We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Devin Jaffe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Devin, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I founded Nature’s Educators actually my senior year in college! After doing 4 years of interning with 2 incredible wildlife rehabbers/educators….I fell in love with wildlife education. One of my internship directors told me I should consider getting my own education license and that she would help me…..and I did! When I applied for my federal licenses, the regulations were very different than they are today. I had to have letters of recommendation not only from my trainers, but also from hosts that would be willing to “hire” me to do programming once I was permitted. Not only that, but my home town at that time did not allow the keeping of birds of prey…state and federal license or not! I worked for 6 months to change the city codes to be able to include those of us with licenses to house “exotic” animals in city limits. Success! With the help of my parents, I built my first facilities and got inspected to be able to house my first ambassadors: a Great Horned Owl and a Red-Tailed Hawk! I still have my Red-Tailed Hawk, Ares! The first few years were stressful trying to get my name out there and prove that my programs were worth it. Plus, I worked a full time job on top of this! I needed to figure out a way to grow Nature’s Ed while still being able to bring in paychecks from other jobs. I worked for the Bureau of Land Management for 3 years loving it and trying to save money up. Long story short, I changed careers, moved to Denver, and began to grow Nat Ed on my days off. I brought in a phenomenal board and volunteer team as well as college interns. After 7 years of working full time and saving funds, I was able to pull a paycheck, quit my day job, and concentrate on Nat Ed growth!

Devin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Devin and I’m the Founder and Director of Nature’s Educators. We are a 501c3 non profit wildlife education program whose mission is to inspire individuals to understand, respect, and conserve wildlife through educational programming and experiences. I am also a licensed Master Falconer and a licensed raptor propagator. I am currently the President of the High Plains Falconers Club here in Colorado. I am a member of the North American Falconers Association and the International Eagle Austringers Association. I do abatement falconry under Wings Over Colorado. I got into birds of prey thanks to 4H growing up! I showed animals in 4H and completed a wildlife unit in which I chose to study a Prairie Falcon (now my favorite raptor). I interned with a paleontologist and discovered that, while dinosaurs are incredible, birds are even more incredible, so began my journey in wildlife rehab and education.
Nature’s Educators travels the entire state of Colorado and surrounding states to do educational programming on wildlife and conservation. We see thousands of individuals each year from all over the world! We allow folks the chance to meet and learn about real live animals up close and personal in hopes individuals will be more inclined to participate in active conservation efforts.
I’m very proud of the fact that we currently are able to employ 7 staff members!! I am proud of how we have built this organization up to the point of having paid staff!! We also provide excellent care to our ambassadors and even train other individuals from zoos, raptor centers, state parks, and nature centers each year.
Nature’s Educators is now the largest wildlife outreach program in Colorado seeing thousands of people each year, employing 7 staff members, and housing a variety of educational ambassadors.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Honestly, the best source of new clients for us has been word of mouth. We started by doing a lot of trade shows and festivals for free. We handed out brochures and business cards…..and it went from there! My recommendation is to start small. Start within your actual ability. Don’t try and start a giant business on day one. It takes time and patience to grow.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I personally funded the start of Nature’s Educators. I saved up funds from working full time, and put them toward my dream – wildlife education. It took a lot of patience, perseverance, and learning how to save money, but I was able to do it! I am grateful for 4H in learning how to operate business funds and savings. The last unit in Cake Decorating is all about starting up your own cake business and what it takes. I honestly used those lessons to build Nature’s Ed!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.natureseducators.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturesed/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturesEducators
• Other: https://account.venmo.com/u/naturesed