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?

We had cloudy and somewhat cool weather today during the tour at Horse’s Haven in Howell, Michigan. I had been wanting to get a glimpse into a day in the life of a farm that has been providing help to neglected horses since 1995 for many months now. Today was the perfect day!


Our tour guide Barb showed us around the entire property, stopping at the numerous paddocks and giving a history of every horse. She knew each one by name, how long they had been at the farm, any physical issues, their likes and dislikes and who they enjoyed hanging out with the most. I was amazed that she was so connected and remembered each and every one so well. Many of the horses would arrive pretty beaten and downtrodden and over time they changed into peaceful and loving animals that they already were at heart.

Horse’s Haven rescues horses that would otherwise have to be euthanized. Many are blind or have physical defects that make it difficult for anyone to ride them. There are some that arrive with more emotional neglect or simply abandoned and after time can be given to a foster home or adopted by a loving family.

There are over 60 horses on the property along with various miniature horses, donkeys, goats, and even a pig. Currently, the farm has about 100 volunteers that have their own shifts and assigned work to do. There is always something that needs to be done on the farm and Horse’s Haven is grateful for the help and welcomes all volunteers. If time is limited, donations are appreciate as well.

Check out their website and you will see for yourself how fortunate Howell, Michigan is to have Horse’s Haven call it their home.

Not too long ago I offered a contest for all horse boarders to celebrate why their boarding farm was the best. I vowed to write another contest post for all the farm owners to talk up their great horse boarders.

This contest will run for one week, starting April 6 and running through midnight of April 13 (EST). The winner will be selected from those farm owners leaving the most unique and genuine comments about their horse boarders.

The winning farm owner will receive an $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

It requires a great dedication and responsibility to own a horse and participate in the sport of horsemanship. I have seen from my experience as a horse boarder that there are various types of horse owners.

I’d like you to share with us the wonderful experiences that you have enjoyed with your boarders. Recall those memories that made you feel that running a horse farm and caring for other people’s horses is all worthwhile.

What makes running a horse business worth it to you? Who do you recall that just jumps out at you and makes you say to yourself “Yes, this was the reason I went into this business”.

So leave your comments below. I look forward to reading and Good Luck on the contest.

I recently joined a Mastermind Group that was started by a local networking and social media-learning center called the InSights Group. At first I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into but thought I would give it my best.   I had heard that Mastermind Groups were instrumental for entrepreneurs that wanted to help each other grow in their business.


Napoleon Hill, author of the book called “Think and Grow Rich” described a Mastermind Group as “two or more minds working actively together in perfect harmony toward a common definite object”.

Our group meets every week and we are all committed to attending.  Each week we discuss our business successes and areas that we may need some new ideas.  It is really quite fun and entertaining when everyone comes together to use their creativity in helping each person overcome obstacles in their business and move forward.

I think what I have found most refreshing is that I am not alone in my passion to succeed.  There are others that feel the same way and the energy and enthusiasm to press forward using a positive focus and determination to achieve our goals provides such a sense of freedom.

My business focus is on horse farm management software but everyone else in the group has totally different business platforms.  It really makes it interesting to learn about how others manage their business and that there isn’t just one path to success.  We can often learn methods of improvement from those with businesses nothing like our own.

If you ever have the opportunity to join a Mastermind Group, I highly recommend it.  Share your joy and passion and see how fast your business grows!

Where could you benefit from a group of minds working together for one common goal?

You’re not the only one so focused on managing a horse-boarding farm that you have become unorganized, especially when it comes to paperwork.

You know the importance of being organized, but you’re just not very disciplined about it. It’s time to take a step in the right direction and dive into those piles.

When your immediate physical surroundings support what you do, you will spend less time digging and more time doing — be that work or play.

The first area most of us need to tackle is paperwork. Knowing where everything is located can help you keep track of inventory and quickly streamline your routines. Being organized will save you tons of time and give you more freedom to focus on your farm.

Take a few minutes today to remove the clutter from a:
• pile on your desk
• box in a corner or
• drawer in your office

Don’t answer the phone, check your e-mail or allow yourself to be distracted. Take this time to focus on one area. It will involve less time than you think and you’ll feel better than expected when you’re done.

Designate a place for the stuff to go:
• Recycle
• Trash
• File
• Delegate
• To Do

You may find yourself motivated to complete this once a week or every day until every area that has been bugging you is handled. Then, put at least one new system in place to prevent the problem from recurring.

Successful people have a certain air about them and one reason is because they are organized. They are not distracted by recurring thoughts about what they know they need to do.

You deserve the benefits of being organized. Your business will have a stronger marketplace advantage, more repeat business and higher profits.

Share and motivate: What have you done to make your horse business more organized?

Since our launch on December 11^th, we’ve been getting one question in particular from our farm owners before they sign up for our 30-Day Free Trial of our horse boarding management software, so we thought it would be great to answer that question on the blog to ensure that you understand LaRaedo completely as well.

That question is:
LaRaedo is a Web-based equine management software – What does that mean for me?
If you use e-mail like Gmail or Hotmail or if you access your bank account, credit cards or your child’s academic status on-line, you are using a web-based software.  Basically, it is software that you log into over the Internet via a web browser like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari, in order to access your information.

LaRaedo also works on any platform, so it doesn’t matter if you are using a Windows PC or a Mac, how big your hard drive is or the processor speed.  If your computer is connected to the Internet, it can access LaRaedo.

That is what makes using LaRaedo so easy because you don’t have to worry about anything.  You just log in, manage your daily tasks and everything else is left up to our server management support group.  We will make sure that your data is backed up on a daily basis and secured.  All our software updates occur on a regular basis, and are applied directly to the server database, so you won’t be hassled with downloading and installing these updates. We’ll simply send you an e-mail notification from time to time, letting you know of any latest and greatest features that have already been added to the software for you.

With traditional software, the data is saved on your computer which can lead to security issues or data loss if the computer is stolen or if back ups are not performed on a regular basis.  Not to mention, hard drive crashes or viruses that can wipe out data completely.  With LaRaedo this is never a worry.

In addition, what is nice about using a web-based software like this is that it can be accessed from any Internet connected computer at any time with your own personal member login. So if you are miles away at an expo or horse show or even on vacation, you can always access the software and your information securely.

And since everyone on the horse farm works from the same centralized database specific to your farm, everything is in one place.  No worries as to who might have the latest information.  Everyone has it.

So what are you waiting for?  Sign up for your Free 30-Day Trial of our horse farm management software today!