Taxidermists crawling out of the woodwork here!!!

Move East, there's none in the big Boston,Ma ,1800 page yellow pages or the suburbs smaller books. Not even a repo salt water fish guy and we are on the coast. I ran across a old customer at a store , asked how he did deer season , said he got a nice buck and had a hard time finding a taxidermist. He said he could find a crack dealer faster than a taxidermist. He had to bring it up to NH.

 

DOn't worry to much Bobbi, they always pop up around me but they never last long. THey think they are going to be able to hunt and fish all the time and they are going to have great fun with it. Then they realize it is fun but it is a job and you have to work at it. That is when most of them give it up. Plus I wouldn't worry about the price difference, if your quaility is good, they will beat your door down to have you mount there stuff. If the customer is price shopping, and don't care what it looks like, I don't want them for a customer, they are the hardest to get money out of even with a 50% deposit. The way I look at it, the competition may take in more deer than me with a lower price, but mine is higher, quality is better in my opinion, I will have to do less work and will probably make more money at it. Hang in there.

 

i think these taxidermy schools that have popped up in the last few years and charging 1500 to 3000 to learn taxidermy are spawning alot of wannabe's

 

How about this...I have twenty within 20 miles. There is another taxidermist IN MY HOME TOWN of about 2000....his name is also Jim...he's about 1/4 mile away...one right turn difference in directions. IT SUCKS.

 

I don't have that many around me but I get alot of people that ask me to teach them . They say I will pay you, but when I tell them price and sign a paper not to open a shop for five years within thirty miles of my shop that stops that. Most around here don't expect to fork out ten thousand to learn a starting trade. I really fell sorry for you but most will fall by the way very soon, keep your prices or raise them, and people will recognize the quality work.

 

Bobbie same thing happened around me -- Guy lost his job figured taxidermy would be easy to get into to make good money... he never opened his doors, seems it wasnt as easy as he thought....another guy even took lessons from a guy 30 mins from me...he lasted about as long as it took for the ink to dry on his flyer...''

People think its easy fun money then realty sets in

 

Bobbi,
That is the problem with taxidermy, in most States all one needs to do is hang a sign and SHAAZAAMM, they are now a taxidermist!. Mount one Squirrel, one Deer, one of anything, and you are a taxidermist.
Looking at the economy it`s not surprising there pooping up like moles, people out of work,can`t find work and always in the back of there mind they have a dream.
From what I`ve seen your work looks very good, just keep plugging along and maybe a few will close down by next year.

QUOTE
"How about this...I have twenty within 20 miles. There is another taxidermist IN MY HOME TOWN of about 2000....his name is also Jim...he's about 1/4 mile away...one right turn difference in directions. IT SUCKS."
That's crazy!!
I`am not sure how many taxidermist are within 20 miles of me? There are 8 in the Yellow Pages, even though, I do not get that many calls from the Yellow Pages, and have thought of dropping the 2 phone books we have here in Columbus, OH. Yellow Book, and the AT&T Yellow Pages.

 

A lot more taxi's are advertising here but I think some of them have been around awhile and just didn't advertise before.

 

I had a new taxidermist in my area stop by uninvited one night to ask me about possibly training him and while I was getting change for a customer I looked out the window and he was handing out his business card! He already is advertising relentlessly here and later told me he is relocating his business to 2 miles from mine.

 

I cant say a whole lot but I live in a town of about 2000. I didnt know there was a part time taxidermist in the area until I opened up he seemed pretty pissed at first but we get along good now, When he gets the jobs he wants for the year he sends the others to me and I have my own customers, we help eachother out when in need of assistance its been nice. I see how it is to be in a small town w two taxidermists the only thing I can personally say is produce quality work on every mount treat every customer w respect and if possible become friends w all your customers make it more than just a business deal. I have also seen alot of people think I have a walk in the park job but while they are hunting every weekend Im still workin 7 days a week 14-18 hour days sometimes during deer season. When I explain that to them dont want no part of it.

 

The way I look at it is this, the guy who wants a $250.00 deer mount will never appreciate a quality job. Stick with your prices and quality the educated hunters will recognize the differences. Remember "Quality leaves no regrets". Just don't bad mouth your competition, just tell the customer to compare and decide.
Steve

 

The number of taxidermist in our local yellow page ad is half of what it was last year. I feel lucky that there are not that many around here being the capital city of MI.

 

I always said I wished there were 3 or 4 right across the street so I could send customers over to the product!!!! Otherwise they just go to the phone book and check around in a 50 mile radious for low prices.