The push towards working solo often comes with a series of challenges. This is just as true in custom saddlemaking as in any other craft, where if you’re not working, you’re not making money. But while there are plenty of starving years working independently, the benefits for many in custom saddlemaking to pursue a passion almost always outweigh the times of barely scraping by and being able to make ends meet. In this episode, George Fraker reflects on working other jobs, becoming his own boss, and how there’s no such thing as retirement in saddlemaking.