Wild Thing Taxidermy

Wild Thing Taxidermy
Wyoming County

Cindi Polinski's taxidermy business, located on route 309, the main road between Tunkannock and Dallas in Wyoming County, is looking forward to celebrating eight years of business. Wild Thing’s early years, however, were marked with less than adequate business volume and margins, and Cindi needed a way to make her trade profitable to stay in business.

She approached the Wilkes University Small Business Development Center to review the profit and loss figures from the business and discuss better ways to manage her finances, including ways to consolidate high interest loans into a more manageable package. Initially the SBDC consultant worked with the client on authoring business plan and pro-forma financials. When she faced difficulty in securing a loan due to her credit history, she was urged to find some third party financing through friends and family members as the business did indicate enough growth in sales and Ms. Polinski was very skilled in the trade and had a reputation for producing quality work. After careful review, the SBDC helped Cindi strategically plan ways to “farm” out some of the labor intensive work and revise the pricing structure to improve her cash flow.

Cindi’s business has grown considerably over the years,reporting a complete turnaround. Since seeking SBDC assistance, Wild Thing has seen business go from a $20,000 loss to a $35,000 profit. Through owner financing, Cindi was able to buy a nearby house, enabling her to double her sales with more preparation area and have an apartment to use for personal living space. Cindi maintains ties with the Wilkes SBDC, which continues to be a source of information and research and act as oversight for controlling expenses and planning marketing initiatives.

Since seeking SBDC assistance, Cindi Polinski's taxidermy business has gone from significant annual losses to equally significant profits as a result of implementing SBDC recommendations.