This story is part of a series featuring each of the fourteen startups in the CYstarters 2022 summer cohort. Each student has the opportunity to focus on their startup or business idea while receiving $6,500 or up to $13,000 (per team), along with mentorship, accountability, and educational sessions on how to build a business.
By Samantha Dilocker, ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship
Get to know: Cameryn Schafer 
Age: 21
Education: Senior in animal ecology and dietetics with a minor in classical studies and entrepreneurship
Hometown: Woodbine, IA
Get to know: Cole Reiman 
Age: 23
Education: Bachelors of Agriculture Education with Teacher Certification
Hometown: Ayrshire, IA
Currently working on: Spock’s Sanctuary, which creates a brighter future for exotic pets through rehoming and public education.
Have you always seen yourself starting something?
Cameryn: In all honesty, no. I started considering it as a possible career path after being diagnosed with ADHD because it tends to correlate more with being your own boss. After we got Spock (chameleon), we went through all sorts of hurdles trying to figure out how to take care of him. The information we got from the pet store was not reliable. At that point, we discussed trying to start a rescue and take in animals. I kind of always felt like it was a hypothetical situation, and I didn’t actually foresee it happening, especially not while I was in college. It kind of just fell into our laps when it did, and I ran with it! We got our first rescue unexpectedly, and immediately we went into full force making sure she was healthy and getting her a good home. After that, the rescues just came rolling in, and we haven’t stopped since then.
Cole: I love working but only on tangible things. When I was little, I wanted to be a paleontologist. When I got to school and realized that wasn’t really attainable, that dream morphed into one day owning a zoo, which is still a little unrealistic, but it stuck with me. I’ve always loved animals ever since I was little. Ultimately, I ended up being an agriculture teacher. In agriculture, you can do a lot of things. You can build, plant plants, work with animals, whatever you want to do. This opportunity with Spock’s Sanctuary is really exciting because it combines animals and working on something that really matters.
When did you start working on Spock’s Sanctuary, and who or what inspired you?
Cole: After we got Spock, we became huge advocates for bettering the reptile community, but we didn’t really act on it until we were on our way back from Denver two years ago and stopped in Omaha to pick up an enclosure I bought on Facebook Marketplace. When I picked it up, the seller said, “Oh yeah, there might be a lizard in there,” and turned around and shut the door. I was shocked. In her driveway in the middle of the night, we got out a flashlight and looked for it. We found her, and after I talked to the seller again, she admitted that if no one bought the enclosure, she would probably just throw her outside. In the middle of winter. She was basically just left to die in this enclosure. She had no food, water, heat, anything. That was when we started our first rescue and it kind of snowballed from there.
What excites you about being an entrepreneur?
Cole: Not worrying about someone watching over you all the time. Being a teacher, you always have someone in charge of you, so being our own bosses is great. Doing something that many people don’t care that much about, but doing what’s right despite that and making people want to be a part of something that’s bigger than themselves is really rewarding.
Cameryn: I don’t have to put on an employee’s face every day when I’m my own boss. I can build my own image for our company and not worry about being untrue to myself to fit into another company’s values. I really value being authentic to myself. It’s really cool to see how people catch on to that authenticity.
What is your biggest goal for your business?
Cole: Being self-sufficient and able to pay ourselves a salary would be great. If we hit that point, I’ll be really relieved. Eventually… I’d love to have a zoo.
Cameryn: I’d love to open up a brick-and-mortar zoo as well in the years to come and obtain the necessary certifications to be recognized as an actual, legitimate, and accredited source of information about reptiles. We have so many ideas on how to improve the operation of our zoo in ways we haven’t seen other zoos do but would streamline our processes.
What has been your biggest challenge thus far, and how have you overcome it?
Cameryn: There are many people interested in what we do, but the difference between a lead and a transaction is massive. We’ve been led to believe an animal will be adopted only to be let down many times. That’s hard.
Cole: It’s a lot harder to sell, monetize, or attach a dollar value to a life than it is a material good. We aren’t animal flippers, we just want to provide a better future for the animals, but it’s hard to ensure rehoming will go to plan. I can’t say we’ve really figured out how to overcome these challenges.
How has entrepreneurship at Iowa State impacted you?
Cole: Cam really got us involved because I wasn’t entrepreneurial at all when I was in school. However, when I was in high school, Steven Brockshus (ISU alumni, founder of FarmlandFinder) visited my high school FFA chapter to speak. Even though I never met him personally, his speech inspired me and changed the way I think about things. So that’s kind of a fun connection.
Cameryn: I added an entrepreneurship minor a while ago and later joined the Start Something – College of Agriculture and Life Sciences program. Interacting with other entrepreneurially minded students for a couple of hours each week was really inspiring. I learned so much from them, and it’s so rewarding to be able to help each other grow and succeed. I grew so much through that program, and I really fell in love with entrepreneurship because of it. I started signing up for every pitch competition I could get my hands on. I started recognizing the people who were involved. I saw Parker Jameson at so many pitches. We would always sit together and talk through our ideas. Connecting with people who have their own innovative ideas and startups has completely changed how I look at things. If it weren’t for the entrepreneurship program, I don’t think I’d have been able to meet these people. My first few pitches didn’t end the way I would’ve liked, and I was really discouraged. It wasn’t until the Business Model Canvas Competition this spring that I placed third and received awesome feedback from Judi that I was reinspired and felt like this was something I could really accomplish. She’s been so helpful to me this entire time and has given me such great advice.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student?
Cole: 1. You don’t even really need college to succeed. You just need to be driven. Almost everything I know has come from me doing my own research. 2. The world is what you make of it. Frankly, one hundred years after we die, no one will remember us unless we make an impact. Which can be good or bad, so make sure you’re always doing what you’d want to be remembered by. 3. Frankly, some rules are made to be broken. Some rules are made to fit the world of the past, not of the future, so you’ve got to fight your fight and choose your battles.
Cameryn: When I was younger, my mom would tell me that once I started something, I was never allowed to quit. But that led to so much burnout. I think that you should go and try as much as you can, but if it’s not for you, it’s okay to quit. Keep trying things until you find what you’re passionate about. When you do find that thing that gives you life, throw everything into it.
How can we support Spock’s Sanctuary?
Cameryn: Check out our website, www.spockssanctuary.org, to find ways to support us.
Cole: We accept donations, we do rehoming, and we’re always always always looking for volunteers, whether it’s for a day or a lifetime. We would love help. We’re also happy to educate and present to people.
Cameryn: Share what we’re doing with anyone who may be interested. Any opportunity we have to grow our network is incredibly helpful.
