So you want to be a freelance climber do you?

[mistahbenn]

Interesting thread Adam. Thanks for sharing some of your experiences. I do believe it's different for everyone though....and it's impossible to predict the future how everything will eventually pan out.

 

I was employed for 4 years, and then self employed climber for 21+ to the present. For me the freedom, the experiences, the opportunities, the challenges, the money, completely outweighed any perks that employment had to offer. Paid time off at xmas and stuff....never meant anything to me, comparitively.

 

The key to continuity on my part was to make money for people....and take away their own confidence in their ability. That means constantly evolving and improving ones arsenal. And when you're doing tough jobs everyday, they just become routine. Easy. Whilst if a person only gets a tough job once in a while they're gonna find it a much greater challenge and often take a more cautious and lengthly approach. Interstingly, during many quiet periods when companies don't have much work on, I've found myself really busy....because collectively those companies have only had jobs on the sceduale that suit my skills a lot more than theirs. Just the way it goes sometimes.

 

More recently I've been doing sourcing a lot more if my own work, with a view to phasing out the freelance climbing etc. I've grown tired of salvaging underbid and poorly negotiated jobs; of hearing how hard it all is to run a full tree service. I'm not sure what kind kind of life they lived but clearly people's perception of hardship is quite varied. Work is not exactly falling at my feet right now at this early stage, but it's coming, and gaining. Because I'm hungry. I don't expect anything to be easy. This week I worked 4 days, and finished at 7 - 8 o clock on three of them. Just me, the whole jobs. No helpers. But I've got a pot of money for it. To keep. Feels good.

 

Some times bad life changing stuff happens as had with some members here more recently....and can happen to anyone. But outside of that it really is what you make if it. How you as an individual can impose your self on people and situations.

 

If I could give just 3 pieces of advice to aspiring freelance climbers they would be : always pick the toughest trees on a site. Keep learning and evolving. And always go home with a check at the end of a day or which ever is the last day of the week you work with that company....without exception or excuses.

Reg, you know i get all the bstrd trees here nowadays, never a crane to help, tough economy. Can I come be your 'helper'?

[skyhuck]

you dont need big bucks , just a constant stream of money.

Its always been simple in my mind, just work and keep on working.

forget the pub, nights out, parties, holidays just keep working.

I took a time out from 2007-2011, to spend time with my kids as they were very young, dropped to a few days a week, after that its back to work. i love working, it keeps me sane, and my wife even more so.

Failing has never been an option, what do you do the day after you give up, i still need to pay bills. My bills cant be paid on a climbers wage, debt from mahinery and property has always made me get back out there. And i like nice things.

There has been low points, very stressfull times but they are far outweighed by the good times this job brings.

Its not all about climbing trees, its being able to deal with people and not with some of them even more so.

Good thread Adam, its great to get things out your head and onto the screen and have people relate to your experiences.

 

This post contains many great truths!!! (although I have just returned from treating my bother-in-law to many drinks, as its his birthday and of cause I could not let him drink alone, so my judgment may be unpaired:001_smile:)

 

But IMO Stevie has here nailed many of the things that lead to success in this industry

[RC0]

Reg whilst I agree with most of your excellent post you need to realise that you are in a different league.

 

I wouldn't want any young guns reading this to think that the way to the big bucks was taking on jobs without backup.

 

I doubt those late finishes were hedgecutting!

 

Hope you and family are well mate.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

 

I'm just saying nothing comes easy Mark....but with some self belief and determination, you can do alright. You get to dictate how your future pans out. Climbers, up and comers, don't listen to the naysayers who's paths you might cross. I'm not referring to anyone here of course. But I've worked with a lot of people with agendas over the years....insisting on how tough it gets if you dare to try and better yourself. Liars, most of them. Trying to protect their turf. Pay no attention.

[RC0]

Reg, you know i get all the bstrd trees here nowadays, never a crane to help, tough economy. Can I come be your 'helper'?

Yeah that'd be funny Ben. Dennys for breakfast, and a couple pints at the end of the day. Some tree work in between that.

[MattyF]

I'm just saying nothing comes easy Mark....but with some self belief and determination, you can do alright. You get to dictate how your future pans out. Climbers, up and comers, don't listen to the naysayers who's paths you might cross. I'm not referring to anyone here of course. But I've worked with a lot of people with agendas over the years....insisting on how tough it gets if you dare to try and better yourself. Liars, most of them. Trying to protect their turf. Pay no attention.

 

 

Very true , I think the thing is with Arb work in general though is out of the large proportion of people that start off in the industry very few stay for the end game ... It's bloody hard work and I think you have to have a certain crazy,calculated and maybe even sadistic mentality to progress your self to be any good wether that be pushing your self climbing or dragging the biggest piles of brash and logs you can carry all day, and still have the strength to do a tidy job clearing up job... I think you quickly have to learn the ability to deal with people/customers and smell a rat for the people who won't pay ! When I first started freelancing full time I very quickly learnt who to not work for when cheques balanced and promises were broken, and most of the time I should of trusted my instincts.

[Gray git]

This is an excellent thred and think a few lads I know starting out in this game could do with reading this.

I think the collages are partly to blame for lads thinking freelance or setting up on there own strate away is the fast rought to big bucks fast cars and pritty women but they have sod all experience to fall back on and half, not all I must add still have a student mentalities of start at 9.30, pub by 5 and reality is very different without repeating what others have already said.

If you want to succeed and some do normally with hard graft, long hrs and lots of determination to do it and not be beaten but also a diplomatic side to deal with clients, an ability to sell yourself honestly and learn when to walk away before things go bad.

Total waffle sorry.

Steven were the years out the Gloria years ;-)

Adam, sorry to hear about the house situation, one of my greatest fears to not keep the roof over my children but well done for starting this thred and keeping going.

[Mick Dempsey]

I know what you mean Reg, there's lots of instances of people with all the machinery and lots of work who moan about the difficulty of the admin/dealing with clients and how they don't make any money and were so much happier as climbers with no worries. It's largely blather.

I don't blame them for it, in ten years if you are super successful it's unlikely you'll be telling your most productive climber to start out on his own, you may even find yourself giving the tales of woe yourself!

Edited May 30, 2015 by Mick Dempsey

[Taupotreeman]

Well, I set up on my own in 2007 because there was no other option. I spent 4 years living on the bones of my arse and was slightly more fortunate than some in that I was able to keep the mortgage manager at bay.......just. It soon became apparent that there just wasn't enough work to go around and when you're competing with the likes of lawn mowing outfits, handy men etc along with the bigger tree companies, it's bloody hard work. I'm fortunate now that I have a full time job but am still able to run my own business but I'll happily state that it's not as easy as it looks and there's most definitely more to it that just climbing trees everyday. I know a few who have set up and only realised once the bills start mounting, exactly what it takes to go it alone.

[Tom D]

There are two important things to consider, for a real subby climber, you need to be good, the real deal, able to deal with any tree that your client presents you with. The other thing is you need to be in the right area. I think many parts of the uk just don't have the work and therefore the tree firms to justify the existence of a full time subby.

 

One final point if you are a subby who does his own jobs there is always the risk you will get less work as your clients may see you as a threat to their business.

[skyhuck]

There are two important things to consider, for a real subby climber, you need to be good, the real deal, able to deal with any tree that your client presents you with. The other thing is you need to be in the right area. I think many parts of the uk just don't have the work and therefore the tree firms to justify the existence of a full time subby.

 

One final point if you are a subby who does his own jobs there is always the risk you will get less work as your clients may see you as a threat to their business.

 

Very true