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Roddy has been flying his Dad’s hot air balloons for years and has earned his commercial licence and worked his way up to Director of the British School of Ballooning. He also set up his own digital agency and talks us through the hurdles he’s faced in both of these persuits, as well as some advice for anyone who fancies flying hot air balloons or starting their own business!

A bit about Roddy

Name: Roddy Scaife
Job: Creative Director at Adaptive Consultancy and Pilot & Director at the British School of Ballooning
Bio: During the week you will find roddy focusing on his passion for eCommerce and web design up in london. And on the weekend, flying hot air balloons over the tree tops of West Sussex.
You can find him online:
Tiwtter: @adaptivetweets

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?
Monday to Friday I am Creative Director for my digital marketing agency Adaptive, managing web projects and dealing with clients.

But at the weekends you can find me flying hot air balloons for the company my dad set up over 20 years ago and of which I’m also a director, the British School of Ballooning (BSB).

WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I love that Adaptive is a small business and that I can see the end results of all the hard work we put in. Seeing something through from beginning to end is very satisfying

Giving someone their first experience of riding in a hot air balloon always makes me feel great – definitely one of the perks of the job.

HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
I am a true believer that it makes no difference where you went to Uni or what degree you got. What matters is the experience you get, the contacts you make and your performance.

In terms of ballooning, it’s a lot of work to become a qualified pilot. You have to firstly get your Private licence for which you need to have completed 16 hours of flying time, pass five theory exams and a practical exam. The next is your Commercial licence so that you can work as a pilot and for this you need an additional minimum 75 hours flying time and to pass another five theory exams.

The main difficulty with getting on in ballooning is the cost. It’s a big investment, but I’d recommend looking for people to sponsor you to learn. At the BSB we sometimes support young people who want to learn. Additionally, there are a lot of ballooning enthusiasts who are often willing to help by taking you up for your initial 16 hours flying time.

WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST HURDLES YOU FACED IN GETTING THERE?
As above, the biggest hurdles in learning ballooning is the cost. In terms of starting my own business, I would say the biggest hurdle is generating new business and getting yourself respected in the industry.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE TRYING TO FOLLOW A SIMILAR CAREER?
When trying to generate business for a new company, I would always say do a good job so that people want to recommend you. Word of mouth is key and the more people you can get referring you to others, the better. I’d also say don’t be afraid of asking for referrals and don’t forget to look after the customers you have as this is how you’re going to get your new ones!

You should also be aware that in your first year you probably won’t be taking a salary – definitely something to consider!

WOULD YOU DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN?
Yes, absolutely! Although, if I did have the opportunity, I’d get things done quicker, looking back I recognise a lot of time that I wasted.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WGYU.COM AND THE TOOLS ON THE SITE?
WYGU seems to me a great idea for loads of reasons. I think it’s great that you can find out about different options available to you by browsing WYGUpedia, look at other peoples’ stories and get advice on your desired career.

WOULD YOU BE AVAILABLE ON THE SITE AS A MENTOR?
Yes!

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Thanks Roddy, great to hear your story! Anyone fancy being a hot air balloon pilot but not sure how to get off the ground (see what we did there?!), why not get in touch and see if Roddy can give you some advice.