Guiding question…
- This topic has 14 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated Dec 21, 2007 at 2:30 pm by
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So I started working at/guiding for a fly shop about 30minutes from my home. Before this I worked building homes and cabinets and part time at a different fly shop that has since gone out of business. I also guided for this shop which is almost an hour away from this new shop. I have old clients that would still like to book with me as well as some clients that are sent my way by another guide of this old shop. I told my new boss that I would be doing this guiding on my own free time and when I’m not booked with HIS clients – he acted like I was screwing him and said that he thought this would be a conflict of interest! He would like to have me somehow bring my old clients to his store and have them book through his store and told me that he and I could then “work out a little deal” as far as what I make. Am I missing something? My previous clients aren’t from this twon nor do they even know about this other shop! I’m not poaching my new shop’s customers and I DON”T solicit shop customers for MY guiding! I work at this new shop part time. Anyone have any opinions? If I’m screwing up, please, someone tell me.
So does working for a fly shop require me to surrender my OLD clients to the new shop? What if my clients are from out of town and nowhere near the new shop? Do I just tell them “Sorry, I can’t guide you anymore because I work for another shop.”
I can see both sides of this. You have the existing relationship and don’t see why you should surrender a cut to the new shop. The shop is worried that you’ll be soliciting business on your own. You might eventually walk away from them, too, taking their existing clients away from them. You won’t be available when they need you.
I think both positions are reasonable. The question is how do you deal with it. In business it helps to lay out terms clearly on paper so everyone understands the terms and what happens if an arrangement doesn’t work out. In other words, you need a non-compete agreement. So I’ll throw a few suggestions at the wall and see what sticks:
1) Agree that you will charge existing clients the same rate the store charges them. This gives you a higher margin on those customers, and it doesn’t create price competition for the store.
2) Agree that your existing clients will remain yours and can book through you directly.
3) If you leave the store, you won’t solicit clients introduced to you through the store for 3(?) years. You may guide them if the client approaches you unsolicited.
4) The store agrees that they will solicit your clients for the same period. They may guide them if if the client approaches them unsolicited.You will have to make some sort of compromise on scheduling. The store wants their clients booked first. Your clients should be able to book in a reasonable time. This conflict is tougher. If you aren’t able to give the store the time they need on the dates they want, they will probably find someone else who can. Maybe you do it only on your days off.
Creating an agreement and then living by it will be hard and complicated. You have to decide whether it’s worth the hassle of going through this. How many clients are you talking about, and how much of your profit would you be giving to the shop? Is that offset by additional business from the shop? If the store can keep you fully booked, then it may not be worthwhile. Having them act as your agent and keeping you working is powerful stuff. If the store can’t keep you busy, then it may be worth maintaining your own book of business.
My two bits, hope it helps! Of course, free advice is worth every penny….
J.B. I am not quite sure how the whole guide thing works where you are at but here in Montana guides can only guide under an outfitter. An outfitter must sign your license and is basically responsible for how you conduct yourself when you are out guide. If you as the guide screw up you could get your outfitter fined or even get his license taken away. So to make it worth the outfitters time he gets a cut from EVERY trip that guide makes. For instance, I guide exclusively for Rock Creek Cattle Co. and my outfitters fly shop is 85 miles away. He does nothing to set me up with my clients. They are all booked through the ranch I work for. But he gets a cut of every trip I make. Without him I could not guide so I have no problem giving him his cut.
I think I would try to work out something fair for the both of you. I think that really you only have something to gain by doing that.
Joel
do you have your own guiding bussiness? If so your employer should know this as presumably you used your experience to get you the job and he shouldn’t be complaining.
Unless you have a standing relationship with the owner of the shop and this was understood from the beginning, I don’t think that is a fair deal. If I were in his situation, I would frown on it and ask you to go your way or my way.
Do you have liability insurance to take out customers on your own? If not, you are asking for trouble taking people out on your own… If for no other reason let your new shop book the trip(s)…
There should be a win win out there for both of you…I dont think the shop owner rates a cut of the guide fee on clients you brought to the table, but you should probably agree to charge your clients the same as a trip booked through the shop, meet them at the shop for licenses and some gear before a trip..any clients he brings to you, you should be willing to share the fee. Cheers.
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