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How Do You Fund Your Hobby?


Bay Area Aquatics
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I'm a buyer for a large global company specializing in industrial gas compression equipment, working on our repair side of the business. When equipment at a refinery or oxygen plant goes down, I get to be they guy who gets all the parts delivered next-day so a repair team can get them back up and running. So I get to do a lot of global import from China, India, Austria, Germany, etc. When @Cory talks about working with factories in China to make the next great Co-Op product, he's speaking my language.

 

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I sell honeybees to beekeepers. My busiest times are Winter and Spring because I have to get ready for the Spring rush when beekeepers restock from their winter loses.

I don't sell honey, which is what people usually associate with beekeeping, but I do collect a little to give to the landowners where I have my principle outyards.

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Cool thread idea, @Bay Area Aquatics! I'm the content strategist and blog writer for Aquarium Co-Op. I used to make marketing content for engineering companies, and now I get to do it for freshwater aquariums, so this is like my dream job. 😁 You can read my profile (and other people's profiles) on the Aquarium Co-Op Meet the Team page:

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WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM

Aquarium Co-Op’s strength is our community of staff and customers. Our team consists of experienced hobbyists to bring you the best information & service.

 

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3 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I sell honeybees to beekeepers. My busiest times are Winter and Spring because I have to get ready for the Spring rush when beekeepers restock from their winter loses.

How cool! I heard that honeybee populations were mysteriously declining in the US... did they ever figure out why and find out how to stop it?

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I picked a harsh time to try and switch careers in a new state, I had been a firefighter for 10 years where the money was there but not the time to keep fish. Now it's the reverse! So in Oregon you can get a refund of 10c for bottles and cans when you recycle them. We don't drink alcohol anymore but stack up plenty of seltzer water cans and that $$$ gets put away for fish stuff. 

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46 minutes ago, Irene said:

How cool! I heard that honeybee populations were mysteriously declining in the US... did they ever figure out why and find out how to stop it?

I occasionally do some work for the lab of Dr. David Tarpy at North Carolina State University (like gluing number tags to the thorax every bee in a colony so the honey bee's movements can be tracked individually).

628431988_markingbees1.jpg.e04df19ec95919b7a440724f697a3f6d.jpg   1220339010_markingbees2.jpg.9d92b30518c1d189a3dfe05e74e30a06.jpg

Above: Putting number tags on bees                                       Above: Numbered bees

He is one one the leading scientist studying what came to be called 'Colony Collapse Disorder'. He came to the conclusion there wasn't any one cause. Winter losses happen every year (it is the basis of my business). Our current winter losses of honey bee colonies are close to the historical average over the last century.

The introduction of varroa mites in the 1990's has probably been the largest single factor in recent winter losses but they can be controlled with management practices.

Just like one of the biggest threats to the well being of tropical fish are fishkeepers, one of the biggest threats to honey bees are beekeepers.🙂 Did you know that each winter over 2 million of the 2.5 million honey bee colonies in the US are loaded on to semi-trucks and moved to from places like Maine, and Florida (actually every state) to California to pollinate the almond crop? Each semi-load is worth about $90,000 in fees for the beekeeper and is a very important source of income.

The loss of honey bees makes for a good story in the press, but honey bees themselves (which are non-native invasive insects from Eurasia) are doing just fine.

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8 minutes ago, MickS77 said:

I do 3D Mechanical Drafting and Design for a power transmission company. Transmission as verb meaning we supply equipment for connecting industrial equipment together, turbines to generators, etc. 

 

I use Fusion 360 for setting up milling processes. My guess is you use big boy CAD. What program(s) do you design in?

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I am a retired paralegal specialist of over 25 years, and another 7 years in the USAF and  >10 years of miscellaneous administrative jobs. I funded my startup costs with vacation money that wasn't used this year. I'm glad I saved a lot for that would-be vacay (for over a year and a half), because I had zero fish stuff of any sort and probably went slightly overboard - hahahaha! I can absorb the monthly cost into my budget, especially when the fish provide free mental health and entertainment services! 

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I’m not as interesting as ya’ll.  I retired from the USAF in 2010, and turned around to get a job as a Civil Servant working for the USAF.  currently I’m a requirements manage, meaning I help the “war fighter” define what is needed, then partner with the acquisitions program office to ensure what gets delivered meets those requirements.  
 

sounds better than real life.

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1 minute ago, Maggie said:

I am a retired paralegal specialist of over 25 years, and another 7 years in the USAF and  >10 years of miscellaneous administrative jobs. I funded my startup costs with vacation money that wasn't used this year. I'm glad I saved a lot for that would-be vacay (for over a year and a half), because I had zero fish stuff of any sort and probably went slightly overboard - hahahaha! I can absorb the monthly cost into my budget, especially when the fish provide free mental health and entertainment services! 

20201109_102050.jpg

I knew I liked you.  

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Corporate machine cog here. I'm a proposal manager for a large corporation - basically managing the process of writing compliant, compelling proposals to government agencies to bring in revenue across all business units. So it's mostly management, part marketing, part copy-editing, part tattletale. I get to work from home, so gives me more time to spend with my aquariums.

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I work in a kennel which leaves me with a pretty small budget. A lot of my stock comes from trading with locals and getting friendly with my two preferred LFS. They've definitely given me some odds and ends (mostly sponges but occasionally fry) for free just because they know that I try to buy something every time I come in.

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I'm in medical school! Lol, so I just keep borrowing money to fund my hobby. I file it under "mental health" costs as it keeps me sane and happy! I also walk dogs on the side and *try* to limit my spending based on how much side cash I make from that. 

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3 hours ago, Bay Area Aquatics said:

What does everyone do for work? It's always interesting to see what everyone in the hobby does for a living!

I own a Portrait Photography Studio, I co-own a video production agency, and I have my YouTube channel (which mostly pays for the tanks). 

Today I'm chilling at a Fire station doing headshots! 

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We should meet sometime. I’m in Gilroy.

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Originally went to school to be an automotive engineer before I had the boneheaded idea to be a chef instead. Worked at a very well regarded restaurant for 2 years then helped open 2 new restaurants in 2 years then started at a luxury retirement community about a year ago. I also run a knife sharpening business that is where most of my spending money comes from. Also trying to start a breeding for profit setup so the hobby can fund itself. 

Edited by ChefConfit
Can't type
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