Most people think that YouTube is for procrastination. Junior Ben Hayt, however, defies those expectations. Besides using the popular video archive to watch his favorite artists and comedians, Hayt has used YouTube to make a splash in the pond filtration industry and make hundreds of dollars.
This unique situation began last March, when Hayt went to the Central Florida Koi Show. There, he saw a filter that used a drum vibrating at high speeds to eliminate harmful organic matter from the environment. This vibration prevents the accumulation of ammonia (a toxic substance), and allows the pond to be cleaned less often and more easily. Hayt, although impressed by the filter, was also curious about its disadvantages. He thought that it was too expensive, liable to stop working if any of its many electrical parts were exposed to water, and possibly very loud.
Unsatisfied with this supposedly high-tech filter, Hayt sought to find out more about pond filters. In a well-tested teenage maneuver, Hayt turned to YouTube to solve his problems. Amazingly, he achieved something productive.
“I looked at a bunch of videos of the product before I came across a different type of drum filter,” said Hayt.
This new product was one that could be effective using only tap water pressure and a mechanical float valve. This filter was less expensive, better for the environment, less noisy, and less likely to break. Hayt was intrigued, and emailed the inventor, Mr. Bert Schuldink. Hayt wanted one for his own koi pond at home, and Mr. Schuldink obliged. The unit Schuldink installed was three times less expensive than the drum filter with the electric motor, and Hayt’s pond had never looked cleaner.
Over the next month, the Hayt family pond was spotless and needed no maintenance, which was unheard of for the Hayts until that month. At that point, Hayt decided to ask Schuldink if he was interested in importing the filters to the US, where they were not immediately available. Schuldink enthusiastically supported this idea. Consequently, Hayt and his dad went to the Aquiscience Asia factory in Guangdong, China to follow up on the deal. Hayt saw how the filters were made and how many people relied on this filter as a source of income.
“For me, it is a great feeling to have a business that aligns with my passion for aquatic life. I hope to be doing this for a long time,” said Hayt.
Once Hayt came back to the states, he made a website, blueecofiltration.com, for the filter and posted information about it on many different pond-related forums. Orders quickly came in, and currently dozens of filters have been sold, and dozens more ordered. This has apparently been a very successful business venture for Hayt. And who would have known that it all began because of some YouTube videos? Next time your parents tell you to get off the Internet, show them this article and remind them that much good can come from your procrastination.