Advice please, on starting a business!

[zip]

Hi I am a horsey mum, we have a little pony on loan for my six year old twins who ride a few times a week. Now I have always had horses and ponies throughout my life so I was delighted when my kids expressed an interest now I'm back on the yard mucking out etc.

The owner of our pony has six horses so as we are down very early I offered to feed and muck out out her lot too as I don't mind and the kids love playing round the yard after school(private). Anyway another person close to the yard asked if i wouldnt mind putting haynets in for her two as I passed one morning and I did it as it really isn't a bother.

So this got me thinking could i start a business helping people who haven't the time to get down to their yards due to work commitments etc. I thought i could do an emergency call out, so they can ring me if they are stuck at work, their kids are poorly etc etc. What do you think? Is it a pie in the sky idea? I thought I would stick to my area of Leicestershire villages as lots of yards nearby. I could drive by leave a card and introduce myself....

I would get insurance and also thought I could get on a course to polish up my plaiting/clipping skills as it has been a number of years since I have done anything like that but thought i would offer the basics, turnout/bring in, mucking out etc.

I would be really interested to hear your veiws on this. Thanks!!

 

[Nightmare before Christmas]

Would be useful I think. Though I wouldn't need it often there are times when I need help, illness, injury, holidays when I normally have to get a friend to cover.

Try it and see what happens

 

[melony73]

I dont now how many takers you would get as most livery yards already offer turnout/mucking etc and probably wont like someone coming on the yard being paid to do it as they would be loosing the money???? Also it may prove difficult if you have your little ones in tow as some yards dont like children running round, plus there is a safety issue? On the other hand, there might be some private yards/land owners with horses that might appreciate the help?

 

[zip]

Hi, I wouldnt bring the kids with me unless i really had to, or the owner agreed that they could come, they are at school 8.30 to 3pm anyway. My two are fairly quiet kids and well behaved so not a problem but i do understand the saftey issue!! Thanks for your points!!

 

[Superhot]

Do your local market research first. Is there anyone else in a 20 mile radius of you offering the same service? In my area, there are always people wanting horses mucked out etc, occasionally they want them exercised. Certainly covering for holiday periods is always very popular, though in some cases, people prefer someone to actually live in rather than visit twice daily. I recommend Cliverton Insurance in Kings Lynn, they will tailor the insurance for your needs and are very helpful. Once you get a good reputation, word of mouth will be your best advert, but you could start by making up a few posters and putting them up in local tack and feed shops, and see what happens. Not all yards offer help when needed, so shouldn't be offended if an 'outsider comes in, so long as you've done the courtesy of introducing yourself to the YO, you never know, you could well get more business from the same yard.
At the end of the day, we all want someone knowledgeable, trustworthy, capable, caring and with loads of common sense looking after our horses in our absence!

 

[peaceandquiet1]

I think it depends on your area but I do think there is a market for your services.

 

[chestnutx]

Well there is a business in my local area that does just that! It is called Claires horses and if you google them you can see their website. I think it is a great idea if there isn't anything in your area already, especially private yards or sole DIY yards where there isn't anything in place.

Good luck

 

[Honey08]

It sounds a bit like free lance grooming - which around us there is definately a demand for. But people may want it every day, not just for emergencies..x

 

[greymareg]

I have a livery yard in a Leicestershire village, and although I offer an assisted service, I have always found a lot of people prefer to work in 'teams' and look after each others when they are away. Feel free to PM me though and if you decide to go ahead I can pass on your information to my liveries and friends...

 

[mirage]

I think we may have 'spoken' before,but if you'd like to come and give me a plaiting and clipping session,you've got yourself a customer.

 

[Oriel]

There's a horse sitting service called Kirsty's horses. I wonder if you could enroll for work via their website? You could then gauge whether there's a market in your area for the services you could provide.

http://www.kirstyshorses.com/

I needed holiday cover for my horses a couple of years back and asked how much they charged. I believe it was something like £18 per hour - I felt this was a bit steep and got a local person to cover for me. They are obviously still in business though, so people are clearly willing to pay.

If you decide to start up on your own, and I do think that there would be a market for the sort of help you can provide, you'll probably need to do your costings very carefully to take account of travel time, fuel, advertising, etc. Also, you may find that having young children may be a problem - as others have said, children are not always welcome at yards - especially if you are hired professionally and not just doing someone a 'favour'

Good luck though - I hope you find a niche in the market!