A Hasty Decision...too Hasty?

[Ziggurat]

I would like everyone to visit my...uh...new website. http://glimmermoonleopardgeckos.webs.com/

I admit that I'm just dipping my toes in the breeding business until I'm ready to start in the site. For now the website is totally free, unless I pay for a premier account or something like that. I was being an insomniac last night, and the sleeping pills I took, plus boredom, influenced my ability to think.

 

[M_surinamensis]

A few comments then, constructive criticism, if you will...

The possibility occurred to me that the image being used might not be original art that you have permission to use. It might be, I don't know... but if it is not, then you'll want to take it down. Art, photographs and written work are inherently owned by the creator unless they have made other ownership arrangements or sold their ownership rights. They cannot legally be used without permission and should not be used without it for ethical reasons and out of respect for the owner. If you did paint it or have the artists permission, then feel free to ignore that.

Your proposed breeding project and stock are probably not the way to go in establishing worthwhile offspring. You should pick a single project and obtain stock that are the best means of accomplishing a specific goal. So if you want to breed, for example, giant tangerines, then you should obtain a pair or group consisting of giant tangerines (or giants and tangerines, if you want a longer term project). Picking three animals which are genetically diverse and displaying unique mutations will mostly result in jumbled messes and a lot of possible hets. Pick ONE project with a specifically defined goal, obtain the elements that go into that project and try it out to see if breeding is something you are going to enjoy before committing any further.

Additionally, and related to the above... how a business owner handles themselves has a lot to do with the success of their endeavor. Responsible, ethical, honest and knowledgeable; these are traits you should strive to embody. Some of them are a result of making a decision (like honesty). Some of them really require a little more effort. You're very new to even owning leopard geckos, which does not leave you in a very good position to help your customers gain an education. You should seriously consider the idea of walking before you run in this instance... keep some geckos for a couple years, learn more about them, understand the genetics and the biology and the care and then consider the idea of breeding and breeding for profit.

Back to the website... if you have no testimonials, it's better to not have a page for testimonials. It looks a bit odd when the page is present and empty, better if it weren't there at all. When it is empty, it looks like nobody has complimented you. If it's not there, people are less likely to make inferences.

Likewise, the shipping section should be removed until such a time as you are legally and safely capable of shipping. Don't even mention the subject in that manner until you can present a positive and consumer friendly shipping capability. If you find that you have animals for sale prior to having the ability to ship, consider a page with a heading like "Ordering and Availability" in which you detail the ways payments can be made and how available you are for local pickup or delivery. Positive statements, all the time; tell the world what you CAN do, rather than pointing out what you can't. Although, once again, having the web page before you have the geckos is a very backwards approach to the entire enterprise.

Re-name "Returns" as "Guarantee" or "Terms of Service." The use of the word "Returns" as a heading implies that you anticipate animals will be returned, that consumers will find fault with the animals or that the animals are likely to die, so you have a formalized process for handling something that happens frequently. The use of something like "Guarantee" is a much more appealing approach, even though it will partially detail many of the same aspects of the sale and outline the expectations of the agreement for all involved parties, it's a word which implies confidence in your product, an assurance that you expect everything to go well and a promise that you'll stand behind your animals if it does not.

 

[Ziggurat]

I will take your advice in mind! Thank you for criticizing me nicely. Time to take down that webpage...