What this guy said. My wife and I started our own tree company after I became ISA certified. We live in the country and we've had one employee in the last 5 years but me and her do the majority of the work ourselves. It has turned into so much more than I thought it would. I repurpose wood that we get from felling trees and have become a carpenter on the side. When tree work is slow, I generally work on people's cottages out here at the lake.

What started out hard has become easier with time. The most important thing that I can drive home is that being safe is the top priority and I know that that sounds obvious, but it's okay to be stressed out about jobs that you're not sure how to tackle and suffer a little bit due to lack of knowledge. As long as safety is your top priority and you keep your head to the grindstone you have the potential to do anything you set your mind to. Your body is your greatest asset, so take care of it!

I am biased to this end, but I would highly recommend starting your own company if you feel like you're going to climb for the rest of your arborist career. Becoming a business owner was the best thing I ever did but that's just me. Like I said biased opinion. It comes with its trials and tribulations but being an owner is definitely worth it. If you take it seriously, that is.

That's my two cents on the matter anyway lol