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The question behind Ostix The idea behind Ostix did not begin with marketing. It began with a simpler question: Why do so many service industries remain unstable even when the underlying need is obvious? Firms work hard, the need is real enough, yet margins stay thin, teams are hard to hold together, and competition repeatedly collapses back toward price. Arboriculture was one starting point, but the same pattern appears in landscaping, building maintenance, exterior cleaning

Why marketing became the upstream lever For a long time, my work focused on labour shortages in arboriculture and other service industries. More recently, that focus has shifted toward marketing. From the outside, this can look like a change in direction. In reality, it reflects a necessary transition driven by the same underlying problem, examined from a different point in the system. This article traces that transition. It explains why labour initially appeared to be the bi

Many service businesses are busy again. Phones are ringing, crews are out working, and diaries look full. In stark contrast to just a few months ago, demand appears to have returned. Yet despite this apparent recovery, a common sentiment persists among owners: margins remain thin, stress is high, and the work itself feels harder than it used to. This disconnect is often attributed to external factors such as tougher customers, lingering economic uncertainty, or rising costs.

Many marketing efforts fail at the point where a decision should happen. People are already looking and comparing options, already trying to decide, yet enquiries feel inconsistent, conversions feel fragile, and marketing effort feels heavier than it should. Activity increases, dashboards look busy, and still the sense remains that something fundamental is not working as it should. The usual diagnosis is a lack of awareness, and the usual response is to produce more content,

One of the most persistent ideas in marketing is that awareness is always the first goal. If more people know you exist, the thinking goes, more people will eventually buy. This assumption sits quietly underneath brand campaigns, content calendars, social strategies, and long-term “top of funnel” investments. For some types of demand, this is broadly true, but for need-driven businesses, it often is not. The problem is not that awareness has no value. It is that awareness is

If a marketing strategy has been framed around the wrong kind of demand and implemented through the wrong channels, the final layer of confusion tends to arrive through measurement. At this point, businesses are no longer just doing the wrong work; they are using the wrong signals to decide whether that work is effective. Dashboards look reassuring, numbers move, reports fill up, progress appears measurable, yet despite all of this apparent activity, revenue remains volatile,

Most businesses do not think they have a marketing strategy problem; they think they have an execution problem. They believe, and are often told, the issue is consistency, creativity, budget, or commitment. They assume that if they posted more often, refined their messaging, ran better ads, or finally “did LinkedIn properly”, results would follow. So they stay busy. They publish, optimise, tweak, and experiment. Activity increases, but outcomes remain stubbornly flat. What of

Most marketing strategies begin in the wrong place. They start with channels, tactics, tools, or content ideas, but skip a more fundamental question that quietly determines whether any of that work will make sense in the real world. Namely, is demand for this product or service primarily driven by interest, or is it triggered by need? This distinction is often overlooked, yet the consequences of missing it are severe. When a strategy is designed for the wrong type of demand,

Introduction Skill shortages in industries like arboriculture are often dismissed as simple wage issues. However, experience and broader economic analysis reveal that incremental wage increases alone rarely resolve persistent shortages. Workers today seek not only competitive wages but also stability and a pathway to long-term financial security. Historically, structured career paths and reliable employment conditions encouraged individuals to invest in their trades and build

This article was written as an accompanying piece to a talk delivered at the National Arboriculture Conference held at Aotea Centre in late 2024. It expands on the themes discussed in that presentation. Introduction Throughout human history, collaboration has been a cornerstone of our greatest achievements. The ability to work together, pool knowledge, and coordinate actions has propelled societies forward, enabling us to overcome complex challenges and achieve success in var

A summary of research into labour shortages in the New Zealand arboriculture industry Introduction Across New Zealand’s arboriculture industry, a familiar complaint is often heard. Skilled arborists are difficult to find. Business owners frequently report that experienced climbers and crew leaders are in short supply, while industry organisations regularly highlight labour shortages as one of the sector’s most pressing challenges. At first glance the issue appears straightfor