We recently connected with Rae Breda and have shared our conversation below.

Rae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

So funny story actually, I’ve kind of always had a fear of spiders which is pretty ironic, since the main part of my business is, sell jumping spiders.

However, growing up I’ve always had a fascination with animals and wildlife. As a kid, my mom used to yell at me for running around the neighborhood hood barefoot catching lizards or other critters. What can I say, growing up in the city I’ve always loved the feeling of the earth under my feet and getting lost in nature wherever I could find it.

Some might say. I started this business to really feed that inner child and maybe they’re right. I mean, the motto of our company is “Educating to connect the curious back to nature, one animal at a time.”

Which, kinda brings back to the idea behind why I created this business. I get an amazing opportunity to combine my love and passion for animals but also for education.

When I first entered college I was so sure I would become a teacher, with a focus in early childhood education. Yet, after working in the field for a couple years. I felt I could do more education wise on my own, and switched gears into equine rehabilitation. Sadly, due to some major injuries after graduating, that career too was short live.

So I finally settled on becoming a receptionist in a local vet clinic where I have been for the past three years.

This venture tho, started a year ago this winter, all because of a little Regal Jumping Spider, Rowen.

After I got her, was all it took for my love of spiders to change. After some of the amazing things I learned about these guys, I started teaching some of my friends about them and even got a couple of my friends to get Spiders of their own.
But through that sharing of my experiences with this adorable, some would say creepy little critter, I guess you could say where my business was born.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

In reality, I think it was really a happy accident. How I ended up starting my business.

It originally started with my husband and I going to a lot of local reptile conventions in the Central Florida area; the National Reptile Breeders’ Expo in Daytona, and Repticon-which is another reptile convention but nationaly held in a different city every month. There were a couple of vendors there who sold jumping spiders, and I think it was in seeing how passionate they were about the spiders that they raised and how excited it got other people into they animals they raised, that really got me hooked.

I knew one thing when we started our business that there were a few things I wanted the main focus of our business to be, was education, and our natural world. In this day in age of technology. I feel like we’ve lost a huge connection with the natural world we have around us. I feel like the things that I create. I try to keep in mind – keeping things natural while also adding something to spark imagination and curiosity.

What I want most out of people’s experience with us, is feeding that spark of curiosity and wonder when they meet some of the little Jumping Spiders we have. To see a little bit into their world, that often most people don’t get to see.

With the additional fact of how incredibly intellegent this little things are! In fact a study done in Harvard, discovered their ability to identify inanimate and animated objects. That alone has only ever been noted in humans and other vertebrate species. I wanna say even just in thebpast couple years, another feild scienctist noticed the sleeping habits of jumpers, and has a theory they experience Rem sleepand dream…LIKE US?? I mean that isn’t even some of the most amazing things discovered about jumping spiders.

I guess what I want other to know about us is, we want to share this little world of theirs, because we have lost touched so much with our own, maybe connecting into their will reconnect us back to ours.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

For us it’s been word of mouth and that one on one human interaction. I think that’s also why I have put off for so long for selling online. I love when I get the opportunity to meet our pet parents. I love the experience of watching them pick out their little spidee. It’s funny because often people will say “does it matter which one to pick?” I always tell people to pick whichever little one speaks to them. More often than not there will end up finding a little spider that they get that indescribable connection with. The spider juat gives them that little look and they’re hooked.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Honesty. We aim for honesty, with what we know, what we learn, and that we are human and are only a two man team. We try an educate on the critters we have to the best of our knowledge, but also always encourage people to do their own research before purchasing a spider. I always tell people when we are at our local markets, “Think about it. We will be here next month, so no rush. If you have any questions we are always acessible and happy to help.” We have met up with many of our clients locally when they needed help with their spiders, or answered questions any day of the week, and time of day. I want people to want to come to is if they need help. Plus, it’s a living creature, and their well being matters most!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wittlewidewebs?igsh=MTA0eXFoMXRidW40bg==
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