Petting Zoo business in a Tesla Model 3?

[JetFalcon]

Hi so I like taking my bunnies everywhere and flexing them to everyone in public. From hot girls, little kids, moms, old moms, etc.

I took my 3 bunnies to a shopping center. I encountered a mom & 5 year old girl at Pieology and the little girl was really into the bunnies. So into them that she couldn't get her mom to leave, and her dad's pizza was getting cold (the dad was at home waiting). Then she had an idea, asked if I could bring my bunnies to her girl's birthday party, and she would pay me. We agreed to $50 for about 2 hours.

I have never been paid to bring my bunnies somewhere, but this will be my first paid gig with bunnies, which is kinda cool, since I take them out anyways.

I know how much space I need when I just take the bunnies, its mainly the carrier (with bunnies) and their stroller that take up the most space. But now I have to add a pet fence on top of that, with a folding wagon (to carry it). I def have to fold the seats down now. This gig is really gonna take up every bit of space in the trunk.

If there is a demand for a low cost petting zoo, would a Model X or Y make sense? It be cool to utilize the low cost of the Tesla to get around, not have to account for gas money. If I had to do this all the time, the Model 3 is kinda small and I barely have any room to haul gear for a birthday party.

I may have to expand operation if I want this petting zoo business idea to pay for a Model X. I probably could convince my parents to buy me a Model X or Y, they are the ones who bought my Model 3. Or expand on this petting zoo business and hope I can use the money it makes to buy another Tesla in the future. What do people in the event / party industry drive to haul their gear?

I need more room, this Model 3 isn't built for hauling many animals around. Kind of wish Tesla made vans for moving stuff. Tesla should develop a cargo van one day. That way it be easier to keep cost down on any occupation that requires hauling stuff, such as petting zoos. Makes me realize Tesla lacks to make vehicles for commercial use. The cybertruck is a step forward, but they're not like Ford that makes all kinds of trucks. Seems its only focused on passenger based customers, like families or someone who needs to get to work. They really should start making cars for occupations that require cargo space because they could benefit from the low cost of electricity and not have to consider gas as expenses.

 

[bmil03]

Hi so I like taking my bunnies everywhere and flexing them to everyone in public. From hot girls, little kids, moms, old moms, etc.

I probably could convince my parents to buy me a Model X or Y, they are the ones who bought my Model 3. Or expand on this petting zoo business and hope I can use the money it makes to buy another Tesla in the future.

Does the fact that your parents bought the Model 3 enhance the flexing? Seems like it should.

In all seriousness you’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this and I’ll check in periodically to see about franchising opportunities in the Midwest.

 

[UncertainTimes]

I came for the phantom drain threads. I stayed for the petting zoo

 

[JetFalcon]

Does the fact that your parents bought the Model 3 enhance the flexing? Seems like it should.

In all seriousness you’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this and I’ll check in periodically to see about franchising opportunities in the Midwest.

Felt someone was gonna be like, how you gonna afford a Model X on one $50 gig. Or how you can you afford a Model 3 and you're talking about a $50 gig. So that why I admit my parents bought it so people aren't confused.

It's not really about the money, its the idea someone is paying me to do something I do for fun. Like if another TMC member was offered money to bring their golden retriever to a party, or paid to go golfing. To me, it seems this gig taps into the petting zoo market, but I probably got the gig over a real petting zoo because I'm willing to do it for $50 instead of $400. I think my gig can help out parents who want to keep birthday cost low, but still want entertainment for the kids.

You get so much attention if you bring bunnies out in public, no dog will stand a chance. My bunnies beat out a Golden Doodle that probably cost $1000+, I was talking to a girl who had a golden doodle with my bunnies. And a large group of teenage girls saw the bunnies over the golden doodle and asked if they could pet my bunnies.

Franchising seems interesting. I guess it's one way to buy a Tesla.

 

[bmil03]

Franchising seems interesting. I guess it's one way to buy a Tesla.

Throw in a creative name and you have a solid business case for a Plaid S or new Roadster.

 

[JetFalcon]

Throw in a creative name and you have a solid business case for a Plaid S or new Roadster.

Yeah, down for a new Roadster.

 

[daniel]

I'd suggest making do with the car you have while you see if the business idea is popular enough to actually be viable. Once you have a regular income you can figure out if you can afford a larger vehicle. Now, I hate to say this because gasoline is destroying the environment, but from a business perspective, you could get a used station wagon that, even with gas purchases, would be a lot cheaper overall than a new Model S or Y.

Good luck with your business idea. Kids' parties sound like the perfect way to make some money from your hobby.

 

[JetFalcon]

I'd suggest making do with the car you have while you see if the business idea is popular enough to actually be viable. Once you have a regular income you can figure out if you can afford a larger vehicle. Now, I hate to say this because gasoline is destroying the environment, but from a business perspective, you could get a used station wagon that, even with gas purchases, would be a lot cheaper overall than a new Model S or Y.

Good luck with your business idea. Kids' parties sound like the perfect way to make some money from your hobby.

Yeah I like the idea of money. But from another perspective, I also like that I may be able to give parents a cheap option for entertainment, especially those who do parties at the park and not Dave and Busters. But the pandemic is another factor, maybe that mom had the mom for a D&B birthday party but they're closed, so a birthday at the park is their only option.

The mom that offered me the gig, she is a high end artist and sells through art galleries. Her cheapest painting is like $500 and goes to $8000... because I asked if she would do trades and was like no, but was totally fine paying $55. I think her being a paid artist, she understands this concept of paying someone for their hobby / passion and doesn't think its a rip off. But she was still aware she was spending money on her kids birthday, she told me on the phone like... "I went to Party City and spent a bunch of money". Even though she was aware of her budget, she still wanted to pay me $50-55 for bringing the bunnies. So feels like my gig could tap into the market for low cost entertainment for kids, I think most petting zoos charge $200 hr, I would be fine being paid $50-60 for 2-3 hours of my time if I just have to watch 3 bunnies.

And also I guess it goes to show why money came about, it eliminates that problem of someone trying to trade one lettuce for one steak. I try trading on Craigslist, like try get rid of stuff I don't want, but its very hard to convince people to do trades. You're more likely get someone to accept a low ball offer of their original price than get them to trade items that had the same MSRP retail price. Or maybe I offer them a Chipotle gift card, that's legit and would prove to them, but I am sure there are people out there who would take $15 cash than a $30 chipotle gift card. And they likely will go to Chipotle later on in the future.

 

[daniel]

I would suppose (?) that those $200 petting zoos probably have more and bigger animals. So they can charge more. If that's the case, they also have more expenses. I don't imagine it costs much to keep three bunnies. And since they're your pets that you'd keep anyway, it's a win-win. The bunnies probably enjoy the attention and they're unusual enough that the kids get a real thrill without the mom having to pay as much as for, say, llamas. (I had a friend who had lamas. Personally, I'd rather pet a bunny than a llama.)

The problems with trades is that it's a lot harder to find someone who has what you want and wants what you have, and both are of similar value, than just to exchange money. As for a Chipotle's gift card, if it was me, I'd never use it. I'm on a low-sodium diet so I cannot eat in restaurants. And when I did, I always went to independent places, never chains. Money is always more versatile than a gift card that can only be used at one company.

I'm not surprised the mom didn't want to trade with you. If your bunnies are worth $55/hour (or two hours?) and her cheapest painting is $800 there's a value gap.

Again, I think what you're doing is great. The kids get a really nice treat, your bunnies get some attention and petting, and you pick up a little cash. Just don't go spending $80,000 for a car for a business that might bring in $55 every week or so. There should be portable fencing that can fit nicely in the Model 3. Something like this should work well, and these posts. (Links to Amazon for convenience, but you can get this stuff at your local hardware store, probably cheaper.)