How Do Big Breeders Stay in Business?

[bcr229]

Here's my next question, would a storefront be feasible? As in, having a small pet shop where reptiles could be sold locally? I've seen "starter kits" online, but I think it would be better to have starter kits that could be assembled for each species, such as custom cages for local pickup (for reptiles that require higher humidity and won't do well in screen top cages, etc). It seems like a lot of people in this hobby are reliant on a very few distributors for custom cages and equipment, or they have to become a construction expert (not a real expert, I'm exaggerating) in order to create their own cages and equipment to fit the needs of their hobby.

The B&M's I know of that thrive do so because they produce feeders, not enclosures. They supply a product that keepers need every week. Enclosures, not so much.

I've toyed with the idea of doing PVC enclosures for local sales only; it's the shipping costs that are killer. We already have a machine shop for the gun business so there wouldn't be any up-front capital costs or additional permits needed to get started.

[For Goodness Snakes]

This is exactly the kind of discussion I wanted to get started.

Here's my next question, would a storefront be feasible? As in, having a small pet shop where reptiles could be sold locally? I've seen "starter kits" online, but I think it would be better to have starter kits that could be assembled for each species, such as custom cages for local pickup (for reptiles that require higher humidity and won't do well in screen top cages, etc). It seems like a lot of people in this hobby are reliant on a very few distributors for custom cages and equipment, or they have to become a construction expert (not a real expert, I'm exaggerating) in order to create their own cages and equipment to fit the needs of their hobby. For me, there are only two petshops within feasible range for me; petco and a mom and pop shop that focuses on fish, cat and dog supplies with gardening supplies mixed in. I was looking for a terrarium while trying to avoid supporting petco and found myself greatly disappointed. The mom and pop pet store's display of reptiles consisted of a tarantula, two beardies, one half grown the other an adult, a few cresteds, toads, and leopard geckos. They had heat lamps and uth mats with no thermostats. It's discouraging that someone walking into that store off the street can pick up an aquarium, screen top, and heat light and walk back out with an animal and no knowledge of how to care for them. Petsmart and Petco provide pamphlets, but no specific starter kits, so they end up selling people who walk in on an animal they don't really know how to care for, and they usually don't read the books, with a setup that won't really work long term.

Diversity is always key, as is location. If I am ever able to open my own pet store like this, I would definitely be interested in local education programs, events and helping to educate the public in general. I think the weakness of this hobby is that there are so few people out there promoting a change in the thought process of the public view of reptiles. I remember someone bringing a burm or a retic to my elementary school, I can't remember which except that it was definitely an albino and took several people to hold it fully stretched out. I remember petting it and thinking "snakes aren't slimy, they're soft!" It was the first spark that made me think of reptiles as cool, interesting critters.

Yes diversity is the key.

About 7 years ago I got laid off after working 30 years with the same company. I felt sorry for myself for a couple of days, but soon found myself canvasing the local schools asking them if they would like to hire me to come to their school to do educational presentations on reptiles. It was at that time that For Goodness Snakes Adventures was created. Now 6 years later I'm booking between 200 and 300 educational presentations per year in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Not only do I get to produce beautiful snakes, but I get to share my passion about those beautiful snakes with thousands here in the Bay Brea.

I'm one of the lucky ones that gets to live the dream.

Best of luck with your dream.

Brian Gundy
For Goodness Snakes
408-981-6694

[wolfy-hound]

A physical pet store is hard to keep afloat because you have to mark up your product(animals) so much that often the only people who will pay the prices are people who haven't done any research. Also, you'll have to compete with the chain store prices, since people will usually go to the cheapest source. Why should they come to you if they can get it for 10% of the price elsewhere? Then you have all the paperwork, cleaning, stocking, hustling for contacts and stock sources, waiting on customers while taking care of the animals AND your own animals and hey, family and relaxation and sleep come into play at some point.

[PhoenixGate]

Half the reason I was attracted to the storefront was that it would provide an official business address and possibly be a place where I could sell normals and some one and two gene animals. I already plan on breeding feeder animals for my collection later on. Selling feeders at the store, and shipping pre-killed ones from there, would also work.

I know a lot of the big breeders that exist now got their start selling the first morphs available on the market for a lot of money. My original question was how do they stay afloat now. That initial big money was twenty years or more ago and wouldn't cover the cost of business today. They have to be selling animals on a regular basis in order to stay afloat, but all the threads and posts I can track down online say a variety of things; "they're tricking people into buying animals for $2,000+ and thinking they can be just as successful" is one of them. Business practices like that aren't sustainable though.

Obviously I don't work in a big breeder's warehouse and see all the day to day goings on, so I'm curious as to how the numbers crunch together, how the wheels keep turning and the lights stay on. As for the pet store, it may never happen. It was an odd thought and I think, If I were to pick my spot well and not overspecialize in reptiles, that it would work. It might fall through, it might never get going. I understand that.

It's sure fun to discuss the idea though. Thank you to everyone who has posted on the thread so far.

[wolfy-hound]

I don't think anyone "tricks" someone into buying $2K snakes. If someone actually thinks that they can pay $2K for a new morph that is on the market, take the time to raise that snake to maturity to breed it(minimum1-2 years)and then get the SAME price when other people have also been producing and selling that same morph... that's the buyer being a little delusional.

If you breed a lot of snakes, you market them well and sell out each season, you'll probably do well. But you have to have a market that will buy all of your snakes, from normal males to high end morph combos.

[Freakie_frog]

They stay in business because it is a business. They know their margins, overhead, income potential, budget ect. If you treat it like a business and you huddle and work you have a much better chance at staying in business.


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