We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruben Salazar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruben , how do you think about risk?
Risk taking has been a big part of my career. Most of the big boosts in my buisiness have been because I took a risk on something that seemed too hard or impossible at the time.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Our art business Bug In The Box was started by Tristan Erickson and myself. We work with exotic insects, butterflies and beetles from around the world and display them as art in shadow boxes, domes and displays. All of our insects are ethically sourced after they have passed naturally in museums and sanctuaries around the world. We got to where we are today thanks to good buisiness decisions, hard work and lots of support from friends and family. A big and very important lesson we have learned along the way is to never think you know everything or that you have nothing new to learn. Always take advise from friends, sometimes you may not like what you hear but think about it and it might be something that improves your business.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Some of our favorite spots in the city would be the parks and museums we have all around the city. We love the zoo and our favorite places to go out and eat are in Chinatown

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Brittany from Pop Shop America was a big help to our business when we first started on this journey many years ago.

Website: Buginthebox.net
Instagram: Buginthebox
Facebook: Buginthebox