My website for freelance livery - comments and advice

[_jetset_]

Hi everyone,

I have spent all day trying to do this bloody website and am starting to see link boxes and text boxes even when I close my eyes. I was just wondering what you thought of it and whether you have any recommendations for it as this is the first one I have ever done and I am not the most computer literate person I know...

Any comments will be appreciated!

Rebecca

Website address is: www.NunsmereEquestrian.moonfruit.com

 

[I_A_P]

looks great to me \

 

[crackerjack]

looks good to me, nothing too complicated, easy to use and has all the information i would be looking for!

 

[CastleMouse]

It looks great, very simple to use!

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Very nice but when you say your prices of your services you might wana say per day or per week etc as its not clear.

 

[tormor]

Looks very good but are your prices per day?

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks guys... see this is what I need.

Yes prices are per day! Do you think they are ok?

 

[crackerjack]

same as the charges at my yard for livery so i would say they are ok. bring inc. taking rugs off as well i guess?

 

[_jetset_]

Yep... should I put that too?

 

[rrose]

very nice and smart and easy to use!! with information you need!

 

[Happy Bird]

Your website looks great !! Well done you ! (Only wish you lived nearer to me

)

 

[_jetset_]

Oops... just realised the emails were not going to me from contacts page! I told you I was computer illiterate!

 

[henryhorn]

Site looks fine but you need a couple of people to give as references, your vet might if you ask, we got a super one once saying he considered us good enough to leave his own horses with!
Don't forget to take into account all your petrol, and you should say you have personal accident insurance, or people may worry you would sue if their horse injured you. good luck.

 

[Happy Horse]

Ditto Henryhorn. £10 per horse full livery sounds very cheap considering you are going to have to be making two trips per day. Don't underprice yourself.

As a rule fuel is charged at 40p per mile so maybe give a price plus travel.

 

[_jetset_]

How much would you expect to pay for someone to do full livery? Around £15??

 

[Fairynuff]

It looks good to me but, wow, Im really underselling myself!I do all of that plus more all for the price of 330 euro a month! M.

 

[Iestyn]

I wouldn't charge per service - you may have to do 5 or 6 horse one day and all at different yards - think about how much time and distance that will cost. When we looked at keeping ours at home we contacted some freelance grooms in Cheshire and one charged £8 per hour (with a minimum of one hour) and that included the travelling - she reckoned she could get to us (15min drive) and to turn out, muck out, hay, feed and water within that hour. Obviously the more horses there were, the longer she would spend there. You say would charge 40p per mile from Heapy - but if you're turning Mr. X's hores a mile down the road and then going to Miss Y's a mile away are you charging Miss Y from Heapey? Or from Mr X's? If I was Miss Y I would not expect to be charge from Heapey as you were only a mile down the road anyway - but that's me (stingy that I am...Lol

)

I would also say that you need to focus ore on your horse care experience and not your riding and competition experience - you are offering a livery service not a riding/ schooling/ instructor service. Sorry if this is a little blunt as well, but you say that you have only been competing since 2005 which in the grand scheme of things is not long at all - I think people would question your experience and it's best not to mention it at all. You don't mention anything (correct me if I'm wrong) about any horse care experience or qualifications and you don't say whether you are fully insured - personal accident/ third party, etc. When you say exercise, do you mean just hacking or schooling and lunging? Again, are you insured? Also if it was schooling then I would expect someone to have an affiliated competition record to a fairly high level and - sorry, but as I've already pointed out you have only been competing for a year or so and it's unaffiliated. I have lesson with a 4* event rider but it doesn't mean I am capable of getting on any old horse and working them. Maybe a bit more about your past experiences with references if you are a very capable rider, but just haven't exploited that yet.

I would include pictures of you doing what you are advertising and maybe less personal photographs - again you are selling your services.

It's a nice website and fairly well laid out - are you advertising your services within the whole of the North West - which is from cheshire up to Carlisle? Or are you limiting your services to within 30 miles or so? If I came across your website I would think "Great" - I'm in the North West but in Cheshire, but when I ring you up you tell me it's too far or it's going to cost me more money. Maybe include a map with a circle or two on it defining the distance you are willing to travel - then people outside that area know exactly where you are and it's then their decision whether to ring and ask whether you would travel to them.

Sorry if it sounds negative, but you asked for opinions and if I'm honest your website isn't ready to go live yet - it needs more planning and thought. Have you got a business plan - maybe before you launch yourself as a freelance groom you need to think about what your aims are and is there any way you could develop and expand? Clipping? Plaiting? Show prep? Grooming and shows and events?

Good luck and I do think it is a niche market in some areas.

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks for that S_V... it's just a trial at the moment just trying to see what sort of response I get from people regarding the idea of freelance livery as I have been looking everywhere for someone like me.

I appreciate all of your advice and I will take it on board. The problem is that I do not have any formal qualifications with regards to the equine industry, all I have is that I have volunteered at the TRC and owned my own horse for over five years and worked at a riding school as a scivvy (unpaid) as a young girl.

I am thinking of sitting some additional A Levels and then applying for a Vet Med degree as a mature student, so this is just while I do the A Levels and earn some money. But it's something I would really enjoy doing, and who knows how long it may take me to get into uni again, that's if I ever do.

 

[mandy4727]

Hi Rebecca. Looks good and good luck with your venture. Just a couple of things I would add. The amount of experience you have with horses not just riding that would stand you in good stead. And also if you offered a discount if there were more than one horse. If I used your services I would have one horse and one pony (kept at the same yard) obviously you have already travelled there so petrol would be the same but you are looking after two animals. Would you charge the same for them both? Or even a third horse owned by the same owner? Got my work head on now but maybe an early booking offer? Say someone booked you for June 2007 and paid a deposit. Would you charge his years rates or next years? Just little things like that. But I would get a leaflet printed now and stick it up in Croston Corn Mill, Robinsons, Derby House (all local here) etc etc. Maybe a bit quieter now with the kids going back to school. But what about doing a half term Special. October 21st ish around here!!!! Book now and get ????? money knocked off etc etc. Or guarenteed spaces for half term. That is the next holiday people take usually with kids before Xmas. Other ideas to get people to book you for now. Buy one get one free (as I said you are already at the yard) or get the second at half price. Better shut up now eh? But good luck. Let us all know how you get on.

 

[0]

It looks good, I agree with most of the things that S_V has said as ways to modify it!!
The only thing that crossed my mind about the service is this: as a part of full livery service i expect my horse to be fed - If you have a few clients i don't suppose that you'd go round to each yard giving them all there breakfast and then go back around doing all their jobs. So this means that you will do everything at yard one, then everything at the next so as a knock on effect the last yard you go to the horses won't get their breakfast till 10/11/12, same with dinner?
If i were to hire you as my full livery provider, i would want a shedule that you would stick to every day so that the horses have routine and i know when i can ride etc with regards to feeding - I would expect this shedule to be approx breakfast 8am and dinner 5pm....i suspect that these might be peak times that everyone wants?!
Also, i have my horse turned out for two hours each day (1 winter) - so if i had your full livery service (which i assume you ment yo'd go up am and turn out and go up pm and bring in) would you stay and wait or charge to go back and bring in making it three visits.
These are just some logistical problems that i see arising with all the horses being spread out rather than on one yard which is staffed all day! I don't think the second point (turning in/out) is a huge issue as it's something you would agree with each client. But the first, maybe (or maybe everyone isn't as fussy as me!!!)
good luck with the venture tho!!!

 

[_jetset_]

Hi Jem1,

Thanks for all of that... these are some of the teething problems that I will only know when people contact me about livery. I will try to stick to people's routines as closely as possible but obviously the people who book me first would have priority. As there is only me, I would only take on what I thought was reasonable as like you I would not want my horse fed at 11am!

Regarding turnout, I would probably only offer to do something like what you are suggesting if it involved a part livery service as well... therefore I could turn them out and while I was mucking out and filling nets etc. they could have their designated two hours.

Like I said, this is all very new for me, and new for the area too. I think it's going to be a bit of trial and error (regarding times not anything else...) and just gauge what people want etc.

I know what I would want which is what I have tried to suggest as services.

Thanks again,

Rebecca

 

[Happy Horse]

I have just had another look. I would perhaps like to see more on the 'about me' pages. What you have htere is mostly about your riding skill. I know that qualifications don't generally matter when you go to get a job but to someone looking to book you from your website if you say you are BHSII for example it will give them an idea of the minimum level of knowledge you have. If you haven't done any examns then as someone has said it would be worth getting people who would be happy to give you a reference regarding horse care.

 

[MDJO]

hi
just a couple of comments, on the format really ... I would keep the fonts the same all the way through - some pages are in comic sans which (personally) I would change to match your more professional title fonts.
I would maybe be clearer on exactly where Heapey is, especially if there is a mileage charge so consumers can get an immediate feel for the potential costs involved.
I would provide a contact number in addition to the e-mail contact form, for two reasons ... it's quicker and some consumers might need your services in an emergency situation and horse ownership is generally quite emotive and consumers probably have tons of questions they want to ask which might be difficult to capture in an electronic format.
Finally, the 'about me' section focuses mostly on your riding exp. which is good but I would add a little more information about your experience on looking after horses (age/experience/qualifications etc). The reference to Robert Maxwell hints at your management style - do you want to expand on that ? Personally I think it is a good thing however, there maybe some 'old school' who don't? Maybe its worth considering keeping that element neutral, unless of course, this is your target consumer then I would flesh it out a little.
PS - sorry to keep being critical but the gallery looks a little empty and maybe hints at only being half-finished. A full gallery, focused on horsey pics and horsey environment would say to me, that you are up to speed, experienced and someone I should ring
Good luck with it - I wish you'd been around when I lived in lancashire ... could of done with your services on many occasions

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks... I have changed the About Me page. I agreed with everything everyone has said.

The gallery still needs to be sorted out properly. I am going to fill it as I go along as I would like to include some pictures of my stable and how I do it every day, but not sure what other pictures to include on the gallery...

Anyone any ideas?

I don't have any qualifications apart from a History Degree which I do not think will help anything, he he!

I can't believe I didn't include a phone number!! Thanks for spotting that!

Also included that I am BUPA covered but am looking further into it with my insurance broker about other covers also...

References... I have someone who is writing a testimonial so prob going to change it to Testimonials rather than references. Other than that, I have the TRC but the last thing they are going to want is people ringing up about me so very reluctant to ask them.

Any comments on the updates version?

 

[Leg_end]

Only thing ive noticed is that on the prices page the title above the prices and details of what it includes etc is obscured by the list on the left hand side

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks.. changed that now!

When you look at something so much you miss things.