The Cost of Equestrian Entrepreneurship

By Christa Myers

You’re not just building your business, you’re building and growing yourself.

An equestrian entrepreneur. 

While it costs you, it will create. It will create an entirely new person. 

A version of yourself that doesn’t hold yourself back. 

You’ll let go of the self-sabotage, the excuses, and even the doubt. 

This will cost you though. 

Equestrian entrepreneurship will cost you money.

There are always conversations about operating costs and the seemingly non-existent profit in the horse world. [another post will talk about this] 

If you listen carefully you’ll hear the hidden costs in between the monetary costs. 

The tired eyes from a late night catching up on bookkeeping turned even later when a horse began to colic. Limiting beliefs that had to be rid of to elevate your business to the next financial goal. The tears from disgruntled or disappointed clients, or even from stressing over our performance. 

The business you want to grow isn’t yet afforded. yet believed.

Let’s get friendly… I guess. 

The person I was before I began building my business doesn’t exist anymore. 

There were layers of money wounds, limiting beliefs, and repeating cycles. All of these kept me in situations where I would give my all while receiving very little in return. 

I had to work through trauma and grieve the horse girl I was. No longer am I the horse girl that is in the barn every day, competing during the warm months, or cuddling into the necks of my horses. 

Then I had to welcome the horse girl I am. 

I am the horse girl that encourages and empowers equestrian entrepreneurs to chase their dreams.

But we don’t hand gallop into business and chocolate chip the fence. 

No. We are strategic in our course walk to make sure we execute a well-thought plan.

The business I built today, cost me the person I was a year ago. 

I invested so many hours into myself that allowed me to build my business from $0 to $48K in its first year. A business that let me leave my corporate job within nine months of conception. 

It cost me friendships and my comfort zone. In order to grow, I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I’ve had meaningful conversations with people I considered my idols while literally shaking in my boots. Stepping outside of your comfort zone shouldn’t be reserved till when you feel ready.

Being an equestrian entrepreneur has created friendships and relationships that I wouldn’t have found in my comfort zone.

I’ve put together a list of challenges I’ve had to overcome or things I’ve had to learn to build the business I have today:

• Create a foundation then build your business. Your foundation needs to be solid to support the leads you create from social media or marketing. Create a solid foundation to support the business you want to build, not the business you have.
• Protect yourself, even if your clients are “chill”. Client agreements and insurance are so important. 
• Limiting beliefs, get ready to push the limits. I’ve read an armful of self-help books and work with a mindset coach to make sure my resistance to growth is minimal. Extra focus on building a positive money mindset. [I can create a PDF of recommended books?]
• Plan to make a profit. Businesses that don’t plan to make money, don’t make money. Businesses that plan to make money, make money.Horse industry or not.
  • Learn to budget (energy, time, and money)
  • Educate yourself on what needs to be done in your bookkeeping
• Consistency is key, it is what creates results. If you’re not able to be self-accountable, make sure you find a way to be. This could look like working with a business mentor or having a friend check in, human accountability is harder to ignore. 

• If you do not make time for your health, an illness will steal your time. Balanced horse girls are not just budgeting their money, they’re budgeting all their resources, including themselves. I’ve been wiped out from sicknesses and illnesses that could have been avoided if I took care of myself. Do not sacrifice your health to build a business.