What It's About
He climbs sea stacks by the sea shore.
Words of Wisdom
Iain shares some important advice about keeping your expenses low, “if possible, borrow no, or as little, money as you can. Do not rent big premises, don't buy equipment you don't yet need. If it is at all possible, grow organically. Reinvest the money you are making back into your future growth.”
Fun Fact
Humans are not the only ones who enjoy sea stacks! It is very common for migratory birds to settle in for nesting and shelter, since they are often pretty isolated. Other kinds of aquatic life, such as seals, will also sometimes use them as refuge.
Notes from Chris
Episode 1893
Iain Miller has always felt a kinship with the sea. Growing up, he lived in several different coastal towns in Scotland. Naturally, after he went to school, he joined the Merchant Navy as an engineering cadet where he spent the majority of his time on a ship. Over nearly twenty years of service, Ian enjoyed the water, but his love of mountains, climbing and the great outdoors is what kept him sane. Eventually, he moved to Ireland full-time and began to climb its many sea stacks and cliffs. For those who don’t know, sea stacks are large rock towers that stick out of the ocean. They are formed from the continuous pounding of the ocean over thousands of years, and are often fairly inaccessible to get to. However, people like Iain, who’s now been climbing for over thirty years, can safely venture out to these breathtaking landmarks. When he moved to County Donegal, he started to explore some of the unclimbed areas around town. Iain noticed that other people wanted to explore the sea stacks but didn’t have the expertise that he did, so he began to take them along. In 2008, he was involved in the very first ascent of the Croc na Mara sea stack. Iain was getting paid to climb and it was amazing. He began wondering what his life would be like if this was his job. With the many requests he was receiving for guided climbs, he already had confirmation that people valued his services enough to compensate him for it. After that first expedition, he decided to take all of his earnings from it and start a business. He calculated the minimum he needed to earn annually, monthly, and weekly. This gave him a starting point to base the rest of his business around. When he started, he knew that he eventually wanted to make this a full-time gig, so he tried to determine what his prices needed to be to make it a reality. Then, he built a website and registered his new company, called Unique Ascent. It cost about $400 to build his website. He made sure that it was not just an advertisement, but a hub of information. He now charges anywhere from $200 to $500 per day for private guiding. This figure is very dependent upon the nature of the climb. In addition, he usually only takes a single person or a couple of people out at a time. However, with groups he can make up to $1,100 a day. Iain is now the world’s only full-time professional sea stack climber. On average for a year, he earns about €50,000, which is about $56,000 USD, and doesn’t feel the need to increase profits. His motivation is to create enough free time to do more climbing.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Learn more about Iain and his climbing business at his website, UniqueAscent.ie.
- Urban Hiker Climbs to Steep Success in San Francisco: A project manager turns a passion for her city into a substantial side income of $50,000 a year.
- Avid Hikers Step Into Comfy Athletic Socks: While traveling the country in an RV, this couple designs and manufactures their very own hiking socks.
- Graphic Designer Profits from Print on Demand; Quits Job to Hike New Zealand: With zero cost, a graphic designer earns $20,000 and works virtually while hiking the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand.
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