We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kaily Sivils a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kaily, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Moore Equine Feed & Pet Supply was born in January of 2010. From the conception to what it has become today has far exceeded any expectations that we could have imagined at the time. The business is owned by myself and my mother, with a staff of 11 additional employees currently. When we first began we were almost exclusively equine based. We are lucky enough to be based in an area of North Carolina that is very equine focused giving the opportunity for such a niche store. In 2014 we saw a desire from our customers and a need in the area to expand into pet food as well. The idea behind this was to try to create a “one stop shop” for our customers, providing products that they needed in a convenient manner. One of ur tag lines is “we make life with animals easier”, while life with animals can never be uneventful, we try to do our part as best we can to simplify the process for our customers. We focus on high quality products, leaning more into holistic and natural options versus conventional products that can be picked up at the local big box store. With being a registered yoga teacher, and a self admitted health nut myself (haha), I am passionate about helping people and educating them on nutritional and product choices. I get so much enjoyment out of sourcing new, healthy, sustainable products for us to bring to our customers. Of course, we do carry your typical, normal products that you are used to seeing as well, but in my opinion what really sets us apart from other stores in the area is our focus on these natural alternatives as well as new and up and coming product lines. Whenever possible we source things locally and support other small businesses and start ups as well. Small businesses are the flavors of our communities and what really can set towns apart. We joke that we are so much more than a feed store, but it really is true. In addition to all of your four legged family members needs we also carry clothing and product lines imported from Europe, gift items, snacks, and so much more. I consider myself very lucky that I get to be involved in a business that allows for me to kind of wrap all the different parts of my life together. I have ridden horses since before I could walk and have always had cats and dogs, so to be able to have a business centered around animals that also gives opportunity to my more natural and health conscious side for product research and education, as well as my artistic and creative side for the marketing and graphic design really is very cool.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kaily. I was raised in Southern Pines, NC and got into the equestrian world at a young age, I had originally planned on going to vet school, but life seemed to have other plans for me at the time. After a shift in plans from that perspective and a series of events, Moore Equine is now about to celebrate our 14th year in business. While not the original equine industry job I had imagined, this is where I was supposed to end up. I consider myself very lucky that I get to be involved in a business everyday that is not only centered around animals, but also provides outlets for the other parts of myself such as the health and wellness aspect with product research and education, and the artistic aspect with the creation of marketing and graphic design material. I believe what sets Moore Equine apart is our desire to bring the highest quality products to our customers as well as the perspective that each individual and their animal is different and has different needs, so what works for one, might not work for the next. We will never partner with brands to provide sell incentives to our employees. Our philosophy is to present all the options that we think would be beneficial and let the client decide which is best for them. There is nothing in our store that we wouldn’t feed our own animals, so that makes this very easy! Another big perspective of ours is giving back to the community. We realize that without the support of our community we would not be here, so we are big into volunteering, outreach, and donations and support to our many amazing local rescue and non profit groups.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Oh this one is easy! She’s my mother. Haha. I say that and usually people’s response is a “really” or “oh how do you do that?” I would be lying if I said there haven’t been days that we’ve both been ready to be done with each other, but overall I consider myself very lucky. She’s one of my biggest supporters and advocates and is always there to run ideas by or bounce things off of even though she is trying very hard to take more of a behind the scenes roll these days.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love books, articles, and publications as much as the next person but I would have to say the thing that has impacted my thinking and philosophy the most has been my yoga practice. This may seem odd since it is nor directly involved with the pet industry or in the management of people, but I have found that when my mental state is good, I am able to help people more and I am also able to be a better and more understanding boss. When you’re able to view things more clearly, be present in the happenings of the business, and meet people in a place of understanding rather than a place of hurry I find the outcomes are generally more pleasurable. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about the hustle and bustle, coffee in hand, doing ten things at once when it needs to happen, but I am a better person when I take what I learn from yoga and I think our employees would agree with that statement. haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mooreequine.com
• Instagram: mooreequinefeedandpet
• Facebook: Moore Equine Feed & Pet Supply

Image Credits
Rachel Garrison Photography