From Mechanic to Entrepreneur: Tony Kimberly of Spotted Koi

With a passion for seeing how things work, Tony is growing his business within bizperc and beyond.

The reason Tony Kimberly became a mechanic is because he loved seeing how things worked.  He loved the entire thinking process—from fixing problems to communicating with customers, from avoiding conflict to executing effectively.  Tony was a problem-solver.

The reason Tony Kimberly became an entrepreneur is also because he loved seeing how things worked.  He enjoyed the thinking process in a much different way, but he used the same techniques.  He fixed problems, he communicated with everyone, and he made sure that problems did not repeat themselves.  Who would have thought that mechanics and entrepreneurs had so much in common?

In February of 2010, Tony launched Spotted Koi with his business partner, Matt Bernier.  Through his collaboration with Matt (the Chief Technical Officer), Tony’s new business brings projects and websites to life in two different ways—through contract development for designers and through partnering with startup ideas. 

“Our goal is to get rid of crappy websites, one site at a time,” says Tony.  “I was a mechanic because I loved to see how things work.  Now, with Spotted Koi, I am able to interact with people and further dissect a business.”

Tony Kimberly and Spotted Koi moved into the bizperc coworking space in downtown Kansas City just a few short weeks ago.  Tony utilizes bizperc’s flexible “drop-in” plan and works from inside bizperc by using his punch card. 

“bizperc has great networking and it has great coffee!” laughs Tony.  “I wanted to work away from my house.  I tried other coworking spaces.  But after spending time at bizperc, I think I found a good place.  I love getting to know the people here because they are people that care.  Coming here is always the most interesting part of my day.”

According to Tony, one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship is finding quality help and beneficial business partners.  Luckily, after finding Matt Bernier, Tony also found “J-Me”, Spotted Koi’s Chief Awesomeness Director.  Together, the three entrepreneurs hope to put Spotted Koi on the map.  And a lot of it is happening at bizperc.

“bizperc is getting people together to collaborate,” says Tony.  “bizperc is more than just a place to work—it’s a place that fosters growth and startups in Kansas City.”

Connect with Tony today on Twitter! @TJKimberly

You can even connect with his partner, Matt! @mbernier

Or follow SpottedKoi: @SpottedKoi

Written by Allison Way.

@AllisonThinkBig