From Hobby to Business?

[Kim]

Has anyone on this site ever taken thier private collection and breeding projects and turned it into an online business? I would love to have feedback on how it worked out for you. My private collection is always breeding. Sometimes I give the hatchlings away, sometimes I hold onto some of them and some times I make a private sale to a friend. I use the auctions and some of the reptile businesses in my area but I would like to reach more people and really become a contributing member of the herp community. I have started my web site ---www.creaturefeaturereptiles.com-- but now what? What has worked for everyone else? What do you do while animals are not breeding (brumation ect...). In other words, How do make sure people keep coming back to your site and staying in contact with you while you have no animals available? What do large breeders think of the small time breeder?

Believe me when I say that I really am not doing it for the money. I can't imagine ever making enough to live on ( #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&, wouldn't that be nice). I just really want to get involved with other people that do what I do and maybe make a few bucks to help me add to my collection (I want to start a salmon boa project). It would be great to hear some success stories, some failure stories and ideas about anything.

I could not be successful in any type of herp business until I turn to the people that are in the know, like the people on this site. So thanks ahead of time for giving me a hand with your advise.
Kim
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[morti]

Hi Kim!

I am not a bigtime breeder, but I have had some success with breeding and I know several of the really big breeders personally. I can't offer you a lot of advice about the biz itself, but I was checking out your website and I think I can help you there... (everything I am about to say is just trying to be constructive. Please don't hate me. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] )

The opening noises and the page transitions do not really make your site prettier, better or more attractive to your customers. It is just one of those things that sounds like a good idea when you are building a website. The layout is good though and I like your color scheme. Care sheets on the site are a great Idea. If you want to, you can use either of the following care sheets from here on redtailboa.net as long as you leave them as I wrote them and leave the deal about "Caresheet property of yadayadayada"

General care of Boas
Genetics 101... The short version.

The only other thing I can think of is Advertise, advertise, advertse! We offer some snazzy banner add packages here on redtailboa.net and you can also get a good add up on fauna classifieds. Both here and there are good places to place cassified adds too. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Good luck!
-Your Sick Uncle Morti, Boa Breeder at large.
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[Kim]

Thanks for the advice. Your right-- The sounds and the transitions annoyed me after two days. I am taking them off.
I looked into redtail's banner options and I am probably going to go with one of them. Thanks for the offer on the care sheets.

Great, great great. Anyone else? Love the input.
Kim
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[morti]

Oh... and I forgot to mention... all of our caresheets remain the property of the person who wrote them... I offered you those because I am the author. I am pretty sure that if you e-mail the other authors, they would be more than happy to let you re-use their care sheets.
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[Kim]

What does everyone (or ANYONE) think about making this topic a forum? #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&, I'll even moderate it.

Also, what does everyone think of a breeder/seller having a policy that they do not sell to anyone under the age of eighteen? Pros? Cons?

Kim
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[NYCSpeedcore]

I think that a breeder or pet store owner should use common sence and never sell a baby adiconda, burmese, rectic, etc. to someone they know should not have it.... they only hurt themselves with bad publicity for the buisness when they try and make a quick buck like that. I don't see why a 16-17 year old should not be allowed to get a ball python etc. on his own, they can drive cars at that age which in my eyes is a much greater resposibility that owning a snake, a car can basicly become a tool capable of killing themselves as well as others. I see guys at reptile shows way understateing the responsibility of owning a snake, especially the larger ones all the time. I have no respect for those guys. On another note, if you are just now starting to breed, how do you become a "known" shipper for live animals with all the new restrictions imposed on mailing? That could be one major problem with starting a new herp buisness that I can see.
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[Ed_r]

i think a responsible store would not sell a snake to a minor ( Anyone under 1 because the person may fully be able and responsible to care for the animal, but the parents of the minor may put their foot down and the snake is out in the cold, literally. I've given lots of thought to opening a store, and that would be my stipulation. No Livestock sold to a minor with out a parent or guardian present. Doing this also stops the return of the animal with a very ticked off parent in your face yelling at you " What were you thinking selling to a minor" Thus getting more bad publicity.
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[Kim]

Good Point.
If you can drive a car (much more lethal than a snake) then why notbe allowed to purchase a good starter snake or lizard. I just hate selling without a parent nearby when kids are teenagers and younger. I have to assume they still live at home with parents --where their new pet will live. I would hate for some kid to get a ball python home only to have thier parents say "get rid of it" and leave the kid stuck trying to figure out a "get rid of quick solution". Then again, I've met nine year olds that are much more responsible with snakes than some 30 year olds. To become an expert, you have to start at the beginning -- and make mistakes.

The mail thing is still starting to become a real pain in my #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&. I never had a problem. But now, I don't know. I can still ship lizards but snakes are becoming harder. Hopefully the herp community will put the pressure on shipping companies to continue our business. They make a lot of money from us.

As a side note-- I saw a post that eddie is looking for a girlfriend. I think that if your advertising around here eddie you better state whether or not you are a possible het for something! (HMMMM.... What would Leucistic eddie babies look like?) [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
Kim
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	Heterozygous Heterozygous - the animal carries the gene for a genetic trait but does not outwardly demonstrate the trait. Example: A boa that is het for albino looks normal but carries the albino gene. When it is bred to another het for albino boa or an albino boa, a percentage of the offspring will be albino.

[Kim]

Right Ed,
Exactly my point as you can see from my latest posting. It IS my policy not to sell to anyone under the age of eighteen but ya know, I had to wonder if that was fair. That's why I come here-- to get the skinny from those "in the know".
Kim
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[Ed_r]

Kim i don't think that is unfair at all. i would much rather have a parent come to me yelling "Why Won't you sell to my kid" then you sound incredibly reputatable when you explain yourself. If in doubt I would even go as far as to ask for ID from the minor to prove they are 18 just to further cover you.
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KIm, Turn your pm'er on if it is not atm. i am in Mass and we are setting up shop sloowly here atm. I can go over some of the finer points in this eham lovely state of ours that you may run into possibly in regards to doing this.
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<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>What does everyone (or ANYONE) think about making this topic a forum? #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&, I'll even moderate it. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

UMm.. BTW.. We already have such a forum.. It's this one that i just moved the thread into.. Called pet / reptile suppliers forum
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[Kim]

Uh Oh, Sounds like I might run into some obstacles up here! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] Thanks Lori. I'd love to chat with ya about how its going for you.
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