Ideas for small business?

[Overgrown Pony]

Hi there

I have just taken voluntary redundancy from an oil and gas company I'd been with for 9 years. I was working part time (3 days a week) during the last few years to have my little boy. He's starting school in August.

I'd love to take this opportunity (with the help of the redundancy pay out) to start up my own business in the equestrian world if it's at all doable.

Any ideas greatly received.

I've got 25 years riding and horse ownership experience and am not afraid to get my hands dirty.

 

[iconique]

Cant give you specific ideas, but please do a proper business plan with a survival budget and cashflow forecast before you jump!
My job is helping people start up and I see too many who just launch in without proper market research and planning. Whatever you do, think about why people should use you and try to have a specialism! Also just because you love horses, think about how much you will love them if you do something day in day out and then have to do your own on top!!
Good luck and hope you find something.
(btw if you have a library card you can access business set up guides for free via the cobra system - not sure if this is the same in Scotland?)

 

[tashcat]

What are you really interested in? I completely agree with everything iconique has said, but I also think you should try do something you're going to enjoy in the long run, and that you'll want to stick to.

How about a rug cleaning service? Not directly involved in horses themselves, but a business that I think people need, especially if there is not already one in your area.

 

[Max1985]

Depending on what kind of thing you are interested in I may be able to help, I distribute equine (and human!) products I'd be happy to share info if you may be interested in a home based business opportunity

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I think there are things to avoid, these include things you are not keen on or interested in, this seems obvious, but it is surprisingly easy to get sucked in to something, I know because I did it in hope that hard work would overcome all obstacles......
If you are good at sales then that opens up a few opportunities, but probably not exclusively in the equine world.
I suggest you should start by trying to sell stuff on Ebay, just to get the idea of how it all works, and how small are the margins because of all the costs, you need to include your time in those costs. Any online retailing has the advantage that you can organise your time yourself, people do it and make money at it, but you need to have some sort of edge over competitors.
Rug washing is seasonal and can be expensive to run, not particularly profitable as almost anyone can do it, ie not highly skilled.
There are certain products which are marketed by selling to friends who then become distributors and work for you [to some extent], I think you need to have a wide circle of friends to do this type of network marketing, and be fairly outgoing.
There may be some assistance to train you and help you, so do make sure you use them.
http://www.business.scotland.gov.uk/topic/starting-up-a-business

 

[Abacus]

This is probably not what you want to hear but try to be motivated by a business that fills a need for the buyer, not that fills your need to do something horsey. The former is more likely to succeed.


Something I would be interested in as a consumer, and feel a lot of horse owners don't pay enough attention to, is bitting. Are there specialist consultants in bitting? It is perhaps the most important part of tack, and we talk a lot about it (try this, try that) with some knowledge, but I don't ever see that being related to a specific horse and the anatomy of his mouth and other factors. Personally I would consider using a specialist if I had a horse with real contact issues (I don't now, but I used to).

 

[WindyStacks]

There's only one person practising the Masterson Method in Scotland - and I think she does more Ireland anyway. If you're coming out of O&G I'm guessing you're Aberdeenshire - *huge* potential.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

This is probably not what you want to hear but try to be motivated by a business that fills a need for the buyer, not that fills your need to do something horsey. The former is more likely to succeed.


Something I would be interested in as a consumer, and feel a lot of horse owners don't pay enough attention to, is bitting. Are there specialist consultants in bitting? It is perhaps the most important part of tack, and we talk a lot about it (try this, try that) with some knowledge, but I don't ever see that being related to a specific horse and the anatomy of his mouth and other factors. Personally I would consider using a specialist if I had a horse with real contact issues (I don't now, but I used to).

Maybe, but would you be prepared to pay the economic cost of such a service, to my mind someone would need considerable skills to do this, and then they need to to advertise and to travel to clients, I would like to think that in a good week someone would be able to earn around £100 per day, is there anyone out there willing to pay £100?
For comparison, the farrier who charges £70 per set of shoes can probably earn £300 on a good day, deducting cost of materials.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I think equine dentistry might be worth looking at, the guy who started up locally seemed to do OK, his background was non horsey.
But in this area car washing seems a good business, everyone has a car, not everyone has a horse, that's a big difference.
P.S. I am not knocking OP, just hope someone comes up with something I can adopt!

 

[MagicMelon]

I think the horse world is very specific, as Bonkers2 points out you'd probably make far more money doing something that everyone has / needs like car washing. I've got a deal with my local car washing man where the 1st monday of every month he comes and picks up our cars, takes them away to give them a clean inside and out, then returns them - all done while we're at work, all 4 of us do it. It's so easy as its done while we're working and means we have clean cars for our work (we do wedding photograhy etc. so need to look vaguely clean!). I bet you'd make good money doing something like that, especially if you focus on businesses as opposed to individual people. You'd have to buy the cleaning stuff though I guess but otherwise I wouldn't think it was a huge start-up cost.

I think its a hard life doing anything horsey wise, like dentists etc. have to clock up miles travelling between clients especially as you're in Scotland (I'm assuming Aberdeen area if you were in oil and gas?). It really depends if you want to do something that brings in enough to live on, or if you want to make pretty decent money. If decent money, I'd say anything non-horsey would be better! Although I do love Abacus's idea about bitting, I've always thought a mobile bitting service would be brilliant. I have my own idea of something horsey I'm planning to do but its purely a sideline to our usual businesses, I'm not saying in case you do it as we're possibly in the same area, ha ha!

 

[onemorehorse]

If I had the time and money I would make browbands or rosettes or something. There are companies that help you set up with s starter kit. I don't know how much you would make doing this probably not a lot but could be done from home and work around your childcare etc.

 

[Candygirl14]

There's only one person practising the Masterson Method in Scotland - and I think she does more Ireland anyway. If you're coming out of O&G I'm guessing you're Aberdeenshire - *huge* potential.

There is another lady in Edinburgh who has just qualified☺

 

[kinnygirl1]

What about freelance livery services? I have a friend doing really well out of this at the moment. Nearly everybody on one yard is using her for something.

 

[cobgoblin]

If you're thinking of selling online make sure you sell something that's not easily available everywhere. Perhaps import stuff from abroad? Lots of items are hard to get in the UK - one that comes to mind is bits over 6".

 

[WindyStacks]

There is another lady in Edinburgh who has just qualified☺

And is she planning to travel *all* over Scotland?

 

[Kaylum]

western online tack supplies. Very rare for good quality stuff. There is a demand out there but you need to market it well and get in with western people and get the knowledge.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Consider a franchise. You are still independent but have back up.

 

[Overgrown Pony]

Depending on what kind of thing you are interested in I may be able to help, I distribute equine (and human!) products I'd be happy to share info if you may be interested in a home based business opportunity

That would be great thanks Max1985. I've tried PMing you but no reply.

 

[Overgrown Pony]

Thanks everyone. Things to think about. I like the idea of a franchise so will look into that one. Lot's to think about.

 

[Laroxes]

I offer franchises for my horse transport company, message me if you're interested

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Thanks everyone. Things to think about. I like the idea of a franchise so will look into that one. Lot's to think about.

I tried a franchise but I found they were very expensive, well setting up a business is expensive: in the end I bought one, but I gave up, ie lost my cash, if I had ever got it to work I would have had to pay a hefty commission to the franchisor, so although it seems like a good idea for a novice business person, it did not work for me.
There is a kind of pattern for businesses/products/services where the start up is in a "clean market" and the idea takes off, then later on it matures, others compete by cutting prices and profits start to fall. This is what happened to me, it was video business [remember VHS!], but did not convert to DVD due to licencing, and copyright issues and the fact that it was impossible to compete locally against the big retailers.
I think it would work for something like chips away [automobiles] where they have national advertising and a unique product, other than that, I am not convinced.
A lot depends on your geographic location if you are doing something hands on rather than online.
PS what about buying property at auction and doing it up ....... maybe not if you have no skills/contacts, but maybe you do have some other skills which might be in demand.

 

[Overgrown Pony]

I tried a franchise but I found they were very expensive, well setting up a business is expensive: in the end I bought one, but I gave up, ie lost my cash, if I had ever got it to work I would have had to pay a hefty commission to the franchisor, so although it seems like a good idea for a novice business person, it did not work for me.
There is a kind of pattern for businesses/products/services where the start up is in a "clean market" and the idea takes off, then later on it matures, others compete by cutting prices and profits start to fall. This is what happened to me, it was video business [remember VHS!], but did not convert to DVD due to licencing, and copyright issues and the fact that it was impossible to compete locally against the big retailers.
I think it would work for something like chips away [automobiles] where they have national advertising and a unique product, other than that, I am not convinced.
A lot depends on your geographic location if you are doing something hands on rather than online.
PS what about buying property at auction and doing it up ....... maybe not if you have no skills/contacts, but maybe you do have some other skills which might be in demand.

Thanks for taking the time to write that. Lots to take into consideration.

 

[JoJo_]

Saddle fitting. We are lacking in good saddle fitters in aberdeenshire. I'm on a big livery yard and people are always struggling to find a trusted one since our local fabulous one retired a year or so ago.