How To Add More Hours To Your Day

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably always looking for how to add more hours to your day or keep hoping for at least one clone. Well, I’ve found that by working with a virtual assistant (VA) that I can achieve just that!

Virtual assistants provide professional administrative services with the projects that you know you need to do but can’t seem to find the time for. Need help getting your marketing materials together? Or what about mailings? Maybe you realize you really need your website updated but don’t ever seem to get around to it. Or your newsletter, hard copy or electronic has fallen by the wayside. How about keeping track of your clients and prospects in a database? I know, these are all those “back of the house” business chores that are important but just don’t make you feel as good as going out into the barn with the horses and your clients. A virtual assistant provides a great solution for this. You can continue doing what you do best and focusing on bringing business in while your virtual assistant accomplishes the behind-the-scenes office work.

I love the consulting, workshops and writing work that I do, but need some assistance in converting my hand-scratched and/or word processed documents into professional quality materials. I know how to do this work and have done it for years myself. I’ve grown to the point that I need more help. And so I am thrilled to have found a great virtual assistant to help me with this! I love that I can really focus on the core work that I really enjoy doing and still have all the other necessary work accomplished as well.

You might wonder why I don’t hire part-time office help. Well, I’m not there yet. I don’t need someone enough hours to warrant an employee. A virtual assistant is an independent contractor so there are many benefits to working this way. I don’t pay for computer, software, office space, benefits and training as I would anticipate doing with an employee. I also don’t pay for an employee’s down-time, coffee breaks, and personal phone calls as one might with an employee. I am basically paying for project-based work to someone that comes completely trained and that has all her own office equipment, software and online tools. And I can tell you, she is wonderful! Her office skills run circles around mine! Plus, she has a degree in Equine Business Management and has worked for years in the industry. So she gets what I do on top of all the rest of the benefits.

I know what I like about my virtual assistant and was curious what she liked most about her job. Carol Aldridge, Progressive Business Solutions, shared this, “When you hire a virtual assistant you are hiring someone who has a significant interest in you and your business success. I really like seeing my clients succeed and to be part of that success. I really like challenging projects too. When I see that I’ve helped someone this way, it brings me great satisfaction. I also really like working with and getting to know people from all over the country and in all walks of life. There’s lots of variety to this work, and I love it!”

When you’re looking for a virtual assistant ask your colleagues who they’re using – that provides you with a good starting point. Skills vary from VA to VA, so you’ll want to hire one that has the skills you’re looking for. Interview your prospects and ask for references too. If you don’t know anyone using a VA, check out International Virtual Assistants Association. You can submit an RFP to help you find a good fit.

How to Get a Logo for your Horse Business

Branding, branding, branding…it’s all around us these days. Branding is certainly an important concept to understand as a horse business owner - it embodies your essence and conveys to your audience the feeling of what your business is about. Your logo is the visual representation of your brand, and must convey the feeling of your brand.

In a perfect world, you hire a graphic designer as you’re in the start-up stage of your business. You work together to develop your logo based on your vision and mission, and from your first days you have a logo to use with all your marketing materials and initiatives. Yup, in a perfect world that’s how it goes.

More often than not, businesses are started without a logo and on a shoe string budget. As much as you might want a logo, it slips down the list of priorities. There are a variety of ways you can get a logo on a shoe string budget.

1) Send out an email to your list of contacts looking for someone that does graphic design. Many people in the horse industry do more than one job to earn a living, and some do graphic design. You can then ask the graphic designers that you learn about to provide you with samples and pricing for a logo. This gives you a few proposals to compare.

2) Local colleges that offer graphic design courses often require students to work on projects. Contact them to see how you might become a student project. The logos that the students develop are usually done for no charge. If you don’t like what they come up with you are under no obligation to use it and have not spent money on it. If you do like it, you might ask the instructor if you can make a small donation, perhaps to a graphic design club at the school. You can also offer to provide a recommendation for the student which can come in handy as they look for work in the graphic design world.

3) There are some interesting options available online too. Check out www.99desgins.com. This is a crowd sourcing design service. That means that you choose how many designs you want to see based on pricing, and that many designers will submit one. You choose which one you want.

No matter which method you choose, when you have a logo design you’re interested in; show it to a few people that are your clients, colleagues, and friends. Ask them what they think. Ask them what their first impression is when they see the logo. Ask them if your logo will be easy for someone to recall and bring to mind. Ask them if the logo is “you.” You’ll be able to make changes based on their feedback so that your logo will speak to your audience and reflect you and your horse business.

Are You Listed in Google Places?

There’s so many great ways to increase your horse business exposure that are free. Of course, when I say free I mean that you don’t have to pay for them, but you will have to devote some time instead. One way is to get your horse business listed on Google Places, and in fact you may discover that it’s already there. If it’s already there, you’ll want to be sure the information is representing your business correctly. If it’s not already there, you are missing a chance at an online yellow pages of sorts. Plus, it helps to drive more traffic to your website. You can create coupons for those that find you this way, which provides you with some information about where your prospects and business is coming from. And on top of that, you can upload photos and video.

It’s really easy to either correct your listing and/or add to it, or to set it up if there isn’t one there. Follow these steps:
1) Go to www.google.com/places. Log into your account if you have one. If you don’t have one go ahead and create one. Google has lots of cool tools to use once you have an account and I’ll talk about more of these in future blogs.
2) After you’ve logged into your account or created a new one a link will appear that says “List your business.” Click on that.
3) The next piece of information Google asks for is your phone number. By filling this in, the system looks to see if it has any information on you. If it does have information it will pop up. You can correct the information that may not be right. If they don’t have you yet, fill in the information they are asking for.
4) Since Google doesn’t want just anyone signing up somebody else’s business with false information, the next thing that they do is to verify that you really are a representative of the business. They do this by giving you a PIN that you will have to enter online. You can choose one of two methods for them to send you the PIN. They can call you with it or you they can send it to you on a postcard. I did all of these steps in one sitting and chose the phone call, which came instantaneously. The postcard method will take longer.

Now you should be all set. You can create coupons for prospects and clients to download which offers another promotional tool for you. And it’s fun to go to google.com/places and enter your business name and see it pop up. Don’t expect overnight results from having listed yourself here, but do include it as one thing you can measure about your marketing and track quarterly and annually. You may find that during some seasons you have more contacts this way, which in turn can help you plan out promotions you might want to offer at different times of the year.

In Memory On This Hallowed Day

I sat down to work on my next newsletter, but here is what came instead.

September 11, 1960
My mother gathers all 5 of us kids together in the living room. My oldest sister is 8 years old; my youngest brother is 10 months old. We all sit on the couch in the corner of the room. She tells us that daddy has died. I can’t remember more than that about that day. I remember seeing the tractor that fell on him in the yard – its steering wheel bent and mangled. I remember all the relatives coming to visit and taking us kids to the five and dime to get us toys. I remember his funeral – that I wore my fancy petticoat and kept squirming around and it kept rustling. I remember that someone told me he would be there that day and so I kept looking for him. Where was he? What would he look like since he is dead? I didn’t really grasp it all – after all who could? But the new realization that awakened because of that day was – be happy with what you do today, tomorrow might not come.

September 11, 2001
8AM - I am walking my dog, Siuler, on our regular two mile walk. It’s a beautiful day, bright blue sky, perfect temperature. I am remembering my dad. I am thinking about the huge impact his loss had for me across my life, and in ways I never could have imagined. I am thinking about how much work I’ve done on this issue, how long it had taken me to unlock that deep, dark frozen territory and expose it to the sun. I’ve traveled far in my awareness, understanding, and personal growth. A plane flies overhead – we are under the flight patterns for both Manchester NH and Boston. I am at peace, at long last, with myself and the world about this.

Siuler and I finish our walk and jump in the car to drive to the farm so I can give a riding lesson at 9AM. I’m listening to the radio as I drive. They are talking now about an explosion that has just happened at the World Trade Center Twin Towers in NYC. They think a small plane flew into it accidentally. I’m thinking how horrible this is. I’m almost at the farm, and now they are talking about a second plane that has flown into the Twin Towers. I pull my car in to see Karen running the hose to fill a water tub and Cathy warming up on her horse for our lesson. I jump out and in disbelief say, “Do you know what’s going on right now?” They both stare at me blankly and so no, what do you mean? I tell them about the 2 planes in NYC. Karen goes in and turns her TV on. Cathy and I start the lesson, tentatively, not really knowing what to do next. Karen comes out to say a third plane has flown into the Pentagon. Now we are dumbstruck. And helpless. Next we learn of the PA plane down. At that moment I realized I might not see tomorrow.

I did see tomorrow and the next day, and the next….. But September 11 had an added depth, if that was possible. Not only was it the day I lost my innocence 41 years before, but now I watched as our country lost its innocence too.

In honor of this day and its significance in my life and the lives of so many others, I offer you this: Be happy with the day, be happy with who you are and what you do. Stop, breathe deeply, and give thanks that we are all here today.

Is Break-Even the Most Important Question to Ask Here?

I get asked for advice all the time - after all it is the nature of my business! Recently someone contacted me out of concern for a friend. The friend has been around horses and showing all her life, and owns one horse. The friend currently has one student that she just began giving lessons. The horse that she gives the lessons on belongs to the person that owns the private farm where the she keeps her horse. She doesn’t use her own horse because it isn’t a suitable beginner mount. She is able to keep her horse at the private farm at no cost because she occasionally takes care of the farm owner's other horses. She is now considering buying a second horse with the hope that she could turn it over right away or keep it to give lessons with. She does have a buyer in mind, but not confirmed. My friend’s concern is that if she continues giving lessons, that the farm owner will not want the friend to use her horse for lessons anymore.

The person that contacted me didn’t think this sounded like a good business plan and wanted to know how many lessons her friend would have to give in order to reach break-even. Well…yikes! This situation raises several red flags for me. Break-even is not the top one either. There are lots of elements that go into deciding to buy a horse as a lesson horse in this situation. I’ll list some of them here – but I often find that once someone has decided to buy a horse that it can be very difficult to get them to change their mind – somehow they have already made an emotional commitment within themselves. They could be in love with the horse, or in love with the idea.

1) If she is going to be operating a business on this property owners land, she and the property owner should have an agreement in place first. If there isn’t an agreement, it could easily blow up and your friend will be looking for a new place for her TWO horses!

2) If this is a private farm – is anyone covered by liability insurance for the lessons your friend is giving? These days most public facilities require free lance instructors to carry their own policy in addition to what they carry as a stable. If this is a private facility – they may not carry this type of insurance at all. This is a HUGE risk for all involved.

3) To calculate break-even for buying a horse you should take into account all the operating expenses for keeping that horse, as well as business costs, for example:
a. Board
b. Veterinarian and other complementary therapists
c. Dentist
d. Farrier
e. Supplements/medicine/wormers
f. Insurance – liability and horse
g. Tack, blankets, leg wraps and other horse clothing and equipment – these are more of a one time expense, like the horse – but breakage and wear and tear should be considered
h. Phone
i. Advertising

If you calculate these expenses for a year, and then break that into how many months out of the year she can teach, it will tell you how many lessons she needs to give (based on what she charges) each month. Sometimes people aren’t able to teach in the winter – their students aren’t interested in riding then (if in northern climate – could be summer if in southern climate) and/or the instructor doesn’t have access to covered facility to make it possible, so the annual expenses need to be divided by the number of months she is actually able to teach.

There is no single answer for how many lessons she would need to give because horse keeping costs vary from region to region, and lesson fees vary some too.

These operating expenses don’t take into account the cost of the horse itself. The horse can be resold and she may get her investment back. But she may not. And in the current economy, the market is full of horses for sale at low prices as well as being given away free.

This scenario is frustrating and frightening. This person is stumbling haphazardly into a business that requires high risk management diligence. For everyone's concern, break-even is not the first question that should be asked.

Planning for Success

I am changing the name of business planning to planning for success. When I start to talk about business planning, people begin to get anxious or they glaze over. Very few get that sparkly interested look in their eye and really engage. I’ve discovered that there is a fear of business planning, mostly because business planning is foreign and unfamiliar territory. I’ll bet that when I start talking to people about planning for success, they will respond in a more open fashion, be curious and want to engage.

As part of the horse industry, I’m sure that you have encountered breeds that are misunderstood. Business planning….ummmm…..planning for success is like that too. Many people say that their plan is in their head. And what there is of it may well be, but there are usually many missing elements. Just by articulating it and getting it onto paper, you provide yourself with the opportunity to read it back to yourself and see if it makes sense to you. This gives you the chance to improve on it, before mistakes are made and bad decisions have cost you a ton of money and time. No one wakes up and says. “Today I am going to make bad business decisions.” Yet, if you don’t actively engage in business planning…..ummm….planning for success….in a committed fashion, you have elected to make ill-informed decisions that may be devastating to your business.

Another misconception is that a business plan becomes a doorstop when it’s completed, or that it gets put onto the back of a deep dark shelf somewhere never to see the light of day again. Still others think that once the plan is completed that they must follow it exactly. Neither of these is correct. A businesss plan….ummmm….plan for success…..is a living document, just as your business is a living entity of its own. Going through the process of developing a plan gives you a process to follow again in the future as you consider new products, services and markets. Reviewing your plan quarterly allows you to spot variations in your projections. This gives you the time to evaluate whether your initial assumptions were off base, and if so what else is affected as you move forward. If your initial assumptions were correct, you can determine what is needed to get back on track. And as time moves forward the environment may change in ways that couldn’t have been predicted (September 11, for example). This is a good time to redirect your plan accordingly.

Do you remember what it was like when you learned how to ride without your stirrups? At first you didn’t like it much – it made you nervous, your balance and strength weren’t very good, and you were pretty sure you’d never be able to do it. But as you practiced more, your balance and strength improved and you appreciated the solid foundation it gave you as your riding skills developed. Planning for success is like that too. After you’ve been through the process once, you’ll appreciate the new contacts and resources that have become acquainted with. You’ll also know what steps to take when you are considering complicated business decisions in the future. With a step-by-step process, you can build a solid foundation for your equine business and take the first steps towards success. For more information about business planning….ummm….planning for success, check out Demystifying Business Planning: Concept, Customer, Cash.

Sustainability - What's It All About?

The Green movement is all around us and on a regular basis we hear the words “green” and “sustainable” used interchangeably. Green evokes visions of recycling, natural products, energy efficiency and carbon footprint calculations. But my guess is that “sustainable” paints a more nebulous picture in your mind’s eye. So I saw this great diagram - thanks to Teachers: California Academy of Sciences - that provides a visual for sustainability. Basically this diagram shows what is being called the TBL – or triple bottom line. Instead of considering profit only, business sustainability also considers the human element and the planet. The diagram also included this definition of sustainability: “to meet the current needs of our global population without compromising those of future generations.”

Wow, that’s a lot to think about…having what we need now without compromising the future. It provides us with a challenge and call to action. Yup, it’s about change. The challenge and change aspects could be enough of a reason just to back-burner it all given everything else that’s already on our plates. So here’s what I’m going to do to work towards sustainability, and maybe it’s an approach that will work for you too.

Unless you have a mind that already thinks from the middle of this diagram, it could certainly be overwhelming to try to leap from the outer three areas directly into the middle. (And certainly even the profitability factor frequently needs much attention in the horse industry.) So I’m going to take it one baby step at a time and look at each element individually. I’m going to write down steps that I’ve taken already and other steps to consider. For example, I use fly predators on my property instead of insecticide systems, and also use a solar fence charger. This approach is helping me to see how I can shift my resources – not necessarily spend more – but spend what I would have in a different way. The more steps I take like this, the more it opens my awareness to other steps and to a more holistic approach. So what do you think? About sustainability, about what you’ve done working towards this. I’d love to hear about your efforts towards sustainability and other ways to approach it – please share with us here.

What kind of entrepreneur are you?

Lately I’ve heard several folks saying they have too much going on and need to give something up. Some of them know what they want to give up, but are reticent to do so. They don’t feel the same energy now around a product or service that they once did. But they still feel reluctant to let it go because of the energy and passion they have invested in it and the clients they have associated with it. This can be disconcerting the first time that it happens, but once you recognize that this will happen, it all becomes a little easier to work through.

Over the years of running my own businesses I’ve come to realize that it’s an organic process, and that even the sunshine burns if you get too much. There are ebbs and flows to my energy, my ideas, my creativity, and my passion. These don’t necessarily correlate to what’s happening in my business, but sometimes they do. And being an entrepreneur, or should I say “equipreneur,” is a journey to discovery – about the market, the world, and myself. Through my years of investigation about entrepreneurship I’ve also learned that there are many different kinds of entrepreneurs. There are serial entrepreneurs, who like breathing life into a venture but have no interest in running it over the long-term. They are off and running starting something else before you can blink your eyes. There are high-growth entrepreneurs that start businesses that take off like a rocket and do a lot for job and wealth creation. There are lifestyle entrepreneurs who focus more on the lifestyle they are able to lead rather than making a ton of money. If they can earn a comfortable living, that’s what they are after. Here’s one great article that provides a little more background on this thinking: “The 9 Personality Types of Entrepreneurs” at http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/development/a/personality.htm.

My journey, so far, has been as a lifestyle entrepreneur. And when I’m feeling a little burned out, I understand that this is not the best time for me to make a decision about what to keep and what to let go of in my business. Instead, I take a sabbatical. I don’t leave my clients in the lurch, and I am sure to complete any projects and promises. But I do let them know that I am shifting gears for a little while and that I’ll keep in touch about any changes that may occur. This approach has always worked well for me. I spend some time reflecting on why I began my business and various services. And the realization that it was for a broader life’s journey purpose, I am able to renew. When my sabbatical is over, I return with new ideas and new energy and with even more to offer than before.

So, what kind of entrepreneur are you? Identifying your entrepreneurial style and rhythm will help to guide you to the trail through the peaks and valleys of your business journey.

Weeds, Wildflowers and Wordle

What is a weed? I have heard it said that there are sixty definitions. For me, a weed is a plant out of place. ~Donald Culross Peattie

May all your weeds be wildflowers. ~Author Unknown


At this time of year the dandelions take over my yard. I let them. I love the vibrant yellow that they bring, followed by the glorious puff balls that have earned them the nickname of “Wish Flower.” And so dandelions beg the question: weed or wildflower? It all depends on your perspective.

Just like weeds and wildflowers, problems can also be viewed from another perspective. A colleague recently commented that problems are unsolved opportunities. The ability to step into other shoes and look through others eyes is a skill that often provides a business owner with great insight and problem solving that they require. When other shoes and other eyes don’t seem to come easily, Wordle may provide just the shift you are looking for.

Wordle can be found at http://www.wordle.net/. It’s a fun and creative way to look at words and to create word clouds. You provide the words, push the create button, and the cloud that is created highlights words that appear most frequently.

Using Wordle with your marketing may provide you insight you won’t gain anywhere else. Use your text from your flyers and brochures– what do you see? How about text from your website? Need another way to view your professional portfolio, bio or resume? Wordle may show you that your emphasis is not in the areas that you intend. Give it a try – you might just turn dandelions into wish flowers!


A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. ~Doug Larson

But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow where people want something else. In blaming nature, people mistake the culprit. Weeds are people's idea, not nature's. ~Author Unknown

Management Message from the Natural World

Last night I was eating a bowl of pasta for dinner and heard an odd sound coming from the basement that I really couldn't identify. I leave the door from the kitchen to the basement open a crack all day so that the cats have the run of the house. Just as I was about to get up to check it out, the sound changed into one that I could identify - the soft jingling of sleigh bells. I have several strings of them hanging by the stairs and the youngest cat plays with them. (This makes me laugh because I had nicknamed her Ring-ting-tingler before she had ever discovered them.) So I settled back into the chair when another kind of commotion began. I looked up to see a bird flying into the kitchen from the basement being pursued by my two cats. A big bird! I think it was a grackle! The bird had perched up on my cabinets. I leaped out of the chair and was now a couple feet away from the bird, thinking that if I could get the bird into a towel somehow, I could let it free. But one cat was hot in pursuit so the bird flew right towards me - no doubt it was as horrified as I was. I instantly ducked and when I looked up the bird was gone. Where??? I did not know but it couldn't be far. I carefully checked the rubber plant in the corner, but no luck. I headed for the basement to see if it had gone back down, and as I descended the stairs the cats followed me. They must have thought I had the inside scoop on where the bird was. A quick look around the basement revealed no signs of it there. So I headed back upstairs and as I stepped back into the kitchen, the bird reappeared on top of the other cabinet. Smart bird - it had been waiting for the cats to disappear, so I quickly spun on my heels and shut the basement door behind me to keep the cats there. Of course now my dog was excited by all the commotion so I closed her in the guest bedroom. I finished by shutting all remaining open doors to minimize places the bird could go and opened the door to outside. I stood between the kitchen and dining room to encourage the bird to head to the door. First it tried to fly out the closed window by the sink and then hopped onto the counter and behind the microwave looking for escape. Finally it hopped onto the floor and around the refrigerator and saw the open door. Without a moments further hesitation it took flight out the door. I still have absolutely no idea how the bird got into my basement in the first place since I was unable to find any opening from the inside and or outside. I am attributing it to magic.

So what does this have to do with your horse business? Compare it to how you react when an unexpected issue occurs. How quick are you on your feet? Do you start trouble shooting the issue right away? Do you work to minimize other possible complications? When the immediate situation has resolved, do you look for the root cause? And when no rational answer presents itself, can you let go of it and move on? There are many different ways and styles to manage a business, and as a business owner/manager its a good idea for you to be in touch with your personal style. Knowing your style allows you to identify your strengths and your weaknesses. And by knowing this, you'll know when to react and when to ask for help. Self-awareness is one stepping stone towards success.