LaRaedo Blog

The Horse Farm Wow Factor (Contest Re-Run)

Laraedo — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:36:19 +0000

Have you ever stood up in front of a room full of people and ask how everyone was doing and you heard a few ‘Okays’, ‘Great’, may be a ‘Could be Better’. Well that’s when you generally say it again and this time with emphasis ‘How are you Doing!” and then you get a much louder response with more enthusiasm.

That is exactly what I am going to do with the next round of this contest because we need more enthusiasm, aka more comments! I’m thinking that maybe I needed to be more clear on what I was asking everyone to do.

What I Need from You:

We are going to run the contest for another five days, starting today thru August 21. I am calling all horse boarders and those that take riding lessons to comment below on what you see as the Wow! Factor at the farm that you spend your time and money.

Because the winner of the contest will receive a signed book by the author Ronaye Ireland called ‘How to Find Trouble Free Horse Boarding Even if you are New to Horses’, I am requesting comments from the boarders and lesson customers side of the horse farm business.

What is the “Wow!” Factor?

The “Wow!” Factor is that unnamed quality in a product or service that elicits a “Wow!” from the customer the first time they encounter it. Examples of a “Wow!” might be –

One private lesson after every tenth lesson

Refer a friend and receive one-month free board

Half-price on all trailering to specific shows

It’s whatever it may take for the customer to have that feeling of “Wow!” what a great deal for me!

So please leave your comments below and let’s find out what your Wow! Factor experience has been at the farm you hang out with!

Simply click on the ‘comment’ button which will open up all of the comments that people have already provided, add your name, website (if you have one) and comment away …..

Contest Time – Tell Us the Wow Factor in Your Horse Farm Business!

Laraedo — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:00:12 +0000

Are you ready for another cool contest? This one will last five days starting today, ending on Sunday, August 15. The winner will receive a fabulous and informative book called “How to Find Trouble Free Horse Boarding Even If You Are New to Horses” written and signed by Ronaye Ireland.

Ronaye’s book will raise your awareness and help you become better informed before making that commitment to a horse-boarding stable to care for your horse. The book also has some great information to help horse boarding farm owners improve areas that may be what their current and future customers are looking for in a horse-boarding farm. You’ll discover things like:

How to choose the horse-boarding style that suits your lifestyle
How to uncover hidden costs and build a realistic budget so you can afford to keep your horse
How to avoid a $500 vet bill by paying attention to this safety hazard you never thought would be a problem

How to Enter the Contest

To enter the contest, simply add a comment below describing what you think is the best “Wow!” Factor a horse boarding farm business can provide their customers today. It can be from your own personal experience or from ideas that you may have that would be a great benefit for horse farm owners. The winning name will be chosen randomly using random.org.

What is the “Wow!” Factor?

The “Wow!” Factor is that unnamed quality in a product or service that elicits a “Wow!” from the customer the first time they encounter it. Examples of a “Wow!” might be –

One private lesson after every tenth lesson
Refer a friend to board at your farm and receive one-month free board
Half-price on all trailering to specific shows

It is whatever it may take for the customer to have that feeling of “Wow!” what a great deal for me!

What is the “Wow!” Factor in your business? What keeps your customers happy and talking about your horse farm? When competing for business in a struggling economy, “good enough” is not good enough.

What does your horse farm do that is unique and not like any other horse farms in your area? Sometimes it is hard to tell because that “Wow!” Factor often happens when you are not even around. What are your customers saying about your horse farm when you are not around?

I know of one really great way to get your customers talking about the “Wow!” Factor of your farm. Try LaRaedo Horse Farm Software, which allows customers to log in and see how well their horse is being cared for, how training is improving or how lessons are going. With this type of communication and putting the customer first, they will not only be impressed, they will also be telling other horse boarders how innovative and proactive your farm is in maintaining their horse.

So be sure to leave a comment below for a chance to win an extremely useful and informative book that can be read now and referred to time and time again. The lucky winner will be announced on August 16. Good luck!

Opportunities Abound in the Horse Industry

Laraedo — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:17:23 +0000

There have been a ton of really great opportunities happening for me in recent days , especially one that stands out above the rest that I want to share with my readers.

The Women’s Horse Industry Association (WHIA) will be celebrating their second annual conference on September 22 and 23, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

There will be many speakers that are involved with the business of horses as well as dozens of exhibitors showing off their fine merchandise and equine business materials. In fact, I was given the l opportunity to speak about my awesome, revenue building horse farm management software. I am so excited, I can hardly sit still!

Another reason why this conference is so inviting is because it is right around the corner from the start of the FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky which begins on September 25 and runs through October 10, 2010. The games are held every four years and this will be the first time that the WEG will be held outside of Europe. The WEG are the major international championships for equestrianism and considered by many horsemen to be more important than the Olympics.

My big dream would be to attend the WHIA conference with my horse loving daughter, Genna, who will be turning 21 years old on September 23. What an awesome way to celebrate her 21 years on this earth than to attend this conference with her and spend some time at the World Equestrian Games. I’m not sure yet how it will all come about but I’ll figure out a way. I always do

Genna, without her actually realizing it, was instrumental in bringing my software dream into fruition. On our many drives to the barn, from city life to country, we would or should I say, I would brainstorm with her about creating the perfect barn. The main idea was how we could best serve the customers that frequent the barn whether it be for lessons, horse training or maintenance of their boarded horse.

Oh, I had plenty of ideas and she would listen patiently and most likely she was already in her mind, at the barn riding and having fun. But that was alright with me, my fun was dreaming up new ideas.

Hope to see you at the WHIA in September. I feel we are already friends since we have one great connection – the love of horses.

What are your plans for attending the World Equestrian Games this year? Will you be going and what events are you interested in attending?

The Importance of Branding in the Horse Business

Laraedo — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 02:36:45 +0000

I have been reading a lot lately on the Internet about business branding. It is interesting to me that branding is also a term used often in the farming and livestock business. Wikipedia defines branding as ‘A technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner’.

In many ways, livestock branding is similar to business branding. Branding in essence represents the company. It puts a ‘label’ on the overall company so that anyone that comes in contact with that brand knows who they are dealing with. Product branding in business is basically a method used that creates an immediate mental picture of exactly what the business represents.

In an article in Stable Management Magazine written by Lisa Derby Oden entitled ‘Who Are You?’ she states -

“Branding highlights qualities and characteristics about your stable that make you unique or special. Building your brand will follow a path of business evaluation and discovery. It is an intentional process that requires time, thought and research. This is well worth it in the long run, because you’ll be prepared to implement your marketing in a cohesive way that will have meaning to your prospects and clients.”

Branding is the impression people get when they view your business. It isn’t just one thing like your logo but a combination of everything you do. It is the information they see on your website, or the signature on your e-mails. It is also includes how you connect with your customers and meet their needs with your product or service.

Now more than ever, the horse farm business needs to be remarkable and offer something that their competitors don’t in order to develop and become more recognized. Thus creating their own special company brand that stands out above all other farms in the area.

What was used to attract boarders or lesson clients not too long ago is pretty much the norm today on all horse farms. It is becoming more important to find something that will attract customers to their farm rather than just offering the same as the farm down the road.

What is your horse business doing today to help develop the brand that your customers will remember and talk about with their friends?

Increase Revenue in Horse Farm Boarding

Laraedo — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:08:16 +0000

Equestrian Professional Magazine, Elisabeth McMillan, recently ran a video called “Protecting Your Horse Business From Cash Flow Culprits” regarding profitability and cash flow. She used an example of the cost of boarding horses and the issue that can arise from boarders not paying on time.

That got me to thinking about ways that might help farm owners retain great relationships with their boarders AND ensure that they pay their board on time and increase revenue in THREE easy steps.

Step One -
Offer them a login account to a horse farm software that will keep them informed of EVERYTHING they are currently being billed for so there are no end of the month surprises.

Step Two -
Use the software’s automated invoice system that will send out their invoice at the first of the month, indicating CLEARLY the charge for any late payment fees and when payments are due.

Step Three -
Add a couple dollars more a month to their monthly board for the use of this service that keeps them informed of not only their expenses but of the care and maintenance that YOU deliver every month to keep their horse happy and healthy.

It’s a no brainer and everyone wins. Nuff said – comments are ALWAYS appreciated.

Benefits of Learning

Laraedo — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 01:25:42 +0000

Have you ever worked at a job for awhile and then been asked to train someone else how to do your job? I have done this a few times and was amazed each time at how much I did that came so easily to me. I knew a lot about my everyday work and so there was much to teach.

But when I started the job, I was unsure and overwhelmed and afraid that I might not ‘get it’. That I might not be smart enough and what if I failed….

I think that happens with so many of us that we lose on opportunities to grow and some times it take us remembering what we have already learned to give us that push to try something new that might even make our future brighter.

For instance, I have a friend that wanted me to help her create a financial budget. I thought that this would be easy so I went to her home and sat at her computer, started up the application Excel and she provided information about her finances. Once we were done and I created the formula to add or subtract the data, I began to explain to her how to do this for herself.

Her face went blank and I could tell that she had no desire to learn how to continue on; she just wanted someone to do it for her now. She saw Excel as a bunch of rows and columns and nothing more. She did not see the opportunity to create more using a tool that was fairly easy to use while she had the aid of a teacher by her side to help her learn something new.

So basically, we ended up going back to printing out a sheet of paper with columns and rows and entered the data by hand. At the end she just added it all up with a calculator and we were done.

To sum it up (no pun intended), I think that we all need to first realize the gain of learning something new. How will it make my life easier if I spend the time now to try this new and unfamiliar thing? And rather than think what if I try and fail; how about what if I try this and it makes my life better.

What have you done lately in your horse business that you needed to learn something new in order to move you to a new level of improvement?

A Day for Freedom and Walking

Laraedo — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:00:58 +0000

This is kind of off topic from my usual excitement over creating an awesomely running horse farm using LaRaedo but today is a day about freedom and I am feeling free to talk about whatever.

I went for a walk today with my German Shepherd, Naiya, and had some ‘wonder’ moments. I have those moments a lot and it used to drive my kids crazy but it’s just me.

Funny thing about my dog and walks. She gets so excited at the mention of the word ‘walk’ that she follows me around the house until I get the leash and the ‘bag’. And then, we are about ten minutes into it and I am pulling her along saying ‘Let’s go, come on’. So I am not sure if she forgets that she really doesn’t like going for walks each time I say the word or not. Well she is ten years old so I guess I should give her some leeway.

But while I was walking, I came by a huge house, I mean it must have been worth $400 to $500K at minimum. From the front, it was gorgeous and then I noticed the backyard view. It overlooked the highest crime and drug haven mobile home park in the city. And I began to wonder…. why would some family decide to build a brand new house on a patch of land that had a view like that? Imagine having your outdoor Bar-B-Q’s and watching a drug transaction go on. I would love to go up and ask the home owner but that might be a bit crass. Maybe they got the land for dirt cheap and didn’t care what the view looked like. Maybe it was a constant reminder to the owner that once lived in a low income mobile home park of how appreciative it was to now be able to own a beautiful home such as this one. Not that mobile home parks are bad, some are absolutely gorgeous, but this one – not so much.

And then as I was walking by a grave yard all nicely manicured with all the fine tombstones, and got to wondering again. There were squirrels running around and birds chirping and thought where do all those squirrels and birds go when they die? It’s not like you see them laying around on the sidewalks or grass, maybe on the side of the road some times but that’s a different story. They are so neat and tidy about their transitions, aren’t they? They just go off somewhere and die; no one has a funeral for them and spends tons off money on caskets and tombstones. They just move on. We on the other hand like to take up lots of land that can never be used again except for the traditional resting place of the dead. Don’t get me wrong here, I mean my parents reside in a nice grave site not too far away and once in a great while I drop by to ‘say hello’ but it is just their physical memory and their spirit is with me everywhere. Maybe someday, the traditional grave site will go by the wayside to more meaningful methods of celebrating the death transition.

That’s my thoughts for today – how about yours?

Tack and Habit Radio – Geeks and Flies

Laraedo — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:58:20 +0000

I had the opportunity to do a short ten minute interview about LaRaedo horse farm software on Tack and Habit Radio this past week. I shared the spotlight with Cashel a horse business that makes a fly mask called ‘The Cashel Crusader‘. It’s really pretty cool – check it out!

Click here to take you to the podcast link. I think you will really enjoy it!

Horse Radio Network Twitter Marathon

Laraedo — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:28:11 +0000

I received a call the other day from Glenn the Geek, Executive Director of Horse Radio Network. He wanted to know if I would like to participate in their second annual Twitter Marathon along with ten other horse business guests.

Each of us was given a total of four minutes to talk about our horse business or product.

Here’s a link to the podcast which includes all ten twitter horse lovers. I also supplied a link below of the rest of my compadres so you can see the wide variety of horse enthusiasts!

Click Here to Listen In: Horse Radio Network Twitter Marathon

Hosted by:
Helena Bakun and Glenn the Geek

Twitter Guests:
Kathleen Dodds – You Might Think This is Crazy, But… and follow her travels on Facebook.
Tammy Sronce – American Competitive Trail Horse Association’s attempt to break the World Record for the most trail riders at one time.
John Lechner – Eventing Safety
Mary Linda – The Science of Motion
Isabelle Bochet – Training Horses in Harmony
Poppy Doyle – Trinity Farm – Horse Boarding and Lessons
Christina Laiche – Cuttin Up Radio
Bonnie St. Clair – Grapevine Canyon Ranch
Nancy Brown – Writing Horseback Your Guide to Equestrian Travel Deals and Lodging Reviews

Moving Ahead in the Horse Business

Laraedo — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:43:43 +0000

Change in any business is necessary and healthy for it to survive and grow. Taking the next step and trying something new can sometimes create doubt, procrastination and fear. What if we try it and we fail? What if we don’t attain the results we want?

Lisa Derby Oden, owner of Blue Ribbon Consulting, wrote an article called “Grow or Die: How Change Affects Your Horse Business” and she really nailed it.

Doing business the same way we’ve always done can keep things moving along at a fairly smooth pace. But over time, the way the world does business shifts, and new ideas and opportunities to move in a different direction may be the difference between flourish or famish.

Lisa states

Have you built “change” into your business? You’ve built a reputable business on solid tradition, but have you also provided a mechanism for change as needed?

Trying something new and different means having to make a shift in the current process and the way things are done today. You may have to train your staff and inform your customers of the new changes and that might take some time and they may even initially resist.

But often times, the pros far outweigh the short-term, getting-outside-your-comfort-zone cons. If you look beyond the current status quo and make even small changes, it is very possible to bring in more revenue than ever imagined possible.

It doesn’t take much, just a bit of refocusing of your energy and being open to thinking outside the box. Be creative. The horse industry is changing as business in general is changing, and who knows, you could be the one to start tomorrow’s newest trend. It’s worth the effort and if it doesn’t work out, you can always fall back on the same old, same old.

So what are you doing to move forward in your horse business?