LAUREN CHAMBERS Madison CEO Program allowed Lauren Cham- bers to turn her passion for fish into a successful business

from Madison Living Magazine - October 2021

by Madison Publications

MCC Connections

PEOPLE

LAUREN CHAMBERS

Madison CEO Program allowed Lauren Chambers to turn her passion for fish into a successful business

STORY BY ERIN COGGINS PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BERRY

AAfter learning how much abuse exists in the fish industry, Lauren Chambers knew she wanted to make a difference in the life of these aquatic animals. Completing the Madison City Schools CEO Program as a senior at James Clemens last year, allowed Chambers to turn her passion for fish into a successful business.

The CEO Program gave students the opportunity to take a baseline of seed money and turn it into the funding for a personal business. Chambers chose baking cookies to grow her seed money, selling them door to door as well as applied for a $150 grant through the program to earn the start-up money for her business, Pacifish Aquatics.

“I already knew what type of business I wanted to create before signing up for the CEO program,” Chambers said. “I wanted to breed Beta fish and then I realized how few people respect fish. I mean they are intelligent. They feel. I thought ‘why isn’t anyone doing something about it?’”

Chambers learned some aspects of obtaining a business license through the CEO program but sought out how to secure a permit for importing and exporting fish on her own.

“Thailand is the best place to get Beta fish,” Chambers said. “The permit is a really cool thing to have. I go to cus-

Lauren at the Madison Chamber of Commerce Business Expo and Kids Day in June.

toms and approve the shipments.”

The idea for Pacifish Aquatics was born while Chambers was a junior in Mrs. Gretta McDaniel’s marine biology class. McDaniel allowed her to set up a fish tank in the classroom, featuring the first Beta fish the class called Firework.

“Mrs. McDaniel was the kind of teacher who was not afraid to establish a friendship with her students and that helps make a difference,” Chambers said. “The first tank contained some Beta fish and a couple of other fish that are known to get along with Beta fish. She eventually allowed me to set up a second tank in the classroom.”

It was after the second tank was set up that Chambers realized that some fish were going missing from day to day. She soon found out that a classmate was flushing the fish down the toilet.

“This really fueled me to take care of fish,” Chambers said. “People need to know that flushing fish down the toilet while they are alive is animal abuse.”

Pacifish Aquatics is Chambers’ way of giving fish a voice. The business offers a fish rescue and rehoming service. Chambers currently has 27 fish tanks set up in her home with 110-gallon tanks to house rescued fish.

“I have developed a good relationship with Petco. They call me when they see fish with swim bladder issues,” Chambers said. “They let me have those fish and I have saved some fish that way.”

Chambers also sets up fish tanks, including services like cycling the tank. She offers “aquascaping” as well, creating creative and cool landscapes for tanks. The last part of her business is the importing and exporting of fish.

“I would eventually like to open a fish store to import fish to sell,” Chambers said. “It would also cater to people who would want to custom order fish.”

Chambers is also interested in breeding fish, specifically her favorite, the Beta fish.

“There are different specifies of Beta fish. The ones sold in stores usually have horrible genetics. These stores do not have a passion for fish; instead, they have a passion for money,” Chambers said. “I went online and found a site on how to sell and breed natural splendids, the usual Beta specifies sold in pet stores. I hope to bring back good genetic fish and to expand their life span.”

Having graduated in May, Chambers will take a gap year to work on developing her business. She plans to obtain a degree in fish biology to become even more knowledgeable in her passion.

“I want to see if I am doing well enough to expand,” Chambers said. “There is a demand for what I am doing, and I hope to fulfill that demand. I am currently developing a website and I can be found on Instagram.”

In developing her business, Chambers is still dedicated to being a voice for fish. She is currently developing care sheets for a variety of fish to better educate consumers on how to take care of the fish they buy for their personal fish tanks.

“I want people to see what I see in these animals,” Chambers said. “They are able to recognize faces. They like to play. I’m committed to helping any fish live.”