Koi ponds are relaxing for the owner to watch, but the up keep is not nearly as fun. The cost of keeping the pond going can grow quickly if you’re not careful.
KoiPondFever.com is dedicated to providing quality products at reasonable prices. Not only do they provide the items you need, but the owner, RC Moore, shares the information every koi owner needs to maintain a happy and healthy koi pond environment.
I recently asked RC Moore a few questions about the business, and the inspiration behind it.
Tell us a little about KoiPondFever.com.
KoiPondFever.com is an online pond supply store specializing in koi pond supplies and koi food. The site also contains comprehensive information about koi pond construction and maintenance. Additional information includes an index of koi varieties. Established in 2006, the company is family owned and centrally located in Independence, MO(a suburb of Kansas City, MO).
What inspired it?
When I constructed my first koi pond there was a lot of misinformation about keeping koi. Pet stores and internet articles claimed that koi and plants could not be kept together and the koi would destroy any plant in a pond. Through my own experience, I found that koi and plants could be kept together in the right environment. I founded KoiPondFever.com to inform people about the beauty of having a koi water garden, a term that has now become popular in the hobby. In 2008 we started selling pond supply products from construction, to water treatments, and koi food.
What are some of the products you offer?
We sell pond pumps, skimmers, pond liners, pond filters, waterfall filters, lighting, predator control, UV sterilizers, pond plants, koi food, koi and more. We currently carry over 600 products.
Why should someone consider raising Koi or starting a Koi pond?
Koi are the most colorful and majestic freshwater fish in the world. Their colors and patterns are unique to each koi like an artist’s brush strokes on a painting. They can become like pets, recognizing your foot steps as you approach to feed them. They will even learn to feed from your hand and can grow to up to 30 inches, living over 50 years. A koi water garden with the water lilies blooming and the sound of the water babbling down a stream or rushing over a waterfall can be a tranquil refuge in today’s hectic world.
What separates you from the competition?
We not only carry great products at affordable prices, but also provide information about koi, ponds and water gardens. We believe it is essential to sell products that will last, are easy to maintain, and are efficient to run. We sell only food that will promote growth and color as well as benefit the health of the koi. We believe in complete customer service and satisfaction, providing a toll free number in addition to our online service. Our goal is to make it easy for the customer to have a beautiful pond with crystal clear water and colorful healthy koi.
Do you have any goals you’d like to accomplish over the next year or so?
We are currently building new breeding ponds and plan to expand our plant selection to include water lilies and other pond plants.
What are some lessons your business has taught you?
The biggest lesson was figuring out how to get the website visible in a very competitive market when you are competing with literally millions of web pages. The essentials are advertising and optimizing the website for the search engines.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
We started our business in the worst economy in five generations, but we looked at this as an opportunity to capture business from companies that would fail. This year we are on track to quadruple our sales over last year.
Do you have any advice you’d like to offer fellow entrepreneur who are just getting started?
You have to be passionate about your business and willing to work hard at it. You also have to be patient and willing to ride out the building process. Success is not going to come overnight and you have to realize that you will have to put everything back into the business for the first few years to make it grow– the competition has already done so.
Photo by Eustaquio Santimano