Alright, new thoughts and some progress. Back to work today after two weeks of vacation, and I could manage about four and a half hours before I had enough of the heat and thorns and went home.
I have thought about what it is that bothers me about the job, and there isn't much I can do about it. The major part of what I do is what I have begun to actually hate doing - garden maintenance. Thorns, heat, physical exhaustion, rain and f-ing roses. And working alone while doing it. There are other parts of what I do that are way, way more fun - woodworking projects, tree climbing, plantings, risk assessments on trees and that kind of thing. More competition or low demand or both in those areas, and so they have remained minor parts of my repertoire the seven seasons since I went self-employed, despite repeated attempts to expand them. There is loads of demand in hardscaping (patios and the like), but that is a no-go, way too physically demanding, I gave it up as of last year.
But, as I am now officially as of last week in my mid-forties, the physical aspect of things needs to get turned down a few notches anyway. Enter the new development: Apparently there is a huge demand for competent project coordinators in my area of expertise on a freelance basis, primarily working for landscape architects, but also for larger landscaping companies and private individuals. That looks like a pretty good challenge, and one that I'm qualified and experienced enough for. An acquaintance of mine is a landscape architect himself, and we're going to discuss a strategy over beers soon. On to the next thing, should be exciting!
I did look into taking an apprentice on, and I don't meet requirements. Although I'm a trades master (the definition of being qualified to have an apprentice), my company is too small according to regulations. Oh well, not surprised, Ordnung muss sein.
