No More Hobby

I’m fairly sure that one of the key skills you need when starting a business is the ability to ‘bluff’ – to pretend you know something that in reality you have no clue about, but equally to have the resourcefulness to be able to find the answers.

When I started Brighton Reticulation in 2008 I knew a bit about Retic but there was a hell of a lot I had no clue about – and ironically it’s only now that I realize just how much I didn’t know… If I knew then how much I didn’t know I might never have given it a whirl. In the first few months of work I relied on persistence, logic and the occasional call to the staff at Total Eden to bale me out when I was stumped. It got me thru.

But then I did start off doing it as a hobby with nothing to lose… I was having fun and wasnt too concerned if work came in or if things were quiet, but things have changed.

It was only this week that I actually acknowledged it. I have always seen Retic and turf as something I would do for a few years, but would drop once I got bored. But this week as I upgraded my trailer I realised this has got pretty serious… I needed a new trailer to fit all my stuff on. A trencher, a compacter, lawn leveller, wheelbarrow etc.

When I started I had a couple of shovels which I tossed in the back of the car and a handful of parts. Now I’m a mobile retic shop and refuse to use substandard tools.

Ok this isn’t a hobby any more…

So what is it?

I don’t see myself as a retic and turf bloke, but that is what I do. I guess I am still getting used to being a blue collar worker after so long in a white collar world. It’s been a gradual shift in my sense of identity and while I don’t want to feel bound to ‘Retic and turf’ I do need to acknowledge that I could be doing this for another 10 years if I play it smart.

If you’d told me 10 years ago that I would be doing manual labour for a crust I would have laughed you off. I hated getting my hands dirty and I was infamous for my lack of handyman skills.

But here I am now. It’s not a hobby any more… It’s a… I struggle to find the word. A business?…

Yep, but it’s more than that.

A passion?…

Hmmm… Probably stretching the definition of the word, but I do enjoy it a heap and live the freedom of being my own boss.

A job? Nope. I don’t like the thought of just doing something for the financial reward.

An adventure… I guess this is the word I would choose because it just keeps unfolding in ways that I don’t expect. I keep learning and discovering as I go and yet I never feel like I can say ‘made it’.

I guess that’s why I’m still going. A hobby is fun – and adventure is fun, but in a different way.

The last few weeks I have been filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the shape my life takes. Working hard on a cool sunny day, interacting with interesting people, doing a damn good job and seeing people happy, lunching by the beach, getting home early, being paid well for my efforts… I could go on… But I’m a fortunate man.

I’ve had some dark moments in the last few months as I have wondered where life is headed but right now I think it’s ‘more of the same’ and I’ve got to say I’m pretty happy about that.

My email signature has a quote from Helen Keller that says ‘life is a daring adventure or nothing at all’ and I guess I am feeling the adventure quotient on the rise again. That’s gotta make you joyful!

One thought on “No More Hobby

  1. Hi Andrew,

    Thanks for your reflections. It is interesting to hear the story of someone who just found themselves a labourer and enjoys it. I feel the same gratitude for the adventure that is my work too. Thanks again,

    Harry

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