Ep 142: Growing Your Training Business
For those of you that know my story, you know that my training business hasn’t always been at the level it is today. There were seasons early on in my training career where I questioned whether or not I could afford to keep pursuing this career path day after day.
But if you know me, you also know that I believe in the power of small actions. I believe that one small decision can propel you to levels you never knew were possible. About five years ago, I made one small decision to invest in promoting my program. And, that decision was what changed the game for my training career.
In this episode, I’m joined by the person that was a big part of this decision–my marketing director, Stacey Smith. One of the reasons Stacey and I work so well together is that we both have a growth mindset. We understand how small, intentional actions can lead to big results. This philosophy holds true in both horsemanship and marketing a business. Here are a few takeaways from our conversation:
Phil: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in marketing their horse training business? Where do you start?
Stacey: In my experience, the most important piece of marketing is to make sure that you have something worth selling. If you can invest in one thing, invest in yourself. When you are in a service-based business like horse training, you are essentially selling yourself, your ideas and your perspectives. Make sure that you are in a place where you can provide the greatest level of service to your customers, and in turn, they will promote your business for you. Word-of-mouth marketing is your biggest asset, especially when you are just starting to build a business and a brand for yourself.
Phil: What about someone who has been in business for a few years and is looking to get to the next level? What area of marketing should they invest in first?
Stacey: When investing in marketing, most people seek out ways to get an immediate return on their investment. While I completely understand that mindset, that’s not how I approach it. I approach marketing with a long-term perspective, which means that I am not investing in quick promotional strategies–I’m investing in building relationships with my customers. We focus on building relationships one person at a time, and we value each new customer as much as the one before.
The good news is that, with social media, you can start building these relationships for free. Of course, you can invest in paid advertising on these platforms. But, 99% of what we do in marketing Phil’s program is organic–meaning, aside from what Phil pays me to produce the content, it is free for us to put our message out into the world. When we are crafting these messages, we approach it from the perspective of adding value. We ask ourselves, “how can I create something that adds value to one person’s day?” When we focus on that one person and how we can best serve them, we are able to build trust with that customer and open up a two-way conversation. And sometimes, we are able to connect with thousands of people who think just like that one person does. But at the end of the day, it is all about how you connect with people and use your experiences to add value to their everyday lives.
Phil: How does having a growth mindset play into marketing?
Stacey: To me, having a growth mindset means always looking for ways to improve. That’s exactly why you and I work so well together–we both adopt a growth mindset in our respective lines of work. The key to moving forward is to not be afraid of failure. Our entire business is built upon a series of trials and errors. Like with horse training, you have your foundational principles that guide your approach; however, each horse is going to learn a little bit differently. The same is true with marketing. You have your foundational principles that you can implement, but each business is going to require a slightly different approach. You just have to get comfortable with putting your ideas out there and seeing what sticks. If you never put it out there, you’ll never know what adjustments you need to make to make it work.
“Be Your Best Horsemanship” is brought to you by Silver Lining Herbs, Classic Equine, Martin Saddlery, Better Horses Network, Purina, Healthycoat, CINCH, Starbar, and Clarifly. These brands have been part of the Phil Haugen Horsemanship team for many years, and their products continue to play an integral role in the success of our performance horse training program. To support these brands, visit our Sponsors tab.
