Community Highlights: Meet Che Frausto of Advance Wildlife Education

Today we’d like to introduce you to Che Frausto.

Hi Che, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always wanted to be a wildlife biologist since I was very little. I loved camping and had many pets growing up including wolf hybrids, a bearded dragon, snakes, etc. Growing up I loved drawing and created my own books inspired by my dogs. I was the president of the youth advisory council for Outward Bound Adventures growing up and was on multiple field crews. I later graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a double major in Evolutionary Biology/Ecology and Environmental studies. After graduation, I worked for the US Forest Service in Lassen National Forest Ecology team for a Summer before achieving an Americorp Kupu internship in Maui, HI with the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project in 2014. I was hired on full-time after my internship and worked with the seabird project for 3.5 years. During this time with the seabird project, I did a lot of outreach in the community. The main seabirds we worked with burrowed on the beach, and people would see these burrows and think they were made by rats and mongoose so they would collapse them. Once they found out it was seabirds, however, they got really excited and wanted to help. That’s when I realized that people wanted to help but they cannot protect what they do not know exists. This is when I combined my passions for art and wildlife and started my own business Advance Wildlife Education on the side where I self-published my own line of educational coloring books, clothing, jewelry, and decals.

I started my business in 2016 to help educate the community and tourists alike on native Hawaiian species especially since Hawaii is the extinction capital of the world (there are more endangered species per square mile than anywhere else on the planet). When visitors arrive to the islands and come across my books, the books help to deepen their respect and appreciation for the Hawaiian wildlife and culture. I have been running my business full-time for five years now and was nominated for Young Business Person of the Year 2020, vendor at the Tokyo International Gift Show, Merrie Monarch on Big Island, and Denver Outdoor Retailer Show. Through my weekly shows as well I have interacted with over 150,000 people and have over 113,000 followers on Instagram @Advance_Wildlife_Education. I have my books in 75+ stores across 8 different states.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely not a smooth road. When I first arrived on the island for my seabird internship, I had money saved from my US Forest Service job, but ran into some housing hardships and was scammed. I was soon homeless and without transportation, but never gave up and was determined not to go back home. Although my situation was tough, I was living my dream job as a wildlife biologist. I learned a lot through these early negative experiences and brought these lessons of “no quit” and perseverance into my business. I learned that nothing lasts forever and that I may be going through a difficult time now, but if I keep going and taking steps towards my goals every day that over time, I will make long strides toward my end goal. After starting Advance Wildlife Education, I spent years of countless long nights and early mornings running off just pure adrenaline, passion, lots of black coffee, and top ramen to grow my business. I overcame many challenges by simply outlasting them. I knew that like with everything in life, all things come in waves and nothing lasts forever. Even when one set ends, another one set is coming in. I also learned much from my dad who said “It’s only a mistake if you don’t learn from it”.

With every obstacle, I learned and was able to adapt so that I would not make that miscalculation again. There were many “2 steps forward, 1 step back” situations with the business. Growing up I have always had a hustle mindset and had many small business ideas. Coming from a biology background though and not having a business network readily available I had to learn everything myself either through google, “how to” YouTube videos, and online forums. There are many things I would tell my younger self first starting out regarding shipping, not spreading out your products and ideas out too much instead staying with your core and foundation which are the books. I introduced multiple products that didn’t work and that stretched my resources out too much. I would also tell my younger self to focus more on social media and marketing as well and building a larger presence earlier on so that my customers can find my products easier. There were many growing pains but well worth the efforts and hardships. My passion for wildlife and a brighter future for tomorrow helped overcome many roadblocks and letdowns, no matter what happens today, there’s always a new sun and a fresh start tomorrow.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
What makes my business Advance Wildlife Education really unique is that I am firstly a wildlife biologist, then an illustrator, and owner. Many businesses buy to sell, but my products I created and self-published myself. I created these books in order to educate and spread awareness on our planet’s environment. My books are special in that they are packed with science facts, supplementary information like sustainable vs nonsustainable fishing, photos, and custom stickers. I am a one-man operation and all the shows I go to and expos I never see a product quite like mine. I talk to thousands of people on the daily, engaging with them and answering questions about wildlife they have seen, and about local conservation efforts. I am single handily educating as many people as I can and my passion shines through, my goal is to educate first and the success with the books will follow.

I will share a story; I had a grandma buy a book for her 5-year-old granddaughter. Her granddaughter loved the book and started coloring in it nonstop. She then told her family at dinner that night that she wanted to become a wildlife biologist when she grows up. She was so interested in the wildlife that she started researching Hawaiian species on her own online and came across the video with the sea turtle with the straw in its nose. Upon seeing this, she then went around the house collecting all the cans and straws recycling them so that they could not hurt any more turtles.

I pride myself on being a business owner of color and that on my free time I will go to local schools and do presentations on native species, becoming a biologist and going into conservation, as well as combining their passions and following their own dreams. Another organization that I have collaborated with is Elk Kids (Environment Learning for Kids) in Denver, for 26 years they have been building a diverse community of inspired environmental stewards in Colorado.

I want the world to learn about their local wildlife species and Advance Wildlife Education will help them do that. I currently have 20+ books in 4 different languages English, Hawaiian, Spanish, and Japanese. I will duplicate my successes in Hawai’i nationally, and then all over the world to educate on all species in multiple languages while supporting conservation nonprofits globally.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I find much happiness in that I get to wake up and follow my passion for protecting the environment and wildlife every day. I walk to the beat of my own drum and follow my dream in educating and making a difference for a brighter tomorrow for future generations. I always loved the quote by Gandhi to “be the change you wish to see in the world”. I believe in this deeply and that “someone cannot do everything, but everyone can do something” and this is what I was put on this Earth to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://advancewildlifeeducation.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advance_wildlife_education/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/advancewildlifeeducation
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANLAtPNaQW0