If you've been completing your Dirty Dozen Horse Business Checklist items, you should find your to-do list getting shorter and your shoulders getting lighter. (If not, go ahead and read today's tip and then go to the Dirty Dozen Checklist and get started. You'll catch-up before you know it!)

This week, we are on Dirty Dozen Horse Business Checklist Item 9- Set Growth Goals for Your Horse Business, Yourself, and Your Equestrian Career. 

Since you have already identified the most profitable areas of your business in item 4, you can make informed decisions on where to focus your business growth efforts. As for your personal and career goals, now is a good time to reflect on the big picture of where you want to go and how you will get there. 

Business/Financial Goals
Once you've set your goals, go back to your test budget from the Horse Business Dirty Dozen checklist Item 4, duplicate it and create projections for the upcoming year using your projected growth. Be sure to include any changes in your pricing from our Horse Checklist item 5 so that your projections are based on your 2023 price schedule. TIP: Write down what the growth would look like in your day-to-day operations. For example: Two new horses in training or four new clients. We'll take these “physical goals” and use them when we create your marketing plan in checklist item 10 and item 12 your business plan.

Personal Goals
We all have things we are great at and things we wish didn't bite us in the a**.  For example: You may be great at inspiring clients to attend shows and suck at sending your invoices on time. This might result in clients getting billed so close to the next show that they feel worried about the expense of going. Or, if you run an Equine Assisted Services Program, you might be great at acquiring new volunteers but struggle with retaining them. TIP: For today, all you need to do is write a quick list. When we work on Item 11, we will share some strategies for creating systems that help to support the achievement of personal goals.

Career Goals
Career Goals are critical for maintaining the passion needed to drive the rest of your business forward and to be the kind of leader that inspires your team (both clients and staff) to do their best.

Write down your career goals and add any costs associated with them to your projections. TIP: Write down a list of your goals including the resources you need to achieve them (for example: a new horse, clinics and training, truck, and trailer etc.) Then, write the steps you need to take to gather the resources and the date you plan to achieve the goal. Set a reasonable time limit for achieving each step and the final goal. Some of these goals will be included in your business plan in checklist item 12.

As you can see, each task you've completed makes the next one easier. That's the magic of The Dirty Dozen Horse Business Checklist. The order of the tasks makes a big difference in the speed and ease of getting them done!

Congratulations for coming this far, only three checklist items to go!

Members and Future Members of Equestrian Professional
One of the most important benefits of being a member of EP is that we understand how different the horse business is from mainstream businesses. Our members gain access to a proven system and collection of tools and resources specifically for professional equestrians that help you to unify your equestrian career and business goals so that you are able to build both a successful career and a profitable business.  

Extra Support for Our Members 

If your goals require financial resources, watch the short video on how to use the Breakeven Analysis Calculator. The Breakeven Analysis Calculator will show you the point at which your income equals your expenses, how much it will cost to get there and at what point you will begin to see income. This calculator is a super speedy way to determine what course of action is most beneficial.  For some tips about career and life goal setting, try the article about the weird goal setting process. 

Breakeven or Bust!
Knowing Your Breakeven Can Keep Your Horse Business Right Side Up!
The concept of Breakeven is important because until you reach breakeven, your business is actually costing you money - not making you money. However, once your business has reached breakeven, each incremental sale (or a portion of it) becomes profit. Breakeven is the point at which your Sales equal your Expenses. Breakeven measures time and money. It helps you plan how long it will take you to make a profit and how much cash you will need to have on hand to survive until that point. It is helpful for both start-up and existing horse businesses.  Here are a few ways horse business owners can apply the concept of Breakeven and use the Equestrian Professional.com Breakeven Calculator..... More

VIDEO: How to Use the Horse Business Breakeven Analysis Calculator

Watch this short video to see an example of how to use the Horse Business Breakeven Analysis Calculator. There are three great things about using this calculator. It's super easy to use. It gives you clarity, quickly. You can use it for helping you make decisions in many different parts of your business... More

The Weird Goal Setting Practice That Changed My Horse Business and My Life
Last night, at Christmas dinner, a friend asked me if I believed in setting New Year's Resolutions. I said "No, not really." He looked perplexed and being a holiday celebration, I decided to gracefully change the subject, but I will revisit it here with you. I don't like New Year's Resolutions because they imply that something will be "resolved" by making them. For me, that's just not how life works. If I could resolve my life by making a decision once a year, I would be a perfectly kind human being, I would no longer be a procrastinator, and I would have six pack abs. We can't improve our lives by thinking life can be resolved. Life is an ever changing, unpredictable, wonderful thing and we are given just one. The only time a life is truly resolved is when it is over. So, to heck with New Year's Resolutions!... More