RICHMOND, Va. -- Reptile lover and Chesterfield entrepreneur Sara Snead is excited to be a part of Small Business Week (April 28 through May 4) as her small business approaches the one-year mark. Snead is the owner of 'Scaly Tails RVA' and works to teach people about various reptiles by bringing them to you or having you attend one of the classes she offers.
From lizards, to snakes, to tortoises, Sara Snead's collection of cute creatures is unique and made up of over 21 reptiles.
"I have an iguana, I have a savannah monitor, an argentine black and white tegu, a sulcata tortoise bearded dragons, ball pythons, corn snakes, leopard gecko, crested gecko, chameleon," Snead listed.
She said Scaly Tails goes to daycares, birthday parties, nursing homes, girls and Boy Scout meetings, summer camps, and other events.
"My favorite part about what I do is that it's especially when the kids are even an adult that's honestly the best when they're nervous or scared, and I help them get over that fear," Snead said.
It's a business idea that stemmed from her purchase of a pet snake. "One day we went somewhere, and I was like, okay, I want a pet snake...it just went from there. I wanted to get a bearded dragon and as we got more reptiles, I wanted to learn everything I could about them," she said.
Snead encouraged others to take a leap of faith if they're thinking of starting a business.
"For those that would want to start a small business is don't doubt yourself and be consistent," she said. "Don't let it be everything that you do, but let it be something important."
With aspirations to grow her business, Snead said she hoped the community would continue to support both her small business and others.
"It's important to support small businesses because we are just a family locally that trying to make it... whether it's me or anybody else around," she said.
Find more information about Scaly Tails on their website.
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