My plans were to start fairly cheap. My first clutch is going to be a lesser bee x normal, and the next two females I'll have ready are a het albino and a cinnamon. I have some nice males and some bigger plans for the future, but it will be some time before I can produce anything that clears the 500$ range. I had the same thought you did about gaining reputation, but I'd be lying if I said my own budget didn't factor into the decision

I also decided to steer away from recessive projects for my start up (I do have the het female, but I haven't got a male to put with her). Mostly a personal choice, but I also had the thought of being an unknown breeder with a group of snakes I'm calling het or poss het and just not being able to get rid of them.

But hey, we all start somewhere, right? I'm taking a cautious route, but any way you go is up to you.