One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the networking.
If people don't like you, and the general population don't have a good image of you, then it doesn't matter how carefully you've spelled out your business plan. You need to do a lot of meet-and-greet and be a decent sort of person EVEN WHEN someone is rude or says something you disagree with.
Your public image, and your contacts in the industry/hobby are almost as important as your animals. You already know that there are many other breeders, so you've got to stand out.
Also, I will double-down on the business plan. You need to KNOW what you will be doing next year, in two years, and even in five years. You can't just get some cool snakes and figure you'll breed some later on. You've got to KNOW, so that in 2 years when that prized female is big enough, you have the male ready to make the precise clutch you intended to make. You should have an idea what that female will produce for you each year for the next 4-5 years, because it might not be the same clutch each time. What will you hold back? Why? What purpose will it serve in the breeding program in 2 years?
Keep really precise records too. Have things written out and filed correctly. This is an area that I fail on ALL the time, but my pythons are a hobby. When I owned a business, I struggled all the time with the record-keeping end of it. I still struggle with it. Don't follow my example, because I can tell you it makes everything a royal pain.
