP1 Henri Ghijben's Story: No GCSEs, a Business That Failed & £1.6M Turnover | The Relaunch

    Tree Surgeon's Podcast with Henri Ghijben

    S2 | EP1 Henri Ghijben's Story: No GCSEs, a Business That Failed & £1.6M Turnover | The Relaunch

  7. 12/16/2025

    Ep 18 Stop Breaking Your Back - Use Machinery to Scale Your Tree Business

    Struggling to grow your tree surgery business? Join our Mastermind & Coaching Waitlist to be the first to know about upcoming business growth opportunities designed to help you gain more time, increase profit, and build a business that works for you! https://info.treesurgeonsbusinessacademy.co.uk/mastermindwaitlist – Join our free Facebook community to network with other tree surgeons, get valuable answers to your questions, and connect with professionals focused on growing their businesses! https://www.facebook.com/groups/treesurgeonbusinessowners – Tired of grinding out week-long takedowns with a crew of three and a pickup? In this episode, Henri dives deep into the real cost of doing everything by hand — and why hiring in machinery could be the smartest move you make for your business and your body. From cranes to chippers, loaders to tractors, discover how the best in the game are increasing efficiency, profit, and quality of life without owning a yard full of kit. Whether you're a one-man band or running multiple crews, this one will shift how you think about time, pricing, and smart scaling. Key Takeaways: 🚀 Why hiring machinery can double your profits — and halve your burnout 🚀 The false economy of filling the diary just to stay busy 🚀 How to price jobs for efficiency, not effort 🚀 Real examples of jobs won by being smarter, not cheaper 🚀 The mindset shift every growing tree surgery business needs 🚀 How sales and marketing free you from race-to-the-bottom pricing - Connect with the host:  Website: http://tsba.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treesurgeonsbusinessacademy/ ; https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/treesurgeonbusinessowners LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben – This episode is sponsored by Greenline Arb (GLA) - a powerful digital platform created by tree surgeons, aimed at taking the stress out of tree work. Focussing on the main pain points in the game, such as; finding tip sites, connecting workers with employers, responding to emergency situations and locating services that are required to run a tree company. Green Line is allowing professionals to operate with more freedom. Solving multiple problems in one fell swoop. Download the app today or check out the website for more information. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/greenline-arb/id6448873784 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greenlinearbapp&hl=en_US&pli=1 Website: https://www.greenlinearb.com/

  8. 12/02/2025

    Ep 17 Tree Surgery Business Planning: How I Grew Net Profit from 20% to 33%

    Struggling to grow your tree surgery business? Join our Mastermind & Coaching Waitlist to be the first to know about upcoming business growth opportunities designed to help you gain more time, increase profit, and build a business that works for you! https://info.treesurgeonsbusinessacademy.co.uk/mastermindwaitlist – Join our free Facebook community to network with other tree surgeons, get valuable answers to your questions, and connect with professionals focused on growing their businesses! https://www.facebook.com/groups/treesurgeonbusinessowners – In this solo episode of the Tree Surgeons Podcast, I open up about the journey behind HRG Tree Surgeons' most successful year to date — boosting our net profit from 20% to 33%. I share practical insights on how planning and setting clear business goals transformed my business and personal life. If you're a UK-based tree surgeon who feels stuck, overworked, or underpaid, this episode is for you. We'll explore: Why planning matters — even if it's just on the back of a f*g packet How to start with the end goal in mind Turning your "default mode" time into growth time Common mistakes tree surgeons make when growing their business Real talk on profit margins, sales, teams, and tools Why being great on the tools isn't enough — and how to become a better business owner An invite to our free live business planning workshop on December 2nd Whether you're a one-man band or running multiple teams, this is a no-BS look at what it takes to build a business that works for you, not one you're stuck working for. - Connect with the host:  Website: http://tsba.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treesurgeonsbusinessacademy/ ; https://www.instagram.com/henrighijben/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/treesurgeonbusinessowners LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-ghijben – This episode is sponsored by Greenline Arb (GLA) - a powerful digital platform created by tree surgeons, aimed at taking the stress out of tree work. Focussing on the main pain points in the game, such as; finding tip sites, connecting workers with employers, responding to emergency situations and locating services that are required to run a tree company. Green Line is allowing professionals to operate with more freedom. Solving multiple problems in one fell swoop. Download the app today or check out the website for more information. App Store: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/greenline-arb/id6448873784 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greenlinearbapp&hl=en_US&pli=1 Website: https://www.greenlinearb.com/

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Welcome to The Tree Surgeon's Podcast, your go-to resource for everything related to the tree surgery business! Join us as we delve into the world of arboriculture, sharing expert insights, success stories, and practical advice to help you grow your tree surgery business. Tune in to learn from industry leaders, stay updated on the latest trends, and take your business to new heights!

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