question for experienced breeders
 

im looking to begin a company like u guys at Gekkonida, A&M Gecko, USAGecko, Top Shelf Exotics, Letkey's Leos, Select Gex, Pro Geckos, Ground Gecko Freak, Milwaukie Reptiles, Manhattan Herps and anyone else who I forgot to mention (sorry). how did u guys start out? how many geckos did you have available when u started going public? how did u determine the prices of ur animals in comparison to other companies? how long had u been breeding for when u went public? how many breeders did u start out with? or did u not think about it that much and im just crazy? lol
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What I can recommend is start small. You are going to make alot of mistakes and learn so many things your first year. Do not overwhelm yourself with a bunch of breeders. Make a 5 year plan for your "company". Figure out where you want to be in 5 years as far as size wise, price wise, and quality wise.
Take the time to talk to all the big breeders. They have a wealth of knowledge. Also take the time to talk to anyone else in the reptile community. Earn your respect and name recognition through the quality of your animals and your knowledge....it wont come quick and you can't buy it. Realize that you are not going to make money at it (if that is your goal) your first or even second year. Realize it is going to be alot of time invested.
Be sure that however many animals you wind up with you can care for, including expensive vet bills.
I am still trying to figure out the whole pricing thing....the market changes.
Be sure that if you "go public" as a Leo breeder you know what you are talking about, or at least have a very good clue or know where to find the answers.
My big advice, again, earn your good name and respect(it will take time) ....you can't buy your way into the top of the breeders....and hope that maybe some of the big names retire.....hahaha
Good luck

Stick with animals you love and keep it controlled. Make sure you are in it for the animals and not trying to make a buck and you'll have nothing to worry about.

Very good point... two groups of breeding is enough to handle until you can figure out a system that really works for you. The 5 year plan is a good idea too, it will really help you find direction. I've been selling for almost two years, and I'm just now figuring out what types of leos to work with. I started by getting all of them I could without any real direction, BAD idea!

Amen! The single biggest factor people have listed (given price is the same), is the respect that you earn by selling quality animals and notdoing dumb crap. for a definition of dumb crap, visit the BOI and read a few bad guy posts.
Financially, expect nothing for a while. You'll be buying a lot more supplies than you'll be selling in leos. Spend extra money on your animals, don't cut corners by skipping vet checks or not providing gut-load or something like that.

Can't really add much to that.

Basically, it's like running any other small business. Respect your customers and provide a good quality product and the reputation will grow. As it does, you will find yourself selling more animals at higher prices. And don't forget, even though we're all competition we're all here to help with any questions/problems (what other idustry does that?! I knew I love it here for a reason) :)

thanks alot guys, i really appreciate it. the reason i love this forum is because you can ask questions to all of the big names in leopard geckos, and u realize that they are also people, and not just companies. It's great that u guys are willing to help out ppl like me and i really appreciate it.

My company is a small one but is coming around nicely. We have 3 breeding pairs, and by fall will have 7. I hope to add maybe a couple more to make it an equal 10 before 2006. I have been into leos around late 2002. We went public mainly this year. There are a lot of things i am learning each day.

You will make money in a couple years if you buy very good quality animals, keep your animals high quality (take good care of them), become very knowledgeable, and have a deep passion for what you do. If there is no passion, there is no business.

I guess that is all Captive Creations can offer as an answer :)

All very good advice! One thing I will add is just try to have fun and keep an open mind. Good Luck!

I agree. Everything posted is great advice.

As far as price the animals I always keep an eye on the market. I’m constantly browsing classifieds and looking other breeder site to get an idea of the market value and price mine accordingly.

Yes, I agree with the comments on the pricing you kind of have to at the market but also on an individual basis also. Some animals are just nicer and demand more.

LOL!!!! I did the same thing. 4th year breeding and I finally decided what I wanted to concentrate on......BELLS!!!! I also breed a variety of others. This is very good advice if you want to be successful. Pick a Morph that you want to "Specialize" in and keep making them better.