Sandcurves

Warning: Dangerous levels of introspection and many warn out adjectives.  I have been working hard today to build a new section to see-namibia.com and hope to have it up and going soon (maybe still tonight), but I am kind of spent.  I have been working solid, sometimes from 6h30 in the morning till past midnight, stopping only for those things that I have to (a tweet or two, water the lawn, food, shower, and the daily outing to pick up the two boys from school, show Esmerelda that I still live). But Esmerelda works crazy hard too - supporting both of us while I try to get Frantic Naturalist to float).

When you are building a company, I think you think long and hard about what you are doing (and if you are going to be able to pay the bills).  But you (or me, at least) get a little nostalgic and think about all the things that brought you to where you are. 

I thought I would call this post "In the bushes with friends" but thought that would give you the wrong idea (smile). I don't want to tell a history lesson, either - I'll bore you with that later.  Just thought I would do a quick summary of where the idea of Frantic Naturalist came from. 

I had some guests in December when I did the two week stint at Sossusvlei (SDL), and when they got on the plane before returning home they asked out the window "Is there any way to contact you?"  I shouted back, "yeah, just Google 'frantic naturalist' and you'll find me. 

Their quick response - "Frantic Naturalist, perfect name for you"

So, Frantic Naturalist has grown on me and fits who I am today (well, when I am not being a geek behind the computer).  I didn't earn that name quickly, it took some time.  I'm not sure if you want to be called Frantic Naturalist, but I love it (as a company name, not to be called that myself.)

But, to get to the point, I didn't really mean that name to be about me.  I have give the name for my company some thought (like 20 years of thought).  I always knew I was going to do something like this.  We chatted about it at school. 

Anyway, I wanted to be clear that the company is not just about nature.  Huh?  Yes, I wanted the company to be about people.  About people who cannot wait to get out in the bush and discover it, understand it, photograph, explore… lovers of nature. 

The name 'Frantic Naturalist' already comes with me for some time - I didn't like 'fanatical naturalist' or 'crazy naturalist'.  I wanted that sense of urgency - like "man, I can't wait to go out on our first game drive..walk...boat trip"

Of course, when it came time to register the domain, it was available, surprise, surprise. I still have the website, frantic-naturalist.com, though the site needs a total re-build. 

Anyway, why this focus on people? It is very simple, the best, best, best experiences of nature I have had, have been experiences I shared with others. 

So these are the people to blame for my wacky company end:

• Past guests (none of whom would likely have found this website, I would guess) - I have been such a lucky person to have taken the most awesome people in the world around the bushes of Namibia.  I have had the most fantastic experience of working with guests that I not so much guide, but rather share this amazing, almost surreal, shared experience of nature.  I am not lying, either.  I have guided some people with slightly less enthusiasm, of course, but mostly it has been the other way.  People get sucked in and we have a great experience.  Of course I have the luxury of having done mainly very upmarket private guiding in the last few years, but really, it is not just those people.  I struck it lucky and have learned so very much.
• People I worked with.  Everyone.  Good or bad, I learned from everyone.  There were some bad, really bad, and I have sat through many a disciplinary hearing as chairman and learned all that side of things too.  But there is very much the other side of it as well.  I have worked with some of the coolest people.  I have had nearly 20 guides work under me over the years - I want all of them back.  I still know many of them today.  My guiding team (that I left at the lodge and trained up) are still there, and still phone me just to chat.  Training teaches you so much.  When you train, you have to be sure your own field knowledge is good.  But it is more than that, you also have to teach new guides to not only tell people stuff, but to share the bush with people.… To create an experience every time you go out.  That is why we did so well with Trip Advisor in those days - and they still continue to do well today. 
  There were also the guys who trained me in the early years.  Very special people. 
• My buddies in my school years and nature conservation studying time.  Thanks to Facebook and the Internet I have been able to get back in touch with many of them, and they still help me out today.  We didn't worry about passion or creating experience… we were to busy having a good one. 
  At school we ran around the Mau escarpment and in the Rift Valley.  My sister told me that our class was known as "bushmen" for years after we had left.  A lot of us enjoyed being out there. 
  At Saasveld it was much the same, except perhaps we knew more of what we were enthusiastic about.  And I started birding for real (or, I started keeping a list).  Our "Africa Club Nights" where discussion was restricted to a few specific topics, were such fun. 
  There have been some special friends since then, like the astronomers.  The last time I was running around the desert was with my buddy Frank, who took many of the pictures I use for my avatars and the great Namtoge video I have on the See Namibia blog.
• Of course, family as well.  My parents are more bush people than me.

So, it's with that cool background, with those cool people, that I am looking forward to building up my little Safari Business.  So, building my new website and starting with just bookings, that is just a stepping stone.  I want to try hard to deal direct as much as possible, without involving other agents, I want to deal with people.  Frantic Naturalist, bushes and friends - that is what I want it to be like. 

Read on...