Ryan Anthony started his business Black Talon LLC in the summer of 2021. The goal for Ryan and his business is to control pest birds using live raptors. Livestock, hospitals, and silos can all be badly damaged by having pest birds around. Black Talon uses raptors as an efficient way to scare away pest birds that are feeding and creating inconvenient messes for clients.

For Ryan and his wife, Black Talon LLC has created both rewarding and challenging days. The risk assessment at the beginning was one of the biggest challenges. Weighing out if this endeavor was worth it and thinking about how everything was going to work out for them. One of the biggest rewards was finally putting everything together and getting their LLC documents. Having something in their hands that finally told them they were a business was a massive accomplishment.

Ryan’s business is fairly unique in Iowa. Using raptors as pest bird deterrents is uncommon in Iowa, but it has been proven to work in many other places. Ryan and his wife have worked in places where this method has worked such as vineyards and various blueberry, apple and cherry orchards.

For anyone looking to start their own business, Ryan would like to offer some simple advice. “Meet with the SBDC, they were incredibly helpful,” Ryan adds, “and keep track of everything. Write down anything you spend money on. Documenting everything is important.” Ryan recommends contacting your local SBDC if you need help getting your business started. “Working with Paul and the U of I SBDC was instrumental in getting things started for us. Having someone who understood the legalities and the paperwork fillings was so helpful,” Ryan says, “Paul was super helpful and I still reach out to him when I have questions.”

If you’re looking for a way to control pest birds on your property, give Black Talon a call.

Learn more about Black Talon by visiting https://www.blacktalon.net/