Level Up Your Tree Service with Internal Core Values

Originally published in Ontario Arborist, an ISA Ontario Chapter publication April/May 2026

Why Creating Internal Core Values Will Level Up Your Tree Service

When it comes to building a strong business, you have to build a strong foundation. The unfortunate part? Building the foundation isn’t usually very “fun.” It’s not researching trucks and chippers. It’s not buying new gear. The foundation is determining your purpose statement, your mission, your vision, and your strategic plan. But most importantly, it’s defining your internal core values. This is the part most businesses skip, and skipping it will hold you back from reaching your greatest potential.

What Are Internal Core Values?

Internal core values are the beliefs and guiding principles that shape your company’s identity and behavior. They steer internal decision-making and ultimately help you and your team reach your mission and vision. They are so much more than something to throw on your website because someone told you to. They are created so that you and your team have a clear guide for how your business operates. Core values define how your team treats each other, how you treat clients, how decisions are made, and what is acceptable, or not acceptable, within your company. When everyone understands the values, everyone moves in the same direction.

How Do You Create Core Values?

There are many ways to create core values, but the most important thing is that you don’t do it alone in your office. Core values should be developed in collaboration with your team. The goal is to define principles that reflect your company’s desired behavior and culture, not just the owner’s preferences.

Start by identifying the behaviors you appreciate on your team, the practices that lead to efficient and successful projects, the attitudes that strengthen client relationships, and the characteristics of employees who have thrived in your company. Be prepared for honest and sometimes vulnerable conversations.

Involve your team through surveys or group discussions. Ask open-ended questions and gather as many ideas as possible. Then group similar themes together and narrow them down to three to five core values that will guide your company’s long-term success. Under each value, write a clear, simple definition that explains how it applies to day-to-day work. If your team cannot explain what the value means in practical terms, it is too vague.

You can also look to your best clients and employees, both past and present, for clues. Choose five people you genuinely enjoy working with and ask what motivated them to work with you, what they value most about your company, and what keeps them coming back. Patterns will begin to emerge. They may value communication, trust your expertise, appreciate your reliability, or respect your safety standards. Those patterns often reveal the core values you are already applying.

How Core Values Help You Find Your Ideal Client

Core values act as a filter. When you are clear on what you stand for, you naturally attract clients who respect and appreciate the way you do business. You also become more confident saying no to clients who do not align with your standards. Instead of chasing every job, you build relationships with like-minded clients - clients who value communication, safety, professionalism, or long-term partnerships, depending on your values. That alignment reduces friction, improves project flow, increases retention, and makes the work more enjoyable for your entire team.

How Core Values Help You Hire, Fire, and Keep Your Best Team Members

Clear core values make hiring easier. When you know what behaviors matter most, you can hire based on alignment, not just skill. Skills can be trained, but values are much harder to change. Core values also give you a framework for accountability. If someone isn’t meeting expectations, you’re not just saying, “This isn’t working.” You can point back to a specific value and show how behavior is not aligned. For example, if one of your values is “We communicate clearly and respectfully,” you now have a measurable standard. Values also improve retention. Team members want to know what they’re part of. They want clarity and consistency. When your company operates according to clear principles, it creates trust. Hire for values, fire for misalignment, and promote and reward for living the values.

How Do You Implement Your Core Values?

Creating core values is only step one. To truly level up your business, your core values need to be visible and actionable. Use them in your recruitment process to attract the right people. Review them during onboarding with every new hire, discuss them in team meetings, use them in performance reviews, recognize team members when they demonstrate a value, and use them in your decision-making process. They should show up in how you promote people, resolve conflict, and evaluate success. If they’re framed on a wall but never talked about, they won’t change anything.

How Core Values Can Break Down

Determining and implementing your core values will take time - but undoing them can happen in the blink of an eye. All it takes is management not following the same rules or ignoring when team members are not living the values. The tricky part is ensuring management isn’t pushing the core values on the team. The key is to create the right environment and let your team thrive, ultimately building a strong culture.

How Often Should You Review Your Core Values?

Your core values should be reviewed at least once a year. As your business grows, your team changes, and your vision evolves, your values may need tweaking. That doesn’t mean completely rewriting them every year. It means checking in to make sure they still reflect who you are and where you are going. A great time to review them is during your annual strategic planning session in the slow season. Ask yourself: Are we living these values? Are they clear? Do they still support our mission and long-term vision?

When your core values are clear, lived day to day, and reviewed regularly, they stop being words on paper and start becoming your North Star when navigating your business. They help you measure and manage, hire and fire, and guide your team toward success.

Tracy Logan is the founder of Optimized Solutions, a coaching and consulting company that helps trades business owners, especially arborists, landscapers, and contractors, build efficient, scalable companies. With over 18 years of experience starting, scaling and selling a successful tree service business, Tracy now supports others in getting organized, streamlining operations, and building strong systems to drive sustainable growth. Find her on Instagram at @bizcoachtracy or her website at optimizedsolutions.ca