Krusty.... I'm in absolute agreement about your "take" on much of this "discussion". I hope that you don't look at my "10 reasons" as a slam or dig at any of the newer guys.... I felt that sticking those observations out there would actually be taken as HELPFUL. I've read my own post a couple times now, and still don't see any negatives directed at anyone.

There is no such thing as starting ANY business as a "pro" and never will be. People can take all the classes in the world and have 35 certification "initials" after their name, but that doesn't make them any better than the next guy in this business.

There is an excellent message board for NWCOA members that is by far the best source of info for this industry and has a large group of HELPFUL members on board. I joined the NWCOA several years ago, and to this day the most helpful benefit of being a member is having access to that message board.

Without going into what some feel as "nasty" details, the shut-down of the original NWCOA board (NWCOA.net) over a year ago caused a big shake-up in the WCO industry "leaders". Another association was formed (wildlifemanagementpro.org) and there was a bit (huge amount) of bickering and conflicts concerning which way "everyone" wanted the industry to go.

There are now 2 WCO groups, and though some feel a "split" was a weakening of the industry, others are happy that both exist. From a strictly "observatory" outlook, I see the NWCOA (which I am still a member and fully support) wanting to continue to work with state agencies and WCO's to direct the industry in a positive fashion. However, they do not PUSH mandatory insurance, mandatory testing, or other business related issues that (I feel) should be left to the individual operators. I think you're crazy to operate without insurance, but don't feel your business is anyone's business but yours.

The NWPMA is totally focused on the business aspect. The are working at mandatory requirements for all WCO's. Their website has plenty of info for you to check out.... make your own decision on their goals. I think it is fairly obvious that their "plans" for "barriers" are somewhat self-serving, but that's for each one of us to decide.

Taking wildlife management (nuisance) away from DNR / F&G and giving it to Ag or health agencies will instantly KILL a huge number of potential WCO's, especially the guys (trappers) who are best suited for the work. It will be highly regulated, and I myself HATE excessive regulatory agencies. Since when has the government been able to run ANY programs right? I'm in the "less government, more freedom" group.

This doesn't mean I think WCO work should be a free-for-all as it is in many states. Poor representation will kill us faster than government regs, but there has to be a balance there somewhere.

Check out NWCOA.com and the NWCOA.INFO sites. And don't hesitate to send me an e-mail or PM any questions you may have. I think any of the guys on here who post tips and pics of various jobs are HELPING. It's just too easy to let some "typed" comments get your blood pressure up.......

Ron,

I didn't see anything negative in your list, and I (am inclined to) agree with others, it seems like good information, based on facts gleaned from personal experience.

The fact is, though, for all the reasons you listed, and more, many people don't have what it takes.

Studies show that 85% of all small businesses fail, there's no way to put up "barriers" to that, in any industry.

All of this, is helpful... but it appears it's information that's not getting to (or not sinking in for) many of the individuals who most need to hear it?

Like I say, if it was as important to you that these "new guys" have the skills needed for the "industry" to survive... as it is for my climbing partner to know how to stop the rope while I am falling... maybe the information that addresses your list, is what should be made available?
An if your own butt is on the line for any mistakes these guys might make, maybe you should personally make sure they know how not to make them?

An apprenticeship is how this issue was handled by most trades, in the past, and would definitely end the free for all, as well as solving other problems (like the catch 22).


Webster's Dictionary defines a forum as;

"A place for the exchange and debate of ideas and information."

As an outsider, trying to find my way in, I think my point of view is valuable to the debate, and viable information.
Just like your experience gives you a point to view the subject from, my lack of it gives me a whole different view, without either of us being "right or wrong".

My view might come from left field, but somebody has to be the left fielder.

Otherwise I wouldn't participate in these forums.

I appreciate your understanding, and your willingness to discuss this further.
Character like that, lends credibility to what you have to say, thank you.

I might have to check out some other forums... lord knows I could use a break from this one.

Krusty

Getting new ideas was the reason for stirring the pot with my post.It was not directed at any one just the industry as a whole.
My ancestors believed in shareing knowledge and they instaled that in me at an early age.

As an industry we need new blood but we have to prepare them for some of the problems.it ain't all a bed of Roses.

Now that everyones awake HOW CAN THE INDUSTRY (YOU) help newbes?
JUST WHAT DO THEY NEED FOR TRAINING?
Bob Evans CWCP

A good thread Robert.

I'm 41 and haven't even reached my first year mark in the WCO business.

The way I look at it, I don't think other WCO's can help me. Encourage me - yes.

But...If it is to be, it's up to me.

Skunk03,Your right on it being up to YOU.
I've been at this since 1990 and I can use training help,do you KNOW every thing?
Bob Evaqns Cwcp

I have had the benefit of getting a lot of training and here are a few thoughts :

Why would any WCO want to teach someone the tricks of the trade to someone who could be a competitor and potentially steal your work ? I went to one school that gave out a survey and asked the question " Would you recommend this school to another WCO ? " One reply they got back was " Yes , but only if they lived 150 miles away or more. " I would think that this is somewhat true in a competitive market.

Think about that for a minute.

What can you do ?

It's a rat race out there.....The smartest and quickest rats survive and eat most of the grain and become fat. Don't be the rat on the bottom of the ladder , get the tools you need to advance before your competitor. You can skip school and learn at the school of hard knocks , take 10+ years to get good and really start to earn a good salary or join a franchisee who will teach you but take part of your profits.

Or you can bite the bullet , spend money and time to INVEST in your training. The money I have spent investing in my own training I have gotten back 10 fold. I went from a "newbie" to a seasoned pro in a very short period of time. I now know a lot more than some people who have be doing this a lot longer than I have. However I am always willing to learn more , the more I know , the more money I can make at this and I have a very low failure rate.

I got interested in this field by a friend of mine who was a co-worker where I used to work. My friend is about 65+ years old and been trapping most of his life. He has been doing nuisance wildlife work ever since the idea was thought up , however because I have had so much training that he has not , the student has now become the teacher. He asks me questions all the time because I have learned more that he has in his 50+ years of trapping. Not to say he does not have anything to share , he does and I listen , I want to learn too.

Don't want to be a "newbie" or sell out to a franchise ?

Here's a great way to kick start your career -




NWMPA ANNOUNCEMENT


NWMPA Wildlife Control Boot Camp being held in New Jersey Sunday April 27 - Friday May 2, 2008
(dates were chosen to assure moderate temperatures and weather conditions for our in the field experiences and safety of our attendees while traveling)

(The NWMPA Wildlife Control Boot Camp web site is under construction and shall be operational very soon. Web site will include all information regarding fees, scheduled classes, instructors and vendors. Please watch for upcoming announcement of URL on http://www.npwma.net and http://www.wildlifemanagementpro.org/

2008 NWMPA Wildlife Control Boot Camp all inclusive price includes:

Ground transportation to and from Newark Liberty International airport (Sunday and Friday) (non stop direct flights to Newark from most major airports across the nation and Canada)

Morning to Night training sessions provided by 15 of the most recognized leaders, instructors and vendors in the Wildlife Control Industry. (Sun 3-9pm / Mon-Thur 9 am-9pm / Fri 9 am -12pm)

Hotel accommodations (attendees will have the option for single or double occupancy rooms, we will not force "roommate style" accommodations)

Daily Continental breakfast

Daily in-house restaurant lunch and dinner

Daily in class refreshments

Daily door prize raffle ticket

NMWPA Boot Camp handbook

NWMPA Wildlife Control Boot Camp graduation certificate

NWMPA Wildlife Control Boot Camp graduation patch

Professional safety harness and products kit

Professional mole control products kit and video

Bird Barrier co. Certified Installer full day course, certificate / handbook / DVD / product samples

Huge end of event products raffle

Business card holder with all presenters, vendors and attendees business cards

AND MUCH MORE !!!

** Graduation party dinner and tournament show at Medieval Times ( http://www.medievaltimes.com )

** Vendors room, products and displays throughout the event

** All Graduates will receive their very own individual web page free for one year on our NWMPA Boot Camp web site with your portrait photo, biography and links to all of your contact information

** All graduates will receive a NWMPA media letter and Boot Camp portrait photo which may be used for local press releases

** All graduates will earn more than half the training credit hours needed for NWMPA national certification


Please visit our industry forum http://www.npwma.net for updated announcements or contact NWMPA Training and Certification Director Kirk La Pierre at kirk.lapierre@verizon.net for additional information



The guys that know their business inside out are the ones who are living in a good neighborhood , taking care of their family , putting braces on the kids and having plans to send those same kids to college. Much better than just scraping by on what little you know. Most franchise owners do very well because the have the tools they need to make a good wage , but at a cost.

Question , which way to you want to go ?

Cragar,good info.What are You getting out of it? I'm not here to SELL anything.I would like to help some of the beginers.My competion helped train me and are still helping.
Each operator has a job they like and excel at,there is room for everyone.
Bob Evans cwcp

Bob , good question. The only thing I am SELLING here is yourself. As Mike Dwyer and Pete said , they are a lot of untrained people out there that make mistakes that make us all look bad and we end up cleaning up their messes.

I see a lot of new people come and go because it took too much work to learn the proper way to handle wildlife. I cannot stress the value of learning everything you can about running your business to success. This is a lot more than trapping animals. Unless you have a great support system like the way franchisees have , with training , sharing of information between franchisees , and someone who will help you out when you get stuck , it can take a long time to learn all this valuable information.

There is several resources out there that can help you learn how to be come a better WCO/ business owner. books , trade magazines ,videos , web sites ( like this one ) , seminars , state/federal training , and other resources. Eat , Sleep and Breathe being a Wildlife Control Professional , The key here being a PROFESSIONAL. I read every book I can , Subscribe to every trade magazine , have seen most of the videos on the market , I am active on several web sites , go to every seminar I can , attend every state training event. I want to learn everything I can about my trade. I want my colleagues to respect me and my work , I want my customers to be amazed at my skills.

This training has got me a lot of titles , CWCP , ACP , National Goose Academy Graduate , FTA Trapper's College Graduate , Bird Barrier certified installer ,BCI certified excluder , Bird-B-Gone certified installer and more. But these are just titles that 99.999% of the population don't understand. The REAL value is in the knowledge of how it all works , not the title.

Yes , networking with someone in your area is worth it's weight in gold. I have done this since I got started in this business and consider my competitors as colleagues , not the enemy . Your close competitors will not want to do better than them , so sharing of knowledge is somewhat limited. This is where being in a franchise is a BIG advantage , they share info quite freely amongst themselves .

If you have ever been to a function were WCO's are meeting there is great value in sharing of tips and experiences that others have to share. This information is worth it's weight in gold. You can only learn so much from books , videos, web sites and magazines. Going to one day seminar a year is great , even if some of the subject is a bit old hat to someone who has done some work , but interacting with others is always something new and valuable. Attending a regional or state run event will have some drawbacks. There will be direct competitors who will not share any information because they view their competitor as a threat , not an ally. This goes back to old-style trappers who would keep all their techniques secret from other trappers and quite literally took this information to the grave.

Now go to a national event and things are different. One of the first things attendees want to know is there anyone else attending who operates near your service area. Once most attendees find out that there are no competitors present they will sing like a canary about their top-secret method to remove *blank* animal. It is almost like a dam bursting over this big secret they are so proud to have discovered and don't want the guy in the next town away from them to know.

Go to a national multi-day or week long event not only will you get to learn some ' top-secret ' tips , you get to know people and bond with them over the course of several days , you will learn some of their deepest and darkest secrets that they are willing to share. When I went to NWDMA some nights we were up to 2 am just B.S.-ing and swapping tales and tricks. A lot of the instructors at the FTA trapper's college looked forward to the new crop of students every year. Why ? Even with 20-30-40 or even 50 + years of trapping experience there is always something they can learn from their students that in turn makes the instructor a better trapper. Did you know that several of these schools have the same students year after year , taking the same curriculum ? They are there to learn from others not just the instructors. Did you know a fair amount of really good seasoned professionals attend this too ? I have seen quite a few students that probably could teach some of these classes better than the instructor could , however the topic is a lot of times almost an open discussion, and information is shared freely - everybody learns - everybody gains.

Training is not costly , it is an investment. ( plus a tax write-off ) The year I graduated from NWDMA , one month later I made $7,000.00 from just one technique I learned. That made the cost of tuition a joke. That technique is still paying benefits.

Ron , very good #10 things list , I can't agree more.

Krusty , I have seen a lot of your posts and this thread and other places on the site. You have got some good things to contribute and I respect your posts. What I think others are trying to express is that in order to provide a PROFESSIONAL service there is costs involved , insurance , equipment , advertising etc ,etc. You have to charge quite a bit more than someone who is untrained ,uninsured , driving a beat-up truck and quite frankly not very good at what job they perform. You will find this in every trade from the guy down the street that does carpentry on the side - but he takes forever , to your sister's brother-in-law - who fixed your plumbing - but it's still leaking , to the landscaper that does not speak English and one of his helper's just relived himself behind one of your bushes. You get what you pay for. It can be very difficult to justify higher costs to a customer that has gotten a low-ball price from someone who is new or just part-timing for beer money.

But.....?

What's your point?



Duh! What I am trying to express is I don't see any of these people doing anything to help a new guy identify what these costs actually are, or avoid the myriad of pitfalls.

From out of the blue, we are supposed to be able to identify our market, find a niche within it, gain a good enough understanding of it, to write a business plan (that won't fail), and then do the job with the skill and efficiency of a seasoned pro?


Let's look at Ron's list, and deal with it by the numbers.

1. How does one "establish themselves", and what does that mean?

2. How does one without a clue of what the industry even does, on a day to day basis, come up with a plan at all, let alone a good one?

3. Without experience, where will "familiarity" come from... without cognition... there can be no recognition.
How can one address issues they don't know about until they arise?
So a good NWCO is psychic?

4. If they didn't have to struggle on they're own, like you say, for two years or longer, they would make less mistakes for you to clean up after.
They likely wouldn't need as deep of reserves if they went into it "properly prepared".
Wouldn't it be better to be taught to swim, than to be pushed off the dock... sink or swim, sucker! (by someone who could be the lifeguard instead)?

5. Where is a "regular trapper" supposed to learn the difference? Again by leaving these people to dangle in the wind, you are creating the messes you have to clean up.
This is a perfect example of how the information the addresses this list needs to get to them, before it's too late.

6. See #5

7. Once more I refer back to #5, where is a trapper supposed to learn all this stuff?

I worked in the construction trades for the better part of 30 years.
I never even considered that bats (or any other animals) were not being excluded by standard building practices, or what the solutions would be to any problems that this might create in the future.

At this point, even with an advanced set of construction skills, and tools, I wouldn't know where to apply them to NWCO work.

8. Takes us back to #3 and #4, if they were able to recognize the importance of exclusion work, and or had the skills to perform said tasks, they would be more likely not to taint the reputation of "you guys" as a whole.
Proper representation of the group, is better achieved through
personal interaction between those who already posses that reputability, and those who do not.

I seriously doubt anyone goes out there and fails to do a good job because, they don't want to, more likely, they didn't possess the skills needed for the job, or a basic understanding of what the job was... like Cragar's sister's brother-in-law.

Part of this responsibility lies on the customer, too, they often try to cut costs, and get what they paid for in the process.

9. We're back to the beginning, what is a business plan? And without having worked in the industry, where is this foundation of knowledge that they are supposed to build on?

10. Without an idea of what "services" there are, to do, how can one pick and choose between them?
It would be real easy to get stuck in a rut, because it's the only thing you know how to do.

I think Cragar stated it honestly, and well.

"Why would any WCO want to teach someone...?" And went on to say for the most part they don't want to.

Nothing about the industry will change for the better, until this is fixed.
As long as you not only allow, but force others to struggle and die, you will have to put up with the stench of rotting corpses.

Now some of you are starting to look hypocritical.


Nick,

I applaud your fortitude, sticking with it, despite the fact that people are secretly pulling for you to fail, takes guts.

I guess that's the kind of "friends" we have here on Trapperman.... don't you feel honored to be "one of them"?

Mark Twain said "I'd never want to be part of a club, that would have a man like me as one of it's members" I have never understood that more than I do right now.

I'm glad I'm just "me".

Krusty

Nick,

You are taking a very good approach to "making it" in this business. Trying to go full-time immediately often results in failure, as it takes a while to build your business. That's #1 on my list of reasons to fail. I started part-time back in 1990 when Illinois first started the commercial permit system, as there was no way that the business could have supported a family back then. It gets tough to work "2 jobs" but it is a safer approach to surviving the "initiation".

"Newbie" is a relative term..... it is used far too often in this industry. An established WCO may see a new ad in the Yellow Pages, and immediately looks at it as a "newbie" jumping in. In many cases the guy has been doing WCO work for several years, and finally decided to advertise in that media. He is NOT a newbie, but the guy who doesn't know him instantly applies that tag.

I think what most WCO's who have been at this for a long time will "complain" about should not be tagged as a newbie, but more of a fly-by-nighter. Some states don't require testing and permits, so it's a free-for-all. A guy with a pick-up truck who buys 3 cage traps is suddenly out there "competing" with you, and sadly enough the public will take the hit for his lack of professionalism.

Many have no liability insurance, and operate on a cash basis thinking they are "outsmarting" the government and those who run a serious commercial business. In reality they are a time bomb out there.... an accident looking for a place to happen. Of course that happens in any business (as Cragar mentions). I can find 15 back yard mechanics that will fix my car, or a dozen uninsured house painters who will "cut me a deal". Trying to eliminate those people is a waste of time. Focusing on your own business by providing good service will be the key to success.

I am glad to see that Cragar has taken advantage of all the training. It will save ANYONE just starting out a ton of grief as compared to "trial and error" learning techniques. I'm also in agreement with the fact that NONE of our clients have a clue what any of the certification titles mean, nor do they care. The training is for US, not the customer. Customers want their problem dealt with in a professional manner.

If you've been working at this for a couple years and are providing service with successful results, don't worry if anyone on here or anywhere else tags you a "newbie". You and your customers are the ones that count. Any of us who learned "the hard way" have all made plenty of mistakes as we went along, and the key is learning from them and adjusting.

Hey........I resemble that remark........ Ha!

but it got me by for 4 years (still consider myself a Newbie).......bought me a new dodge (cash) because I do not want to be tied to a payment book during the slow times... I enjoy my family more then running a buisness

Some people are "made" to succeed in business......They have "business sense".......other are made to be "worker Bees"......because they want to go home at 5 and forget about there day and not worry about or plan about tomorrows...................

Nick , please take this as constructive criticism , not a personal attack. Nice Jack Russell by the way , I've got one too.






That is quite normal , most people will part-time 2-6 years on average before making the jump to full time.

True , but you are starting to learn the real costs of running a business vs. a hobby. Now is the time to look at how much profit you are making and ask "am I charging enough ?" My prices have gone up again and again and again to the point that some people are outraged at what I ask to perform a certain task. Ideally you SHOULD get some customers that are outraged and appalled at your price. If you are selling 100% of your proposals , you are priced too low. I average 25 % refusals on work , because I charge more. I do those other 75 % jobs and make profit to keep my business healthy - but not greedy. Read Ron's # 3 and #10

I don't think anyone here wants you to fail or make it harder , the only people that might wish that is someone who is in your service area. However , I think a lot of the comments here are directed at how difficult it is to learn the proper way to do business. I seriously doubt ANYONE who could HONESTLY tell you it was a piece of cake to get started. That is where a franchise is a much easier way to get started , than the school of hard knocks.

Because the industry as a whole just took a black eye. If WCO's are portrayed as slobs like shifty used car salesmen , fly-by-night contractors and slimy late night telemarketers , the general public will not want to pay you for your skills and knowledge so you can afford to live in a good neighborhood and send your kids to good schools. I had a customer grill me once about my prices being too high. I asked him if he liked living in a nice house in a good area. He said " Sure , its nice here" I replied back to him that I want to live in a nice house in a good area too , just like everyone else. It is expensive to live here and I think he understood that.

Yes , but only to be replaced with new ones.

At the point where you will call in sick to your regular job to make more money for the day than your regular job. Then you need to be at the point where that happens again and again so your regular job is paying less year round than you could be making working for yourself.

Sorry , posted half a thought , did not get to finish what I meant to say. You have a lot of skills for climbing and rigging ropes and the like that some of us would kill for. The trade as a whole has been crying for more training on this subject and would gladly love to hear more to keep us safer on the job. Your skills in constuction are a lot more valuable in this trade than you think , don't worry you will find out.
You are also smart enough to ask the dumb questions , that's right -smart enough to ask the dumb questions- There are no dumb questions , just people dumb enough to not ask them.

Good move with the new truck. I started out with an old truck too. But it was starting to leak oil and after spending lots of money to stop the leaks. I could only get the oil leaks down to the point where it would leave 1 or 2 drops of oil in a customer's driveway. The truck was too old to properly get it sealed so I would have no leaks at all without spending massive amounts of money. So I got a new one , not like my old truck was breaking down or anything like that. Quite frankly I would have been happier with the older truck , cheaper than a new one , but I can not afford to have it leak oil in customer's driveways ,I could care less if it leaked in my own driveway. Just like a real estate agent needs to have a nice late model car to show homes to clients , having a new truck shows to your customer that this is a serious business and not some "guy" that does this on the side.

Very true , I miss working for someone else who deals with all the problems after I punch out at 5 pm.

Never said working for yourself is easier , just different.

[quote=Krustyklimber]


Duh! What I am trying to express is I don't see any of these people doing anything to help a new guy identify what these costs actually are, or avoid the myriad of pitfalls.

From out of the blue, we are supposed to be able to identify our market, find a niche within it, gain a good enough understanding of it, to write a business plan (that won't fail), and then do the job with the skill and efficiency of a seasoned pro? quote]

This is why I brought up the information for the NWMPA wildlife boot camp. You have many ,many questions as you should. I had just as many when I got started. It is way too hard to answer every question that you will have to go about this successfully. I am still asking questions and trying to learn more. I tell my customer's that I never stop learning , the animals always have something new to teach me. Will you learn everything you need to know by going to a school - NO WAY. But you will learn a lot and that is usally enough to get you pointed in the right direction. This is up to you , how bad to you want to learn and how fast ? Schools , seminars , books ,videos all cost money and time. Franchise owners cut the time to earning over learning much faster than the rest of us , that is why they share some of their profits with corporate owners. The corporation is giving them valuable information to make them successful , getting paid for their knowledge of how to run a business profitably.

Cragar,

Thanks for elaborating on that, I thought you might have been going someplace, but I couldn't tell where.

The value of my construction skills is not lost on me, that's why I will continue to rely on them, to pay my bills.

I do all the work I do now, by word of mouth reputation, and repeat customers. So I'm not the only one who recognizes that value.



That you did.

It was expected that "new guys" should know the things on the list, long before you or I posted in this thread (Ron was the first respondent).
I was speaking to "the industry's" lack of grass roots, regional, instruction, interaction, and apprenticeship.

How can the industry endorse a training system whereby a NWCO can become certified without ever laying eyes on a trap?

Krusty

For someone who understands construction you will have a major leg up on someone else starting out in this business. Everybody thinks there is "easy money" to be made in this business. Doing exclusion work AKA construction repair you can make a lot of money quickly by offering the total package of inspection , trapping and removal , clean-up and exclusion to prevent re-entry. Easily turning a problem into one-stop shopping for your client and a larger ticket job for you. Very easy sell , customers ask if you can do the whole job . Read Ron's # 7 I have people ask me all the time if I am interested to do unrelated repair jobs for them on the side

Sounds like you already know a bit about how to run a business , better yet you have repeat customers and have a understanding of public relations. This turns into more word of mouth advertising. You asked about being "established" , that is part of what you already have , how many of your current customers can use your skills as a WCO ? If you do a good job at construction and can learn to add catching the critters out of the structure your client base will expand quickly. Customers are far more likely to hire someone they know and have tried than someone new. Getting "established" takes some time and effort to get there but it will come as fast as you can get your name out there , you already have a little bit of a "leg-up" at this goal.




This industry's grass roots are very shallow , I know very few people who have been doing this for more than 30 years. This is an all new trade that can follow it's roots to trappers who specialized in ADC work. This however is very different doing nuisance wildlife control vs animal damage control. ADC trapping is done in a more radical manner than most urban city dwellers could handle in today's political correct world. As far as instruction there was almost none 15 years ago. This mostly got started by a few WCO's that started state associations only just 10 years ago. These same associations started to offer training as more and more WCO's were needed to handle animals.

Apprenticeship is a real mixed bag. I know of several WCO's who have trained people to work for them only to have those same people quit , open up their own business and directly compete against the same person that taught them . That hurts big time . Not only is it a slap in the face but it hits your wallet too. There has been talk of a two-tier licence system like some pest control licenses that would not allow you to work on your own until you worked for someone else. However you are stuck making someone else rich before you can spread your wings and fly solo. This would also be another barrier to someone new to the business and as you mentioned you don't want established WCO's from putting roadblocks in your way. I agree. However this lets you ( and everyone else ) loose with not having to learn unless you want to learn.

I am one of the instructors for my state's new WCO licensees getting a licence for the first time. The class consists of laws , legal methods , public perception of WCO's , disease and vectors of public health , euthanasia , filing paperwork with state , animal cruelty and basic biology of most common animals handled. This is a very bare bones class that just about covers you to get a licence and keep out of trouble violating game laws. Then there is a 175 multiple choice test that is NOT easy.

Our state would like use to offer a more involved training class to new WCO's , however this could easily take a LOT more time and money. Does the state have the money for this -NO . Would you tell a prospective WCO wanna-be that the state wants you to take a class that costs $300-$500-$1000 in order to get a licence ? Another roadblock you don't need. A bit of a catch-22 , huh ?

Cragar,

Part of the way I built up a good reputation, is knowing when I'm in over my head, and admitting it.

I just turned down an electrical repair job, because I don't possess the skills to complete it... instead of pulling a "sister's brother-in-law", and doing it poorly.

I cannot sell "the total package" because I am only qualified to make the repairs.
At this point, despite the new license in my pocket, I am still advising clients to hire an experienced NWCO.

Dude... aren't you the one who suggested I need to spend (way more than) $1000 just to USE my license?

I would rather have paid for some training (locally), in the first place... to make said license useful... instead of wasting that time and expense, getting an otherwise worthless piece of paper.

Until I understand A LOT MORE about trapping, I am not going to set a single trap, for fur or for any other reason.

I know enough to know I lost way too much money last year (because of my lack of training and experience), and to leave my traps in the garage, lest I lose even more money this year...

Hanging traps, LOSE no money!

Krusty

Krusty-


I uh........nevermind

Robb,

Uh.... okay?

That's too bad, I was just thinking about how many people are not participating in this discussion.

I dunno why you guys have a problem? I'm just following your advice...

I am not going to do #1 (jump into the business), because of #2 (I don't have a plan, or experience), and #4 (inadequate start up resources, and no money set aside).
But most of all, NOT because of #9... as I said, I can see that I was already losing money (just trying to learn how to trap).
And that I would continue to lose money, and I could not provide a service worth paying for, until I had better skills.

"You guys" should be happy about it.

Krusty