I have been told that one of the characteristics of successful business people is discipline. When it comes to my riding, I am pretty disciplined, but when it comes to managing the business side of things, I have struggled. Taking the time to figure out the best way to keep track of the horses and their needs, keep track of lessons and my students’ needs, keeping track of purchases, expenses, product inventory, etc, is where I seriously lack discipline.
I made a resolution for 2015 to better manage my business by using the software I purchased 2 years ago. So yesterday I took the first step toward learning how to better manage my business and keep track of ALL the aspects I HAVE to keep track of. Two days ago I messaged the designer/creator of my management program and he sent me back parts of a “manual” that I can use to get started. The program I am referring to is called EquineGenie. It is the “smart Horse Business Management System.”
There are so many things that need to be kept track of when you are trying to run a horse business and be successful. I can train horses and I can teach people how to ride horses, but I struggled for a long time with finding the RIGHT system for me and something that was going to be easy to use and portable. EquineGenie has been my savior (as I am starting to figure it out and wishing I had sat down and done this when I purchased the software 2 years ago).
I can sit down in the evening after working with the horses, teaching lessons or when I get home from the day job and input the happenings of the day. I am able to see how much money each horse is making (if they are lesson horses) and how much each horse is costing me monthly. I am able to track my expenses and to see how old products are lasting me, plus how much I am spending daily on things like supplements or feed. I can easily track my lessons and training of horses, plus up load photos of students.
I will keep you updated on how the progress of better managing my business goes, especially as it starts to grow.
