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James Frey always wanted the freedom of being his own boss, and oyster farming under his business, Crystal Coast Oyster, is one way for him to do just that. All it took was $7500 for oyster cages, seed, and working out of his own kayak instead of a boat. And after only a couple of years, James is projected to have up to $4M in sales.

James wasn’t always in the oyster business. He worked in landscaping, dock construction, and moved refrigerators prior to it all. The really crazy part though? He also has no formal education in oyster farming. Instead, it was his passion that helped him to learn and channel his energy positively for the business.

In this episode, James shares that his success comes from highly competitive pricing, doorknocking with local restaurants, utilizing social media, and participating in local events to build longstanding partnerships. He’s also always built his boats and equipment and fixed it all himself, which helped him to create a costeffective foundation.

That’s not to say there weren't a few accidental challenges along the way. It can take up to a year before any oysters are the right size for market and can be sold. James also picked the business name Big Rock Oysters before he realized it was used by another company.

Even if difficult times were to come up in the business or small bumps along the way, James explains that he lives with the mindset of always having fun and to never quit.

Resources:
https://bit.ly/3WsgV0v Claim Free Access to the UpFlip Academy
https://www.crystalcoastoysters.co/ Connect With Kyle

Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:51 Where it all started
01:34 Why oyster farming?
02:03 Oysters sold
02:31 Oyster bank
02:56 Sharing knowledge & secrets
03:48 Oysters' role in ecology
04:25 Leasing
06:17 Harvesting a cage
06:46 First sale
07:32 Harvesting frequency
08:35 Starting out
09:13 Going full time
11:22 Fan blitz
12:21 Floating vs. bottom cages
13:11 Costly mistakes
13:35 Oyster tumbler
15:00 A neat trick
16:28 Revenue
17:59 Moments of doubt
19:22 Spotting the perfect lease
20:08 Machinery needed
21:46 Oyster washer setup
23:00 Monthly overhead
23:31 Starting without machines
24:04 Oyster species
25:00 Delivery logistics
25:53 Opening oysters (the proper way!)
26:53 Three lucky things
28:07 The secret sauce
29:18 Biggest challenges
29:58 Employees
30:55 Marketing
33:04 Instagram strategy
33:53 Nature’s philosophy
34:23 The best advisor
35:12 “Collaborators”
36:16 Motivating the team
37:02 Getting started
37:49 The “real” fear
38:22 A useful advice
38:55 Outro

#oysters #oyster #oysterfarming