Part One: The Domain Expert.
1.) I emailed Jessi Knudsen Castaneda, one of the founders of Animal Wonders Montana, which is one of the organizations that has inspired my business idea. She and her husband Augusto founded and run a successful operation with a very similar model to what I would like to do, so they fit the slot of Domain Expert very well.
2.) Domain Expert. see above.
3.) I have been a follower of Animal Wonders on social media for years, and I found their contact information on their website.
4.) I asked Jessi for any advice she could offer to someone who is interested in starting a similar organization to hers (in a different region so as not to directly compete of course). Things like what the most important things to focus on during the early stages are and how to get word out in a local community about such an organization. She responded, which surprised me a bit because I expected her to be too busy or to have gotten this type of question too frequently to pay attention to. She Told me that when Animal Wonders was starting out, they operated out of her parents house and advertised through word of mouth. She recommended moving out of Florida, if I can, to a more rural state where these types of businesses are less common and land is cheaper, since having room to grow is very important.
5.) I don't expect to have regular correspondence with Jessi, but it was very cool to receive advice from someone who has done essentially exactly what I want to do. I may be able to reach out to her and Augusto again in the future if I feel I need to.
Part Two : The Market Expert
1.) I contacted the Education Department at the Audubon Zoo, where I interned last summer. I exchanged emails with a couple of people within that department.
2.) Zoo education departments have some of the most well-established connections with the type of clients I hope to reach, and they provide similar services in a similar market, though it's typically on a larger scale. I think that makes them a good fit for Market Expert.
3.) Most AZA accredited zoos have a department like this, but I chose Audubon because I interned with them and am actually Facebook friends with some of the education staff. I interned with the Ambassador department, which takes care of the animal husbandry for the animals that go out for presentations with the education department, so I interacted with the education staff quite a bit.
4.) My contact consisted of asking a few of the Education staff questions about how their presentations are advertised to the community and what kind of correspondence the zoo has with repeat clients such as libraries and schools that work with them every year. I also asked what they thought of my idea for Animal Discovery and their opinions were mixed. They all liked the premise, but there was some concern over the details. Only one person I talked to had valuable information about the market, which was that having name recognition and a really good website is important, as well as the ability to quickly respond to client inquiries. These exchanges were very informal.
5.) I plan on interning and working at more zoos before attempting to make Animal Discovery real, so I will absolutely make more connections like this and learn more about the market that way. I don't know if I will work at Audubon again, but it's a possibility, so I'm sure I will remain in lose contact with these people going forward.
Part Three: The Supplier
1.) I emailed the fine people at Josh's Frogs, a reptile supply business that sells a variety of reptile supplies such as feeders, habitat equipment, and decor at a reasonable price.
2.) I am pretty sure Josh's Frogs is a favorite for people who keep lots of reptiles and amphibians. Since herps will likely be a large portion of the animals I will start out with, I would consider giving them my business as well if they are able to fit my needs.
3.) I've heard of Josh's Frogs through word of mouth among other animal enthusiasts. They have a good website where their contact info is easy to find.
4.) Specifically, I asked if they do subscription style deliveries in bulk, since many of the animals I am likely to start off with will be reptiles. They replied to me the following day, and confirmed that they do bulk deliveries of insect and frozen rodent feeders. This was the only exchange we had.
5.) It is important, when keeping animals of any kind, to ensure you will have a consistent and reliable supply of food for them. Josh's Frogs seems like a good option for this, at least as far as reptiles are concerned. Rodent feeders can also be used for other carnivores, such as birds of prey and small cats like servals, so they are a particularly important thing to be able to buy in a cost-effective way. I don't expect to have a particularly close relationship with Josh's Frogs, but I am likely to utilize their service.
Reflection
This type of active networking is different from what I am used to. Up until now, I mostly just made a point of introducing myself and establishing a brief connection with any new people I meet that might have connections in the animal field. The network I already had was helpful for this assignment, but when I get closer to being able to make Animal Discovery happen I will need to do more of this active networking.
No comments:
Post a Comment