250k question

Ok so heres the question i want to see what everyone else would do.

Your given 250k to start a reptile business.

You currently have invested 49k in a building and an estimated 11k in remodel costs so you down to 190 k for racks feeders and stock any snakes you want etc.

the building is 4k square feet so you have room to grow

where do you go from here?

posted this on another forum and people had fun with it and alot of people got really elaborate.

Good luck.

remember snakes cost money i would say probably each set of 30 cost 7k a year in bedding cleaning supplies electricity food etc.

The first thing you do is hire me as your floor manager and all around lacky snake keeper guy. Full time, at about 30K per year. We are building this in Florida, right? Seriously, PM me. I'm ready to start at the begining of May. Refrences avaliable.

• Advertizing budget
• Payroll for 3+ years in the bank
• Consumables (ie paper products, electronics ect)
• Phone lines
• Website
• Any help you need
• The best examples of the animals you want to work with money can buy

Just to start.

I am Slims lacky to learn from him him and I would move to FL at the price range of 27k a year because I will be the best gopher money can buy as well as stock, clean, work register and catch all the mice that get out lol.

I would start with getting the sell stock up before I was ready to open the store such as enogh reptiles to sell before you run out and just have a supply store. MOst of the earned income is the supplies tho such as housing , substrate and so forth as in bulk they come cheap. Snake and lizards unless gotten cheap while our breeders were breeding would have to have at least a 25-30% mark up. I am at work and will be on this discussion later:D

90k on the snake buisness and 100k for my kids for college. Thats what i would do

I wouldnt start a full scale breeding operation with the money. The snakes would turn into a job for me and wouldnt be fun anymore. With 190k i would probably immediately transfer to a real 4year college instead of the community college im at now. That would be enough for me alone. Id also pay for my brothers college since hes graduating in a year. After that i prolly have 80k-90k left. Id prolly spend like 10k on snakes and a sweet rack or caging just for myself. And then id prolly invest half of the remaining money in stocks and put like 40k in the bank for a down payment on a house or something...

haha - I think half of you totally missed the OP's point ...

Unfortunately, since Im just starting out, I wouldnt really know what combos would be best to start with. Would be a lot of fun trying to figure it out and getting the business going though.

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Originally Posted by Kyle7676

I think half of you totally missed the OP's point ...

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Naw, I didn't miss the point, I just really want a job working with snakes.

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Originally Posted by Slim

Naw, I didn't miss the point, I just really want a job working with snakes.

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If you read all the replies and immediately thought I was talking to you, you think very highly of yourself ... Your reply wasnt detailed but it at least was on point. Paying for your brother's college education ? Not so much.

But we can at least agree on that slim. It would be a fun job.

Take a few weeks to tour some of the larger facilities and get there advice :D

Then make some Alterations and go from there

Then before I started I would buy a shipment of Yayo because I don't think 300K is going to be enough hahaha

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Originally Posted by Kyle7676

If you read all the replies and immediately thought I was talking to you, you think very highly of yourself ...

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Actually I don't, but I figured any response from me would get you spun up... ;)

And yes, we can certainly agree that working with snakes for a living would be pretty cool.

Ok i see what youre saying kyle lol.

Well my point is if i got that much money i wouldnt spend it all on snakes and start a reptile breeding facility. I cant think of a scenario where someone would give you 190k but say you can only use it on snakes. Sorry im too realistic and not creative everyone :( lmao

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Ok i see what youre saying kyle lol.

Well my point is if i got that much money i wouldnt spend it all on snakes and start a reptile breeding facility. I cant think of a scenario where someone would give you 190k but say you can only use it on snakes. Sorry im too realistic and not creative everyone :( lmao

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You were able to obtain a small business loan.... ? Financing through a 2nd party for a breeding business ....

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Originally Posted by Slim

Actually I don't, but I figured any response from me would get you spun up... ;)

And yes, we can certainly agree that working with snakes for a living would be pretty cool.

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lol yeah. This is me " spun up " ( never heard that one before ).

I saw a website with some 20,000.00 Snakes... Well I would start with them as my breeding stock :D

I would also buy some females that were ready for breeding.

Lets say 40-75 Snakes in total

As for a facility... I would think a 2 car heated garage wold be sufficient. And I also have a 60x160 Heated steel building :) so space wouldn't have to come out of the initial investment. Although Exotix Herps would be paying rent LOL

That way, the clutches I were producing from my Adult breeders could help make a small return, Cover expenses.

This could possibly turn into a full time job.

But I don't think I would limit myself to Balls

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Ok i see what youre saying kyle lol.

Well my point is if i got that much money i wouldnt spend it all on snakes and start a reptile breeding facility. I cant think of a scenario where someone would give you 190k but say you can only use it on snakes. Sorry im too realistic and not creative everyone :( lmao

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Investors... Give you money for an agreed business, not you or your brothers college. Just saying.

Ok i guess i see what you guys are saying lol

Well if i had to spend it on snakes id go for clown projects. Or pied combos since i love pieds

Very possible that this could happen. I understand that not every day someone hands you this kind of cash but people win the lottery.

i was thinking around 100k in building and racks incubation room sonogram etc.
another 80k -120k in stock and feeder rats and mice.

the rest i would hold for vet bills etc for the next 18-24 months until i sold my first snake.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Ok i guess i see what you guys are saying lol

Well if i had to spend it on snakes id go for clown projects. Or pied combos since i love pieds

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Aside from the 2 lavenders I would be bringing up for breeding... Pieds, clowns, killer bees and whatnot are what i would think could carry it until my Lavenders were ready to produce, but with the hold backs.... I'm thinking 7 or 8 years until im really into the high dollar Snakes...

So I would also have a side producing Normals :D for every clutch of normals you produce there pet stores looking for stock.

Some might not agree with this thinking... But business is business, and if I can drop a normal to a petstore for 60.00 its 60.00 more in my business then I had the day before

On a lighter note, Diablo's head has cleared up... this is the first time I have seen his eyes since bringing him home :D The Shed has begun

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

Aside from the 2 lavenders I would be bringing up for breeding... Pieds, clowns, killer bees and whatnot are what i would think could carry it until my Lavenders were ready to produce, but with the hold backs.... I'm thinking 7 or 8 years until im really into the high dollar Snakes...

So I would also have a side producing Normals :D for every clutch of normals you produce there pet stores looking for stock.

Some might not agree with this thinking... But business is business, and if I can drop a normal to a petstore for 60.00 its 60.00 more in my business then I had the day before

On a lighter note, Diablo's head has cleared up... this is the first time I have seen his eyes since bringing him home :D The Shed has begun

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Id rather not own a business than sell to petstores who are gunna abuse and kill my snakes i produce. Ive been to pet stores in CT, RI, Mass, NY, PA and NC. There are very few i would consider selling to. Theres only 1 close to me that i would sell to because they actually take care of their animals. I would never sell to any chain stores either, only a mom and pop shop that ive been there to actually make sure they take care of the animals. Just my own personal philosophy.

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

if I can drop a normal to a petstore for 60.00 its 60.00 more in my business then I had the day before

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No pet store is going to pay you $60 for a Normal when they can bring in CH babies for $10. They won't even pay you $15 because they're CB. The bottom line profit drives what pet stores do, not animal well being.

Sell them CB Normals or $5, and you might be able to do business with them.

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

Some might not agree with this thinking... But business is business, and if I can drop a normal to a petstore for 60.00 its 60.00 more in my business then I had the day before

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Good luck getting $60 for normals from a regular customer, much less a pet store.

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Originally Posted by Slim

No pet store is going to pay you $60 for a Normal when they can bring in CH babies for $10. They won't even pay you $15 because they're CB. The bottom line profit drives what pet stores do, not animal well being.

Sell them CB Normals or $5, and you might be able to do business with them.

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

Good luck getting $60 for normals from a regular customer, much less a pet store.

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Are you sure that the Wholesale is that low??? I know the Mom and Pop chain store here is paying 50-70 each for there snakes.. In Ontario you are hard pressed to get a Normal from a Pet Store for less then 175.00

Wow prices are really that low in the US ??

Just checked PetSmart in the US 49.99 WOW.... for a normal. when here they are 199.99

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

Are you sure that the Wholesale is that low??? I know the Mom and Pop chain store here is paying 50-70 each for there snakes.. In Ontario you are hard pressed to get a Normal from a Pet Store for less then 175.00

Wow prices are really that low in the US ??

Just checked PetSmart in the US 49.99 WOW.... for a normal. when here they are 199.99

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I know of at least one well known seller that won't even meet you at $10 for normal babies...

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

I know of at least one well known seller that won't even meet you at $10 for normal babies...

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I can never seem to get anyone in the know to tell me how much the 'well known' chain pet stores pay for imported CH babies, but less than $10 per animal would not surprise me at all. It's all about the volume sold and profit margin for them.

Is there a demand for another big time breeder right now? whats the hot snake on the market at the moment. Do you think there is more money in small time snakes like pastels pieds etc under a thousand? or do you think there is money to be made in expensive snakes (puzzle carmel glow multi gene snakes)?

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Originally Posted by Slim

I can never seem to get anyone in the know to tell me how much the 'well known' chain pet stores pay for imported CH babies, but less than $10 per animal would not surprise me at all. It's all about the volume sold and profit margin for them.

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They pay a bit more then that. I worked at pet smart and the number was a bit higher which is why they have to sell them even at 50% off at no less then 40 bucks. And the one breeder we dealt with dealt mostly in low end and normals...

I go to mexico with the money and you never hear from me again....

Just kidding. I'd probably make certain to set aside money for the rent for 1-2 years, since you won't have income except once a year, and only from snakes old enough.

I would get combos, including at least two of the newest brightest morphs(try to get in on "ground floor" type snakes. I'd get a LOT of morph females and the only "normal" females would be a few dinkers that I really felt were "something".

I don't think they pay more than $10 per baby. The requirement of $40+ even on sale would be not to cover the initial expense, but all the following expenses as well as "shelf expense". A store must figure in loss, feed, electric, vet, employee time for care, and the cost of shelf space that COULD be selling something else.