Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Corey & Erin Heft. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Corey & Erin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Corey was into all reptiles including snakes since he was a child. I (Erin) was terrified of snakes. We went to a local reptile show many years ago and I wanted to hold a snake to get over my fear. I fell in love. From there, snakes were like potato chips – we really couldn’t have just one.

It is a passion of ours to help people overcome the fear of snakes that is often taught from a very young age as well as educate them on the benefits of these amazing animals both in the wild and domestic. Ball pythons are like a living art canvas wrapped in a calm and gentle package. There is something for everyone with them, along with the fact that you can create relationships with them that can last more than 30 years with proper care. We get to experience the feeling of Christmas all year long and then help our customers and visitors to experience the same feeling with us.

All of this combined became the business that we love today

Corey & Erin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

At Colorado Cold Bloods, we breed specialty ball pythons. We breed both for the common everyday pet in addition to some higher end boutique combinations. We thrive on the excitement of a child getting their first chance to experience a snake or the person that gets their first pet snake, and the love in their eyes. With this, comes education on these amazing animals as well as education on local species where we can to explain the benefits of having all these animals in the wild.

Our long-term goals include working with educational establishments such as schools etc. to help kids not only understand these animals better, but also to help teach some of the basics of genetics with a platform that can be more exciting for them to apply this knowledge.

We know people that have ball pythons as pets that help with anxiety and are similar to emotional support animals. It is always special for us when we can either overcome built up fears or see the understanding in people’s eyes as they learn more about snakes
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For us, when we see those little heads popping out of the eggs after months of breeding and years of planning, the adrenaline and beauty of these animals helps to drive us forward and let others experience the same excitement and joy.

We post progress and upcoming changes on our social media platforms and are planning to expand our YouTube videos further throughout the year.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

One of the best things you can do for your customer is educate them. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, education is key to helping your customer understand better. Be a resource for them. It is important to understand what your customers expect and learning how best to meet those expectations.

For us we deal with live animals, and while keeping a customer happy is important, the lives of the animals must come first. We tell everyone that approaches us. even if you don’t purchase a snake from us, we still want to make sure you are providing the proper husbandry for that new ball python purchase. The more information you have the happier you and your new ball python will be.

Educating others and being there for help and questions is how we have built our reputation.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Is it cheating if your business partner happens to be your spouse?

We ended up meeting in college. Dated for a few years then got married.

As a married couple running the business, we heavily rely on each other to overcome challenges and stresses. A way for others to relate is finding those who encourage and uplift you, even if they do not always understand what you are trying to do. Finding that support system is vital to your success.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.coloradocoldbloods.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/coloradocoldbloods/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/coloradocoldbloods
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@coloradocoldbloods8363
• Other: Email: [email protected]