Learn how to build a staff team you can trust, the keys to building an equine business with purpose, and the advice Traci Brooks with Balmoral Farm would give to fellow equestrian entrepreneurs.
Welcome to the show notes! Remember, this is a brief summary from the How to Market Your Horse Business podcast. You'll want to listen to the entire episode for all the good stuff!
How do you get loyal clients and customers for your equine business? How do you build a business that allows you to do what you’re great at, even as you grow?
You do it with purpose. And, as you’ll learn from Traci Brooks’ journey to building Balmoral Farm to be the successful equine business it is today, you also do it by taking advantage of the opportunities that come your way.
Traci and Carleton Brooks are the husband and wife team behind Balmoral Farm, a premier hunter jumper program. Together, they’ve trained and produced numerous National Champions and Grand Champions in Professional, Junior, Pony and Amateur hunter & jumper divisions at some of the industry’s most prestigious shows such as Devon, The National Horse Show, The Washington International Horse Show, The Pennsylvania National Horse Show, Capital Challenge, USEF Pony Finals and FEI North American Youth Championships.
(Fun Fact: Just as this episode was going to publish, Carleton was recognized as the 2024 Horseperson of the Year by the California Professional Horsemen’s Association. That’s just a peek at the recognition he’s received from the industry.)
While these are external accolades, what you’ll see online is a client team that loves and appreciates the Brooks and their dedication to putting the horse first.
It’s not just something they say, it’s something they live, and you’ll hear that come through as Traci shares.
In this interview, you’ll hear how Traci went from growing up in a non-horse family in Ohio to a kid who basically lived at the barn to building a very successful business partnership with her husband Carleton.
It’s been quite a journey filled with adventure and saying yes to opportunity. Of course, you’ll get plenty of practical insights and business-building wisdom along the way.
4 Tips for Building an Equine Business with Purpose
# 1: Say yes to opportunity. (Don’t overthink it.).
One of the common threads throughout Traci’s story is how she took advantage of the opportunities that came her way. Not only that, she recognized them as opportunities, and she was willing and ready to say yes and take them as they come.
As an equestrian entrepreneur, be on the lookout for opportunities and be willing to say yes even if it’s not perfectly aligned with your plan. It may just be the thing that brings you where you wanted to be in your business.
Traci said, “If it feels good, say yes and see how it goes.”
If you follow Traci, you’ll see she doesn’t make or advocate for “fly by the seat of your pants” types of decisions. However, there’s an element of being open to new ideas and opportunities.
Oftentimes, we overthink opportunities that come to our equine business. But, Traci reminds us that sometimes the best move is to say yes and figure it out as you go.
If you know what’s important to you and you have a clear why filter, then give yourself freedom to say yes without overthinking.
"Opportunities are grains of sand. They slide right past drooping fingers, but an active palm can gather whatever is within reach and shape it into a little castle. It is the act of engaging with the material that gives it shape." ~ James Clear
# 2: Accept and acknowledge the path to growth is not linear.
As you build your equine business, your path is going to take some twists and turns. And that's okay.
Be open to that and embrace the uncertainty so that if you hit a roadblock or you hit a curve or something happens that you weren't expecting, you know that’s normal.
You might look back up at that at some point and say, “Okay, that was actually such a benefit that that happened because I had to pivot, and I was ready to pivot.”
You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Be comfortable not knowing the answer and not knowing the path. And knowing that if you just keep saying yes and keep working hard, doing the right thing, networking, developing your Rolodex, creating building blocks and foundations, you're going to be fine. It might not go the way that you pictured it, but it's it's going to happen, for you.
# 3: Think of things from the perspective of other people.
This sounds like a simple principle but it’s clear that it’s been key to their business growth.
Questions to consider:
If you were a client, what would you want if you had your horse with a trainer?
What information is important?
How do you want to present yourself?
What do you want people to see and experience through your social media posts?
# 4: Own your own path.
Your own path to building your equine business is unique. That doesn't make it better or worse than someone else's.
It can be easy to fall pretty to FOMO (fear of missing out) or comparison, especially in this world of social media. But, if you want to build your business with purpose, you have to put blinders on and own your own path.
Believe that what you're doing is right for you right now and keep on that path, even if it's hard.
Of course, you'll want to listen to the full episode to dig into each of the insights shared and discover how you can apply each one in your horse business!
Ready to set your equine business up for long-term success? Take the Reins 1:1 Coaching will give you a step-by-step roadmap to get there.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
Traci & Carleton’s Book: With Purpose: The Balmoral Standard
Take the Reins: 1:1 Marketing Coaching for Equestrian Entrepreneurs
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