The Early Days (2005 - 2012)

One could say I’ve always been entrepreneurial—maybe it’s just in my blood? Interestingly, no one in my family or extended family owned a business at this time. I’m not really sure where this motivation came from. Yet, my first “business” was at the age of five, selling painted beach rocks in a makeshift lemonade stand-style setup. My friends and I made a whopping dollar or so, with my neighbor and mom being our biggest customers.

Fast forward a few years, and my next venture was selling plants and flowers my dad and I had raised from seeds. Again, in front of our house, lemonade stand style. This turned out slightly better than the rock sales, I made almost $50!

The Middle (2013 - 2017)

By 2014, I had two new major interests: reptile breeding and video games. All my life, I had been an avid animal lover. I had so many different pets it’s hard to even list them all. And the number of times I begged my mom to take me to the pet store and the local zoo is hard to even fathom looking back.

However, I did have a few main animal interests, fish and reptiles. It was around this time that I discovered the YouTube channel SnakeBytesTV, hosted by the late Brian Barczyk. All I could think about was how I could become a reptile breeder just like them. Unfortunately, my parents had other ideas and wouldn’t allow 13 year old me to fulfill my destiny (yet).

Back to the drawing board I went. At this time, I also loved video games and decided to start a gaming YouTube channel named after the six leopard geckos I had at the time. After making a deal with my parents to scrape and paint my grandma’s garage for $300, I was able to purchase a microphone and a game capture card to start this new venture.

By 2017, after hundreds of videos, I had amassed just over 60,000 subscribers and had made enough money to purchase my first car, as well as some of the things every 16 year old wants. Around this same time, I lost interest in video games but still had the desire to breed reptiles. In the summer of 2017, at 16 years old, I completely stopped making gaming videos and started my new journey as a reptile breeder.

2005 - Painting rocks to sell

2017 - My first car that I bought with YouTube money

The End (2017 - 2024)

By the fall of 2017, I had started a new YouTube channel documenting my journey as a reptile breeder and keeper. My reptile of choice? The Crested Gecko. (Side note: If you’ve never had a pet reptile before and want one, look into Crested Geckos—they’re amazing.)

I continued my gecko breeding and documenting journey throughout the rest of high school and even thought I might try to make a full-time career out of it one day. After graduating in 2019, I got my first real job working as a dietary aide in a nursing home, making $9.20 an hour, still hoping to one day become a full-time reptile breeder.

In 2021, I started a clothing brand focused on animal and pet-related apparel, selling to people who liked my geckos and the general public. By 2024, I knew the time had come. After breeding, selling, and documenting my journey with Crested Geckos for seven years, I decided to close my business and sell off my gecko collection.

I still liked geckos and my business was profitable but I realized that what I wanted in life could not be achieved by breeding geckos alone. Having gotten to know the market and some of the best people in the industry, I came to understand that the ceiling is pretty low. The top 5% of breeders make low to mid six figures in revenue—and even less in profit at the end of the year. That was just one of the biggest factors out of many others.

I hope one day I’m in a position to pursue gecko breeding again just for fun and enjoyment.

A New Beginning (2025 - Present)

Well, that leads us up to today. I still operate my clothing brand, although it is in dire need of some attention if I want to keep it running. I’m still working full time, though I switched jobs in 2021 to work in promotional apparel manufacturing.

As of June 1, 2024, my gecko business and YouTube channel were closed, leaving me with many hours of extra free time over the summer and into spring of 2025. 

What business is next on my radar? Honestly, I’m not sure, but I hope to discover something soon.

If you made it this far, congratulations and thank you. My hope with this site is to document my journey from this point forward as I continue to try new things and build upon what I have already learned. 

I have nothing to sell you, but I do have a favor to ask: If you enjoy what you find here, consider sharing it with someone who might benefit from my content. I would greatly appreciate it. 

Many thanks, and happy reading!

2021 - Shooting a gecko video

2024 - Enjoying my worst financial mistake