Peter Askew, the founder of the highly successful RanchWork.com, is launching a new niche job board called Zoo Jobs—and the strategy behind it mirrors the success he’s already achieved in the ranching industry.
From Ranch Work to Zoo Jobs
Peter has been building RanchWork since 1998 (though he adopted it about 13-14 years ago from a friend). The site has grown into a powerhouse, attracting over 1.3 million unique visits annually, with more than 80% of traffic coming from mobile devices and over 50% from direct visitors who bookmark the site and return regularly.
With that success under his belt, Peter decided to launch Zoo Jobs in November 2025 and officially opened it to the public in December. But unlike jumping into a new venture blindly, Peter has a clear philosophy: he only builds job boards in industries that genuinely excite him.
“I tried mechanic jobs, land surveyors, cooks, and travel agents,” Peter explained. “But I wasn’t personally excited to continue building those sites. With Zoo Jobs, I wake up excited to develop it.”
Why Zoo Jobs?
The inspiration came from a talk by the former CEO of HomeAway about pursuing projects that create “memories and happiness.” Peter realized his successful projects—like DudeRanch.com and RanchWork—aligned with this philosophy. Zoo Jobs fits the same mold.
“Zoo jobs are a passion job,” Peter noted. “People don’t get paid a ton, but they take these jobs because they love the lifestyle and it’s almost their calling.” This is exactly what makes RanchWork successful—job seekers are willing to relocate for the right opportunity.
Global Expansion Potential
While RanchWork is primarily focused on North America, Zoo Jobs opens up international possibilities. There are zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries worldwide, giving Peter the opportunity to expand beyond the United States into Canada, Mexico, Europe, and beyond.
Currently, Zoo Jobs is getting about 25-50 unique daily visitors, which translates to roughly 1,000 visitors per month—a modest but promising start for a newly launched site.
The Strategy: Meet Your Market
Peter isn’t relying solely on organic growth. He’s planning to attend zoo industry conferences in Portland, New Orleans, and other cities to network directly with zoo directors and HR departments. The goal is to establish relationships and potentially set up automated job posting feeds—where zoos can submit their jobs once and have them automatically posted to Zoo Jobs.
He’s also considering a monetization model shift: instead of charging per job posting (like RanchWork’s $95 per post), Zoo Jobs might offer yearly fees for bulk job posting services.
Content and Community Building
Beyond the job board itself, Peter is exploring content opportunities. He’s already discovered fascinating organizations like Chimp Haven in Louisiana and plans to visit local zoos to create behind-the-scenes videos and interviews. These could become podcasts or YouTube content that drives both traffic and brand awareness.
“I could interview zoo staff, create video content, and build a community around the industry,” Peter explained.
Domain Acquisition and Type-In Traffic
Peter acquired the Zoo Jobs domain for approximately $5,000-$6,000 through a marketplace. While that might seem like a significant investment, it’s a smart move given the type-in traffic potential. For RanchWork, Peter owns RanchJobs.com, which he acquired for around $5,000 during COVID. That domain alone generates 500-1,000 visits per month from people simply typing it into their browser.
Building for the Long Game
Here’s what’s remarkable: Zoo Jobs is currently making zero money. Peter is funding development, hosting, and the domain entirely out of pocket. But he’s not discouraged.
“I don’t mind these slow crawl projects. It takes time to build an audience,” Peter said. “I’m not the best coder, marketer, or domain investor, but if I find something I enjoy building, I will show up every day and work on it diligently.”
Technical Excellence Matters
Both RanchWork and Zoo Jobs are built on WordPress, and Peter is meticulous about site performance. He uses Big Scoots for hosting (which manages its own servers), Cloudflare for CDN and security, and WordFence to block bot traffic from harmful sources. With 80% of his traffic on mobile, speed is critical.
He also keeps expired job listings on the site for SEO credibility and to show proof that jobs are actually being filled—a subtle but effective way to build trust.
The Bigger Picture
Peter’s approach to business is refreshingly honest. He’s an “accidental entrepreneur” who got laid off multiple times and stumbled into success. But what sets him apart is his willingness to focus on one challenge at a time, his commitment to serving his audience authentically, and his refusal to chase revenue over passion.
He’s also balancing Zoo Jobs with a direct-to-consumer Vidalia onion business (seasonal, April-August), which keeps him grounded in the realities of running multiple ventures.
What’s Next?
Peter is posting 1-2 jobs daily to build momentum, enhancing the site’s UX (like adding dashes to phone numbers), and monitoring organic submissions. He’s also open to platinum upgrades and promotional offerings as the site grows.
For those interested in following Zoo Jobs’ journey, the site is live at ZooJobs.com.
