May 9, 2024
Clear Tree
Alex Cannon - Founder & Director
Clear Tree is a tree safety surveying company founded by Alex Cannon in May 2023, which produces tree reports with the client in mind.
The surveys are aimed at the owners or managers of large properties, using technology to innovate the arboriculture industry and make tree reports that are clear and concise for homeowners.
Alex’s business caters towards a niche market in owners of houses valued at over £1 million. He gathers leads from a range of other stakeholders including tree surgeons, horticultural experts, schools, care homes, high-end pubs, groundskeepers or estate managers, and high-end estate agents.
He has over 10 years of experience studying and working with trees, also known as arboriculture, having previously run a profitable tree surgery business for 8 years.
Alex said: “Consultancy was the natural next stage for me, and I felt I had something different to offer. I wanted to pioneer a new way of communicating tree surveys to the layperson than jargon-filled, text-heavy reports, also helping tree surgeons to more consistently and efficiently price work using a Clear Tree survey as a reference,”
For Alex, innovating in what has traditionally been an offline industry is part of what helps him stand out. He has included more modern tech in his consultation, including using QR codes, 360 cameras, drone footage and hyperlinks within text, taking the client to videos explaining visually the work required.
Not long after setting his business up, Alex joined Perch Coworking as a Pro member after being recommended by a peer. He spent months building and perfecting his service before starting to deliver his first reports to clients, one of which was at the former home of an A-list actor, and gained positive reviews.
He went on to commence talks with a leading national property agency and launch his first marketing campaign, paving the way for rapid growth.
Alex said: “It’s made me proud to prove Clear Tree’s concept by getting excellent feedback from clients and tree surgeons alike. One of the earliest reports I delivered highlighted a very hazardous tree that the client was completely unaware of, which helped them to take appropriate action and also justified the importance of having an expert to regularly inspect the large trees around people and property.
“Achieving synergy between the concept, processes and technology required hasn’t been so simple though. It’s taken a lot of long hours of work to get around the development challenges, but I was also able to discuss the concept with experts in software development, IT, marketing and many other fields as a member of Perch, where I had a community of other entrepreneurs at my fingertips.
“The team at Perch, as well as my fellow members, have been simply brilliant - the support and input I’ve received has been invaluable, and I’m extremely grateful.”