As EquiFlexx Therapy reaches its first birthday I reflect on some of the lessons I have learned so far as a first-time female business owner in the Equine Industry. I did not go into this totally blind. My family own and operate a successful food business which I have worked in many aspects of from a young age, so I understood how a business operated and the hard work that it entails. I like to think I have a strong work ethic which I get from my Father. Although it was not an Equine related business, the basic principles still apply.

Firstly, I had to get the qualifications I needed to become an Equine Massage Therapist. My journey started in January 2020. While I was studying, I took part in various business and marketing courses to give myself the tools I needed to get started. I would recommend anybody looking at starting up a new business, whether they have been in business before or not, to do as many courses as possible and network with other market leaders. It goes without saying that I have over 20 years of experience in the industry, you don’t necessarily have to have as much experience as this, but it definitely helps. Remember, every day you learn something new, no matter how much experience you have, you will learn even more along your journey!

Speak to a representative from your local enterprise centre. There are so many different grants and resources available to a new startup business. Use any resources you already have to your full advantage. A family member or friend who has business experience, talk to them, Ireland is a small place, and the Equine Industry is even smaller, there is always someone who knows someone that can help you in some way.

Brand Identity: I had a clear vision of what I wanted my brand to stand for and what I wanted it to look like visually. I spoke with Emma McCabe from Epic Management about my vision, and she made it come to life! I would recommend everybody to have a clear brand vision, including a logo and colour palette. This makes it easy for followers to recognise your brand. If people see your logo enough times, whether it be online, on advertisements, sponsorships, or branded clothing, it will subconsciously imprint in their minds. Speak to designers and marketing companies, if you are unsure about your vision, they will help you create one.

Photography – Having good quality, professional photos that clearly represent my business is hands down one of the best decisions I made to date. It has given my business a new dimension of professionalism and I feel it allowed people to see me as a true professional businesswoman. If you can get a photographer that also does videos, a promo video is also fantastic for content. You do not have to spend a fortune on a photographer.

Look at local photographers or even if you have a friend or family member with a hobby in photography, use them! If you get 50-60 professional photos this should give you about a years’ worth of good quality content.

Website – Nothing aggravates me more than clicking on a link to a website and being redirected to their unexciting Facebook page. I think having a website presence is so important. It gives your customers an overview of your business, like looking in the shop window to entice people to make a purchase. Again, you don’t need to spend a fortune, there are loads of packages available to suit everyone.

One of the biggest mistakes I made in my startup process was underestimating how much time it would take to build a solid client base and how much time it would take for me to see a financial return. I am 1 year in business, and I am only now starting to see my efforts pay off from the previous year. Initially, I thought once I launch my business the flood gates would open, and I would be rolling in it. Not the case! The nature of my business requires me to travel a lot. For the first six months I sat myself down and said I would make the 100km plus journey for only 1 or 2 clients. With the cost of fuel and the wear to my car, I was making a loss. However, those 2 clients had 2 friends with horses, then there were 2 more and so on. That loss I made 1 year ago is now paying me back. Another big mistake I made was selling myself short, I priced myself too low to begin with, thinking if I was priced competitively, I would have the edge on my competitors. I conducted a poll on my social media platforms and the results showed that customers choose their Equine Therapists based on word of mouth and good reviews and price has little or no influence. Based on this I adjusted my prices accordingly.

The most important piece of advice I would give for any young person looking to start a business in the Equine Industry is open your mind to new things, do not be afraid of change and say YES to everything! NEVER EVER think you know it all, you will be proven wrong.