Thursday, July 23, 2015

#44 - THE OLD CAREER - THE FULL BIO

WARNING: This may be the longest blog yet. Grab a cup of java or a cold one and sit back.

33 years is a long time to do anything. It takes passion, devotion, interest, persistence, hard work, luck, frustration and a touch of madness. 33 years of working with exotic pets takes that and a whole lot more, especially the passion and the touch of madness. It is a bipolar existence where you feel the joy of every new life produced and the sorrow of every death. You are manic or depressed with little normal. And there are going to be deaths. Many soul-crushing deaths.

Today's blog entry was suggested by Norm. Blog #31 was titled "A NEW CAREER". It told what I am doing now and why a change was needed and desired. Some early blog entries were "memory lane" trips where I told about how I started in the pet industry in 1982 and shared some stories of the early days of American arachnoculture. This one will give an overview of my career in pets and answer Norm's specific questions. Let me field his email line by line... 

"Not sure if you take requests, but it can't hurt to ask."

Of course I do! I actively request your requests. An author is nothing without an audience and a blogger's task is to give his or her audience what it seeks. Feedback is always welcome, but as I mentioned with regards to dealer reviews, all positive feedback is only encouraging. It doesn't mold operations or content. Constructive criticism is welcome and topic suggestions will help me provide the content my readership desires.

"You have a long list of accomplishments and adventures, from the sound of it, stemming from your success as a spider dealer.

A "spider dealer" only accomplishes providing hobbyists with species they are looking for. My career as an exotic animal dealer, and in the pet industry in general, certainly was about supply and demand. However, my accomplishments are related to education and propagation. If you're just selling spiders, as the majority of the "pseudo dealers & weekend warriors" do, all you are doing is moving widgets while attempting to profit from buying your widgets at a lower cost and selling them for a higher one, all the while minimizing costs and "lost" widgets. If that's all you're going to do, sell something else. Sell a widget that doesn't eat, shit, get sick or die. Sell a profitable widget. Sell a low maintenance widget. Earn a living.

The first thing you need to understand about the pet industry is that animal sales are not profitable. In fact, they often operate at a loss. That goes for everyone no matter how small or big. (The only exceptions are rare, for example, the few very fortunate reptile breeders that have built their businesses over the past ten to fifteen years. Today the opportunity is even harder). Petco and Petsmart (aka PETAsmart) make zero money on their animals no matter how overpriced. The pets require food, water, bedding, cleaning products and cleaning labor. They die. They get sick and, in the case of these two industry giants, they incur veterinary costs. As much as you may wish to ridicule Petco and PETAsmart*, they treat sick animals, even mice. A "mom and pop shop" rarely can afford to do this except when the animal is very valuable and they are thinking in financial terms. Independent pet stores have many challenges in surviving the pet industry and live animals are one huge liability. Pet store profits come from selling dry goods. They make their money from the supplies you buy to accompany your live animal purchase. They especially make their money from repeat purchases like dog food, toys, treats, shampoo, etc. - things you will make return visits for that many also eventually include another pet and more money making supplies.

*As you may know, from 2007-2013 I was the general manager of Northwest Zoological Supply outside of Seattle. We serviced all of the Petco stores in a five state region of the Pacific Northwest including Alaska and Montana via air freight. There were about 75 stores when I left. I know a lot about Petco. At one time, PetSmart visited us as we sought their business as well. I learned a lot about "PETAsmart". Some of their executives used to work for PETA. Ironically and moronically, Petsmart doesn't want you to have pets other than dogs or cats and PETA doesn't even want you to have those. However, they know that pet shops without animals don't draw the customers that ones with animals do. Therefore they sell a few animals, but stay away from those they consider "wrong" like ferrets. When PETAsmart's vet and exec visited us it was obvious that they didn't really like animals and knew nothing about them. They actually caused damage in our facility by disturbing our breeders. In the case of our timid guinea pigs, this actually led to infant deaths and stillbirths. I have nothing but contempt for PETAsmart. In fairness, I will say that I am no big fan of Petco either, but my dealings with their company is that they do love animals and they do want to educate about proper care. The failures that they have to do this are inevitable in the bureaucracy of corporate empires. They don't succeed as often as they should. However, I'll walk into a Petco to buy a treat for my parrot. I won't step in a Petsmart.

Back on point ... I am proud of what I have done as an educator. My tarantula book is the best primer available for the neophyte keeper that might walk into a "big box" pet store or a mom & pop shop. I won't apologize for the conceit of stating that. It is. I also have lectured for the BTS, ATS, ArachnoCon, ArachnoGathering and NARBC. I have a 95 instructional video on tarantula keeping available free on my YouTube channel. My website and my authorship of Tarantulas.com & NWZoo.com provide a great deal of care information and species-specific care sheets. My Tarantula Bibliography is an important resource. I could go on. However, the most important educating I do is private. Is the one on one emails with customers over the course of my career. It is the advice I have given to thousands of customers I have spoken to directly when I was in a brick & mortar pet shop or at reptile shows around the country. Any time I have increased the chance of an animal being cared for properly and living the best life possible I have done well. Sales aren't an accomplishment. 

My biggest accomplishments outside of education are the animals I have bred. Not only tarantulas, but many species of snake, lizard and frog as well, not to mention the mammals I worked with early in my career and then again near the end of my career while running Northwest Zoological.

As far as my life as an "adventurer", that's not really tied to my career in the pet industry. It is my thirst for knowledge and quest to observe that has resulted in my travels. These desires and passions are what got me into the pet industry; they didn't arise from being in it. It also is the result of having the necessary time and money. And I can tell you that the pet industry does not provide either. My travel have been when I was self-employed or unemployed. Sure I traveled to ATS conferences and IHS (International Herpetological Symposium) symposia for short trips while working in the pet industry. However, my first month long expedition was Costa Rica in 2006 when I was operating my own SpiderShoppe in Nashville and my ex-wife had left me. I was producing many geckos and spiders and was flush, but the expensive trip was paid for with money made from selling my first house. I didn't travel with the "British team" again until Suriname 2012 because I was busy running Northwest Zoological Supply where I worked six or seven days a week and often worked 12-16 hour days. That is brutal and it sucked. I finally was given the time off to go to Suriname and it was only my salary as "general manager" that afforded me the luxury of the time off and the thousands of dollars the trip would require. Unless you are at the top of the heap you'll be lucky to pay your rent in the pet industry.

"...my request, it would be very intriguing to read about how one becomes/became a legendary tarantula dealer/adventurer. You know, a guide to legitimately making the leap from hobbyist to business man, so to speak."

Again, the "adventurer" is not tied to the "dealer". I highly recommend the adventures, I don't recommend the industry. I do, however, recommend doing something that you enjoy! My second career at On Target Range and Tactical Training Center is something I love. I can't wait to go to work today. Do anything that makes you feel like that. I loved the animals and wanted to make a difference. That last sentence is one you will hear many people who are truly devoted to the pet industry say. But it will wear on you quickly. I'll come back to that in my final depressing paragraph ...

But "the leap" is a gradual climb and it's a slippery slope. I became a hobbyist as a eight or nine year old boy. Ten years later I entered the pet industry with Noah's Ark Pet Center. I was knowledgeable and smart. I increased sales. I was fortunate enough to receive promotions. I then was fortunate to be recruited by a customer who had his own pet business. Strictly Animals only sold feed and supplies and was primarily a wholesaler. I worked my way up in that company as well and mostly did outside sales visiting pet stores to sell our products. I educated my pet store customers whenever possible to try to "make a difference". I continued to operate my own snake breeding business on the side and was able to sell my offspring to the pet stores we serviced. Then the owner got more into his macaque collection and decided to buy Snake Farm in Texas where he could display all of his exotic pets including his monkeys. I was out of a job.

My snake and tarantula sales wouldn't pay the bills. My mom was living alone and I moved back in with her. I began to plan opening my own store that would be called "Chicago Reptile". I began building display cages in my mother's basement. My mom's boyfriend - who would soon become my stepfather (I prefer "bonus dad" as he is also one of my best friends) - helped me work on business licenses and visit potential space to lease. Then my life took a bizarre turn. My father was retiring as police chief of Evanston, Illinois. He said that the Evanston water filtration plant had a temporary job opening. I could make a very decent wage for a few months while I got back on my feet. That temporary job turned into nine years. Chicago Reptile was scrapped and I just sold my snakes and tarantulas on the side. All of a sudden I had paychecks I had never dreamed of. A test was given for a permanent job. I took it and scored highest. I now had a good paying job and benefits. You will almost never be able to say that in the pet industry. My passion remained and I kept working with spiders and snakes, but I continued to move up the ladder at the water plant as each test for a promotion was offered. I began to get involved in muskie fishing and was able to buy a shiny bass boat. I bought a house up near northern Illinois' Chain of Lakes where I was fishing in most of my spare time. I never could let my exotic pets completely go, but I was earning a great living and enjoying another hobby. My big pythons began to seem like more work than they were worth. At one point I was spending about $500 a month to feed my snakes and was rewarded mostly with big piles of shit. I had bought a brand new house and didn't want the stink of rodents and snake shit in it. My collection dwindled. Animals are work and it almost never is financially rewarding. I don't know anyone who has been more passionate about them for what is now 43 years for me since my first pet snake. But passion doesn't pay the bills and every loss, every frustration, every cage cleaning takes a bit of shine off the passion.

Then my life took yet another bizarre turn ... Another hobby and passion of mine has always been music. I started playing violin at age 8, switched to drums in junior high school and then bought my first guitar. Almost 40 years later I still play the guitar every day and it is my one constant solace. It is my greatest anti-depressant. Through music (too long of a story to elaborate) I met a girl who loved the same bands and also played guitar. She was finishing her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Washington State University. We "fell in love", whatever the hell that nonsense is about. I quit my cushy job at the water plant. In retrospect, I know that part of my decision had nothing to do with my soon-to-be wife. I had drifted away from my desire to be a self-employed animal breeder and had become a slave to a time clock. Every day I watched my watch and counted down hours and then minutes until I could punch out and leave. I was making a very good salary and had benefits that only municipal workers receive. But it wasn't a job I loved. And you should always do something you love ...

Before I knew it I was living in Pullman, Washington on the border with Idaho. My now fiancee and I had an apartment among the wheat fields and I returned to selling exotic animals. I had rented my house in Lake Villa, Illinois and that would cover our rent and utilities. She wasn't keen on spiders at all and I didn't have much space so I focused primarily on frogs. For a time I operated under the name "Frog Sanctuary". Then she finished her doctorate and chose a post-doctoral position at Nashville's Vanderbilt University. We loaded up the bus and moved to Beverly ... Bellevue, actually ... a suburb of Nashville. She had a "real job" and I had none. Renting your house sucks so I sold it. I had the proceeds from that sale to finance opening up "The Living Terrarium and Spider Shoppe". It didn't even last a year. OK, I'll say it, the pet business sucks. My retail store did not succeed, but I wasn't ready to throw in the towel. I found industrial space where I would have one 400 square foot room for spiders and one 500 square foot room for my growing gecko collection. I began selling online as "The Spider Shoppe" and earned my living selling tarantulas and geckos, which fortunately I could subsidize as necessary from the savings I had due to my water plant job and my house sale.

If it wasn't for those last two things I could have never survived in the pet industry. Are you picking up what I'm laying down yet?!? I don't recommend a career in pets. Do it as a hobby. Try to have it pay for itself by breeding and selling your offspring. Try to find something else you enjoy that will give you the salary and benefits you need. It takes madness to continue to be poor for the sake of your passion for pets. The shine will wear off. It will grind you down.

Eventually my wife and I split. I had a decision to make. I had to look at profit and loss. I had to examine my "Living Terrarium and Spider Shoppe" as a business. This isn't an easy thing to do. Few "animal people" are also "business people", or "people people" for that matter. The love for the creatures gives you blinders where you ignore the fact that you are living paycheck to paycheck and eating Ramen noodles. It creates a blindness to whether you are really being profitable. As I looked at my pending divorce and took an honest look at my business I realized that things were bleak. I was depressed from the break-up and that also contributed to a sudden desire to get out of Music City. Sure, my years there as a self-employed tarantula and gecko breeder were awesome. I had my own schedule and nobody to answer to. I played disc golf every single morning with my much loved and sadly departed dog Taylor. My wife and I were best friends for three or four years. Then things got ugly and much of it was her unhappiness with her work at Vanderbilt and my stresses of trying to earn a decent living doing something I loved. When she left my health insurance left with her. That's another thing about the pet industry - no benefits. Even when I was general manager of Northwest Zoological I had no health insurance. Except for my stint at the water plant and my wife's insurance I have never had it as an adult. Today I pay $325 a month for it. 'Merica.

Alex of NW Zoo started his business as Tarantulas.com. We had known each other as colleagues and finally met in person at ArachnoCon in 2007. He offered me a job and I hastily made the decision to leave Nashville. I sold my geckos and my tarantula retail inventory. Alex bought my tarantula breeders and we incorporated them into his business. This gave me the funds to make the move and get started again north of Seattle. I sold or gave away everything I owned except what could fit in the minivan I was driving at the time. My dog, parrot and styros full of tarantulas were the most important passengers. I did the best I could with what space was left, but the guys at the window washing business that was my neighbor carted off all sorts of appliance, televisions and fishing gear, etc. When my wife and I split I left her with everything that was in our rented house. I took only the most important things - our, no MY, dog and my parrot, plus my clothes. Our divorce was quick and easy, but only because I gave up everything. So the minivan headed northwest over the course of four days and I became an employee at Northwest Zoological. Alex already had a "Operations Manager" so upon arrival I was given the job of caring for the tarantulas and veiled chameleon operations and also helped out with ferret and guinea pig care. At first I didn't have an apartment and lived in a back office. Fortunately, the building had a shower. Life is strange sometimes. I got an apartment ASAP and worked hard. But I hated it. Much was due to my depression caused by the break-up and the move. Seattle was an adjustment and so was working for someone else. I only stayed for nine months. The tarantula part of my job was my favorite, but cleaning ferret and guinea pig shit sucked and I had no control over the veiled chameleon colony. I saw many females get egg-bound and die. I would surgically remove the eggs from their carcasses for incubation. It was soul-crushing work. Alex had made the mistake of expanding his veiled colony by acquiring some "new blood" from someone else without quarantining it, and disease was spreading through the collection. Our vet and I began giving the adults injections, but losses were great. Of course, I saw sick ferrets die and watched the rat keeper euthanize animals for frozen rodent sales every day. I was beginning to realize that being fond of animals is a good thing in the pet industry, but truly loving them as I do made working at a large scale animal breeding operation a horror. I quit and moved back to the Midwest.

I swore off the pet industry. I told everyone who would listen that I was finished. Retired. There was no way I would be involved again. I had to do something though ... I stayed with my mom and stepfather for a bit and then moved up to Milwaukee where Bill Korinek owned a two-flat and would rent me the lower level. Bill used to operate Theraphosid Breeding Project with Bruce Effenheim and he and I had become friends. Bill's day job was as assistant manager of the catering and restaurant at the Milwaukee Art Museum. He was responsible for special corporate events and fancy weddings held there and got me a job as a special event bartender. I worked two to four nights a week and that was all I needed. I returned to playing disc golf every morning with my dog. I had only Taylor and my parrot Jesse. Bill had a house full of tarantulas and had begun keeping Uroplatus fimbriatus and Meller's Chameleons. He also had a juvenile crocodile. His exotics were all I needed to see. I would stay away from my own collection and stick to my "done with pets" attitude. I enjoyed myself. For the first time since 1982 I thought little about snakes and spiders. I did my "cocktail parties" and spent time in Milwaukee bars and restaurants. Bill was dating a co-worker and I soon fell hard for the Art Museum's wedding planner. Our foursome spent many evenings out on the town. I was in my mid-40s and they were in their mid to late 20s. It was a surreal and fun time that rejuvenated me. But it also led to another end of a relationship. That whole "dip your pen in the company ink" thing came into play. I had my heart broken and didn't want to go to the museum anymore. Alex and I had stayed in touch and I missed Seattle. I loved the mountains and the ocean. I loved the mild weather, even if winter's five months of grey was depressing. He was unhappy with his "Operations Manager" and offered me the job of "General Manager" if I returned. If I busted my ass I would be able to make money that is almost unheard of in the pet industry unless you are an executive for Petco. I moved back.

"...Being a part of the the pet trade is a personal dream that I have. It may be a poor ambition to have at this time, but a dream none the less. It isn't hard to understand why many of us look up to you, Kelly Swift, and other dealers, and want to perpetuate your success at doing what you love for a living."

I am afraid I am going to end this story very negatively. The pet industry can crush your soul and it did mine on many occasions. I worked very hard. Often 70-80 hours a week! I did earn good money, but that was good fortune. I'm here to tell you I was the exception to the rule. But the long hours wore me down and every single animal that died took another chunk out of me. I would go to the airport to pick up chinchillas and every one would be dead from the heat. I would receive occasional dead ferrets and many sick ones that wouldn't make it. I knew this before I returned. It was my passion for pets that put up the blinders again and had me make a poor decision. The job sucked the life out of me. At least once a week I wanted to leave my keys on Alex's desk and drive away from Seattle. This went on from 2009-2012. Three years of allowing the size of my paycheck make me endure a soul-crushing job. If you truly love animals you will have a hard time in the pet industry. Your love has to be somewhat less than passionate. There are exceptions. You could find a great independent store that specializes in reptiles, for example. Perhaps they will deal only in captive bred and deaths will be minimal. Perhaps you will be rewarded by educating your customers or improving animal husbandry. Perhaps you will have breeding successes that will keep you interested. This can happen.

Or perhaps you wish to be a private breeder and self-employed. Good luck. For every Brian Barcyk or Bob Clark or (insert successful reptile breeder here), there are many who fail and most who have to work a "day job" that might not be something they enjoy. Notice I didn't say "insert successful tarantula breeder here" because that is an oxymoron. You cannot make a living selling tarantulas. I am done. Only Kelly Swift has been persistent. I guarantee you that "Ken the Bug Guy" will be gone before long. So how did these successful reptile breeders build these big operations. Bill Brandt's Gourmet Rodent (reptiles and rodents) has 80 employees. It takes luck, persistence and money. Do you have money? I can tell you that many of the big name reptile breeders received big loans to get their start. You can't buy a "morph" that has been around a year or two. You have to be able to buy the newest thing at tens of thousands of dollars. Bob Clark worked in the clothing industry and was fortunate enough to raise the big bucks that the first albino Burmese and Reticulated pythons commanded. I remember when Brian sold at my local reptile show. He is a true success story of reinvesting and saving and building a business from the ground up. Few have what it takes. You can turn a hobby into a profession, but look at any big reptile show today. Ball pythons and crested geckos are everywhere. The ball python market is the best example of the collapse of the reptile industry. Back in the mid-80s I bought my first baby albino Burmese python for $1500. I sold that snake for $500 as an adult! Ball python breeders believed that the fact that balls only produce 4-10 eggs would mean that there market wouldn't be exposed to the rapid market price drops that the big pythons that produced clutches of 50 or more did. They were wrong. People can't give away some "high end morphs". Who is buying the high dollar snakes you see at shows? Only high rollers with cash to burn and I'm guessing you aren't one of them. Only a few at the top will survive. There are a handful of guys who have become millionaires breeding snakes. However, you will be lucky to earn enough money to support a family or even yourself alone.

My advice. Stay a hobbyist and strive to get your hobby to be self-sustaining. That is, figure out how to have it pay for itself. Try to find another job you love to pay the bills. You aren't going to find the "next big thing". You aren't going to have a fast breakthrough. Operate your hobby as you would if it was a business. Focus on profit margins and profit/loss statements. Keep good records and detail every penny you spend and every penny you earn. Keep your personal expenses and "hobby business" expenses separate. Wait until your "bankroll" has a sufficient surplus and then perhaps reinvest 20% of it in new animals. Keep that bankroll management scheme going and see if your hobby is truly becoming profitable. Then see if you can afford forming an LLC (limited liability company) and a business license. Do it right. Claim your income and pay taxes. See if you can afford advertising and a website. There is no reason you can't enjoy a hobby business if you are truly devoted, passionate and willing to work hard. However, the expenses of operating a legitimate business will probably make a successful arachnid-related hobby business or professional business impossible. 

I suggest a career other than the pet industry. Your mileage may vary. I don't regret my 33 years, but I am so relieved to be done with it. This week I sold many spiders. This is another bipolar experience. When I pack them I will be momentarily sad to see them go, but once they are gone I will experience a greater relief. I will remember that I have at different points in my career sold all my snakes, or all my geckos, or all my frogs and I've actually done each several times over. My plan now is to keep working with some favorite tarantulas as a hobbyist. Maybe I'll get back into some favorite snakes. However, I am just as likely to decide that I'd rather move on completely and make my spider room a nice office and media room where my guitars live. Only time will tell. I'm on career #2 and enjoying it immensely. I'm already dreaming about my full retirement within the next ten years. I might just buy an RV and travel the country. Life is full of surprises.

That returns me to Norm's question about being an "adventurer". All that takes is time and money and friends who share your interest and also can get away from life for a few weeks and afford international travel. Unfortunately, it's not easy for most. I was fortunate to become close friends with Andrew Smith and be invited on his field trips. Otherwise I might still be limited to chasing Aphonopelma and rattlesnakes in the American Southwest. I highly recommend the latter if the former is just a dream.

All the best in whatever you endeavor, MJ

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

a longer read than most Mike...but alas a good one....I see a lot of similiarities in what happened to us both....kudos to you for continuing on...
Being a hobbyist is what I will continue to strive for [after 30 or more years] because I want to have fun which is why I only do one show and rarely do internet sales, eventually I will be able to travel and see insitu arachnids.
Your an ok fucker Mike been thru the bullshit that life throws at you and still maintain your 'self'. keep on keeping on Mr dirt

thanx for sharing ...see ya soon
Apple

Unknown said...

First and foremost, thank you very much for taking the time to write this article Michael. It's a needed touch of reality. I too have worked in pet shops only to watch dying animals suffer in the back rooms. It hurts to know, but is important to understand that the industrial side of the pet trade can be cruel.

I do appreciate the advice, and do intend to always be a hobbyist first. Though it's doubtful that my ambition of being a full time breeder/seller will ever come to fruition, I fully intend to carry on from the perspective of a hobbyist, and to always put the needs of the animals first.

I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your new career path, and wish you the best of luck.

-Norm

mj said...

Thanks guys. I'm sorry I couldn't have been more encouraging. However, selling animals is a tough racket and the frustrations are many. I wanted to share the reality of my experiences. If you asked someone like Brian Barcyk he would have given a more positive reply. He is one of the success stories and came in blazing at the right time. I just don't see that opportunity for anyone today, especially someone without loads of money to spend to jumpstart the process. I don't think you can work your way up to success in either herpetoculture or arachnoculture gradually these days. But you can be a hobbyist who acts professionally and uses business sense to create a self-sustaining hobby. No reason not to give it a go.