05/17/2026
Lott's A-plus Tree Service People see the trucks, the equipment, the jobs getting done, and think owning a small business is freedom. What they don’t see is the sacrifice behind it all.
The missed family time.
The weekends that aren’t really weekends.
The late nights answering calls while everyone else is asleep.
Being expected to be available for everybody at every hour like a personal butler.
They don’t see the stress of wondering if the equipment will break down tomorrow… or if payroll, insurance, fuel, repairs, and bills will all line up at the same time. They don’t see the money constantly going back into the business instead of your own pocket.
People think you work for yourself, but the truth is sometimes it feels like you work for everyone else.
And through all the exhaustion, all the pressure, all the sacrifices — you keep pushing forward chasing the chance at a better life. Chasing stability. Chasing a dream. All over something the world revolves around… a piece of paper we use to buy things.
Small business owners carry stress most people will never understand. But they still wake up every morning and do it again.
