As 2019 is ending we have a lot of work to do get ready for 2020. We have Analytics to look over to see what we need to work on, Finance stuff to gather for tax purposes (We're not looking forward to learning all about filing business taxes LOL), Business strategies to devise, expansion plans to make and future growth opportunities to scout out.
We had to adapt this year and I think it's an accurate statement when we say we went from wide eye dreamers that thought they could sell a few extra Roaches to full blown small business owners. I think that started to sink in with the interview we gave to vice.com and the bigger and bigger orders we started getting. To say that this surpassed our wildest dream would be an understatement.
As we are going over our shipping shelf today to see what supplies we needed to order we got curious and pulled the 2019 report and realized that we shipped almost 500 packages in our first year! 500!! Sure, there was a lot of trial and error when it came to our shipping. We switched from cups, to organza bags to vented boxes to a combination of both etc. all in an effort to accommodate the Florida heat and the temporal weather we're accustomed to in Palm Coast. We had to figure out how we wanted to present ourselves as a company and those of you who have been customers with us since day one has seen the various changes on our websites, products and packaging. We had to make tough decisions like not shipping outside of Florida for the winter season, not for monetary reasons but to protect our insects from dying in transit.
We learned all about optimal Roach breeding throughout this year, about creating the perfect Roach diet to produce healthy and hearty bugs. We successfully managed to keep pests and diseases out of our barn and from infiltrating our colonies and found out that our Roaches prefer Mozart over any other music. We figured out how to keep our barn at steady temperatures over the changing seasons and dealt with the challenges that it brings.
But most of all we learned how important YOU are. We build customer relationships; we squeal in delight with you watching your babies grow up on Luna Roaches and turn into the gorgeous reptiles they are meant to be. We shuddered with you as we heard some of the horror stories of people discovering your colonies and thinking they are pests and being taken care of accordingly by a surprised family member. We gave advise, had long conversations about the business and bonded with fellow insect lovers. In short, we met AMAZING people this year!
So, what's in store for 2020?
From day one we wanted to provide you with excellent customer service, the kind that WE want to encounter when purchasing something somewhere. We believe we've succeeded, and we promise we will continue to do so!
We promise we are here to stay! This past year we had offers from two big companies wanting to buy us out. We politely declined because we feel only we can execute the vision we have for Luna Roaches the way we do. So, Luna Roaches will continue to be just Chris and I!
We will also promise that we will ALWAYS have your bug size in stock. We've declined many wholesale requests this year because we felt that if we would sell wholesale, we would compromise the service and availability that you have come to love and expect from us. We may change this down the line based on the number of bugs we have at the height of breeding season, but we will never be a position where you need something and we can't accommodate.
In 2020 we want to focus more on local sales as well so if you are in Palm Coast or surrounding area and you find yourself in need of immediate Roaches we promise that by Q3 or Q4 you should be able to come by and pick up your Roaches at our Barn location! And of course, you're always welcome to stay for a cup of java! :)
We promise to continue with our Donation Program. We believe giving back to the reptile community is important and we will continue to pick reptile rescues to donate some of our proceeds and Roaches to.
We will keep coming up with ideas to engage you outside of just selling you Roaches! Our weekly Trivia for example has become really popular and we promise that we will continue this in the new year!
We promise that our relationship doesn't have to end after your purchase! We are as invested in your Discoids as you are and want you to succeed! So if you have any questions about anything, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! You can find us here in chat, on our Facebook Page or you can always mail or Private message us!
Most of all we promise that we will continue to produce disease free, healthy, high quality feeder & breeder Discoids and that you will ALWAYS walk away happy after your purchase with us!
We hope to see you in 2020!
Mel & Chris Adams
Luna Roaches
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