EP# 365: From Firewood To Full-Service: Building A Trusted Tree Company

Need more than a quick cut and a pile of brush left behind? We sit down with CJ Bible, owner-operator of Xpert Xteriors Tree Service in Rogersville, Tennessee, for a candid look at what safe, professional tree care really requires—and why the cheapest quote can become the most expensive mistake. CJ opens up about launching his company in 2019, pressing through the uncertainty of 2020, and building a reputation anchored in safety, patience, and respect for the property and the people who live on it.

We get specific about how professional arbor work protects your home: controlled removals inches from power lines and roofs, trimming techniques that keep trees healthy, and storm cleanup that restores access without tearing up your yard. CJ walks through the real costs behind a reputable crew—insurance, training, and the judgment to slow down before something goes wrong. He also shares the ground rules he lives by: everyone goes home safe, no rushing the job, and leave the site cleaner than you found it.

You’ll also hear the human side of a local business that thrives on relationships. CJ talks about raising two sons, weekends on the water, junior football in Rogersville, and how clients become neighbors who offer coffee and breakfast because they know he’ll take care of their property. If you’ve ever wondered how to vet a tree service, what to do when a limb hits your roof at 2 a.m., or why thoughtful cleanup matters as much as the cut, this conversation offers practical answers and local insight.

If you’re in East Tennessee and need trimming, removal, or 24/7 emergency help, CJ makes it simple: call or text directly for a free quote and straight talk from the owner. Enjoy the episode, then subscribe, share with a neighbor, and leave a review to help more locals find reliable tree care.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Skip Marty.

SPEAKER_02 (00:12):
Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Good Neighbor
Podcast of East Tennessee andWestern North Carolina.
So today I am super excited tohave somebody in our studio for
the first time and uh really uhexcited to learn all about them
and what they do.
And if you're in need of anykind of tree service, you may be
in luck.
One's closer than you think.
Because today I have thepleasure of introducing your

(00:32):
good neighbor, Mr.
CJ Bible, who is the owneroperator of Expert Exteriors.
CJ, welcome to the show.
Thank you, sir.
We appreciate the opportunity.
Well, we're thrilled to haveyou.
Like I said, excited to learnall about you and your business.
So why don't you kick us off bytelling us about Expert
Exteriors?

SPEAKER_01 (00:49):
Absolutely.
Uh my business is ExpertExteriors Tree Service.
We're based out of Rogersville,Tennessee.
Um we serve all of EastTennessee.
Um, we specialize in safeprofessional tree search tree
care, um, removal, trimming,storm cleanup, just overall,
anything to do with trees, wegot you covered.

SPEAKER_02 (01:10):
There you go.
Well, uh very interesting.
Uh uh, how did you get startedin the tree business?

SPEAKER_01 (01:19):
I've always enjoyed being outside and working with
my hands pretty much.
Um, I grew up cutting firewoodand stuff, and then after seeing
a need for this service, youknow, in my area that was more
honest, dependable, and customerfocused, I decided to start a
tree service for myself.
Real small, you know, just meand a whole lot of hard work and

(01:39):
determination.
Word word of mouth goes a longway in a small town, you know.
All right.
So, CJ, how long have you beenin business?
About five years for myself.
Um Wow.
Yeah.
It's it's it's it's definitelytook some patience and and you
know, sometimes it sometimesit's a lot of worry, but at the

(02:00):
same time, I wouldn't trade itfor anything else.
Once I went in business formyself, I I you know, no offense
to anybody else, but I likeworking for myself.
Yep.

SPEAKER_02 (02:10):
Amen, brother.
Me too.
It's hard to go back.
It's hard and it's it's not easyto start a business, but man,
it's very rewarding.
Can be very misconceptions inthe tree industry?

SPEAKER_01 (02:22):
One misconception would be that tree work is just
going out here and cutting atree down.
It it's there's a lot more toit, you know.
I mean, you could get hurt in areal, real quick manner if you
don't know what you got goingon.
Um, it definitely takes a littlebit of skill and knowledge, you
know, especially when you'renear people's houses or power
lines, or you know, you neverknow.

(02:43):
Uh you know, it's just one ofthose things.
And then another misconceptionwould be that the cheapest guy
weighs the best.
You know, people always theythink, well, I'll go the cheaper
route, but in reality, whatyou're paying for there is
you're paying for your you know,knowledge, insurance, um
experience.

(03:05):
Um, and what we do is we alwaysfocus on doing the job safely.
You know, at the end of the day,everybody goes home.
And, you know, another thing isprofessionally, we don't get in
no hurry because getting in ahurry, you make mistakes.

SPEAKER_02 (03:21):
Absolutely.
And that's what you're payingfor is to make sure that don't
happen.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
So um you obviously work a lotof hours.
Uh tough job, but veryrewarding.
If if there is any downtime, uh,what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_01 (03:39):
Uh well, when I'm not cutting trees or running
equipment, most of the time I'mspending time with my two sons.
Uh we love getting outdoorswhenever we can, you know, just
we go fishing, catfishing.
Um, we love getting out, youknow, getting just outside,
period.
You know, exploring, just beingin the woods, you know, running

(04:01):
this business keeps me prettybusy, like you said.
So the moments that I get tospend with my kids, you know, is
uh it's just slowing down andmaking memories outside.
That's what really keeps megrounded, I guess you could say.
Amen, brother.

SPEAKER_02 (04:14):
And you live in a beautiful place for it, too.

SPEAKER_01 (04:17):
Yeah, and then football keeps us pretty covered
up, too.
They play for the junior chiefshere in Rogersville.
It's they're it's basically thesame thing as Cherokee, but
they're the uh they're thelittle brothers to Cherokee
football.
Gotcha, gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 (04:31):
Very cool.
That's a lot of fun, too.
A lot of fun to watch.
Yeah, keeps us pretty busy.

SPEAKER_01 (04:36):
I mean it's you know, three days a week, you
know, is a is a lot to justswallow the task of trying to
work and keep everything goingat home and then running with
that.
That's it's a lot.

SPEAKER_02 (04:49):
I wouldn't trade it though.
Amen, brother.
Well, um, let's look here for asecond.
Can you describe a hardship or alife challenge, either
professionally or personally,that you've overcome and how it
made you stronger when you cameout the other side?

SPEAKER_01 (05:03):
Well, pretty much uh I guess one of the biggest
challenges I ever faced withstarting my business in 2019
with no safety net, noguarantees, I just put
everything that I had intolaunching Expert Exteriors Tree
Service.
You know, my time, my money, myfaith that it would grow.
And then, you know, in 2020COVID hit and the world just

(05:24):
kind of just shut down.
Um, jobs slowed up, and peoplewere scared to even let someone
come out on their property togive them an estimate, you know.
And that that scared me prettygood, but you know, I just kept
my head down and worked everyday we could work.
And then I guess looking backthough, the early struggles that

(05:46):
did they didn't break us,though.
They didn't break the business,they built it, they built it.
Um, they made me stronger, mademy company stronger, and made
every step forward mean thatmuch more if you know what I'm
saying.

SPEAKER_02 (05:58):
Absolutely.
And here you are five yearslater.
I mean, congratulations, by theway.

SPEAKER_01 (06:02):
I appreciate it.
Thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_02 (06:04):
Nothing to sneeze at.
Five years for sure.
Well, if uh CJ, if you couldthink of one thing that you'd
like our our listeners andviewers to remember about expert
exterior tree service, whatwould that be?

SPEAKER_01 (06:19):
Uh I wish people knew how much pride we take in
every job that we do.
Um we're not the company thatrushes in and just cuts a tree
down and leaves a mess.
Um we're careful.
Um we try to be real respectfulof the property, and you know,
we go the extra mile to makesure the customer feels taken
care of from start to finish.

(06:40):
You know, we're not in we're notin it for or I mean we're in it
for the long-term relationships,not just one job.
Like, you know, I've I've gotrepeat customers, you would be,
you know, and they know me justkind of like family now, you
know.
They they they offer to make youbreakfast, sandwiches, coffee,
whatever, and you know, I tryto, you know, that means a lot,

(07:02):
you know.
They respect you when they'reoffering you food.

SPEAKER_02 (07:05):
Absolutely, absolutely.
And that's just that's good oldsouthern people too.
So that's a good thing.
Well, if um CJ, if we gotsomebody listening that, you
know, they've had the tree comedown, they need to take a tree
down, they've got some work theyneed to do, just trim it up and
and are interested and wouldlike to learn more.

(07:26):
How can they do that?

SPEAKER_01 (07:28):
Uh, I mean, the best way to reach us pretty much is
through Facebook, through myFacebook page or by phone.
Um, my phone number is423-500-8549.

SPEAKER_02 (07:41):
Very good.
So Facebook or or your phone, orjust or give you a call.

SPEAKER_01 (07:44):
Um just give me a call, shoot me a text, that kind
of thing, or uh, you know,pretty much I'm easy to get a
hold of.
Just look me up.
It's X Expert Exterior.
Starts with the next.
Both both of them do.
A lot of people get it confused.
We do emergency work too.
So I mean, if you ever have atree, you've got some kind of
emergency situation you need outof the driveways, got you

(08:07):
blocked in, or you've gotsomething up that landed on the
house.
Hope things like that don'thappen, but it does happen, you
know.
So pretty much just shoot us amessage, give us a call 24 hours
a day, seven days a week.
You call me, we'll come out, getyou a free quote, check out what
you got going on.
If we can help, we'll be glad todo it.

SPEAKER_02 (08:27):
Awesome.
Well, I love the fact that whenI call a number for a business,
I get I talk to the man.
So that that's that's that'syeah.

SPEAKER_01 (08:34):
There's there's nobody answers my phone other
than me.
So that's a good thing.
I love it.

SPEAKER_02 (08:40):
I love it.
Very good.
Well, CJ, I really appreciateyou taking time out of your busy
schedule to uh come talk to usabout yourself and and the
expert uh exteriors treeservice, and we wish you and
your family and all your clientsall the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 (08:57):
Yes, sir, and I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 (09:01):
You too, and uh maybe we can have you back on
the show sometime.

SPEAKER_01 (09:05):
Yes, sir.
Be glad to be glad to anytime.
All right, appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 (09:09):
Have a great evening.

SPEAKER_01 (09:10):
Yes, sir, you too.

SPEAKER_00 (09:12):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on the
show, go to GNP Tri Dash Citiesdot com.
That's GNP Tri Dash Cities dotcom or call four two two two two
two two two two two two threeseven one nine five eight seven
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