When Shannon asked the Virtual Team “What do you think are fundamental business issues that entrepreneurs face?” I knew my first answer immediately. Of course, there are probably 5-10 major issues that we all face but I’ll start with my perspective on the foundation of it all.

You’ve got to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what you do.

When you work for yourself, you will likely work harder than you ever did for anyone else. When the bottom line rests with you, there’s a lot at stake! Your livelihood, your reputation, your dreams, your ability to serve others, your ability to employ others… get the picture?

No matter how long you’ve had your business, it’s easy to get bogged down in details and get overwhelmed by all that you “have to” do and think you “should” do to keep things running smoothly. It’s easy to lose connection to your passion and it’s important to rekindle it from time to time. Ask yourself these questions.

1. 1. Why am I in this business?
2. 2. What do I love the most about the work that I do?
3. 3. Is this what I would be doing with my time and energy if I won the lottery and didn’t have to generate income for a living?

If you have any red flags come up in this dialog with yourself, pay attention! If you don’t 100% love the work you set out to do, maybe you need to do something else.

And, if you get inspired by answering these questions and get excited to reconnect with your “right livelihood” then talk about it with your team, share it with your clients, incorporate it into your marketing materials and create reminders around your home and office to stay connected to that fire in your belly.

Connect to your passion for your business daily and it will make a big difference in your success and satisfaction as an entrepreneur!

--- Coach Elizabeth
www.elizabethbarbour.com

Hey Everyone!

Well, we've been away for a little while, focusing a bit on the homefront and getting lots of experience to share with you about our successes and challenges. Here's a brief overview of what's coming your way in the next little while:

• All three of the new Horse Sense websites. I've been deeply and ardently studying all things websites, and have put my efforts and learning (to date) in practice on the new sites. Look for these in the next few weeks!
• The Business Building Intensive Conference September 18-20, 2008 here in Marshall, NC. We're delighted by the line-up of excellent presentations on the topics of most value to new and established EAP/EAL businesses. I can't imagine what it would have been like to have had this Intensive when I began Horse Sense of the Carolinas, and I've poured heart and soul into this event. Come join us and get ahead of the curve!
• The Horse Sense Business Sense Workbook, the companion to the Vol 1 Horse Sense Business Sense book. We've been tweaking and refining the exercises to make them just right for you, developing an excellent resource for the new and/or struggling entrepreneur.
  

Be on the lookout for these and other surprises from Horse Sense in the next few months. Although occasionally one must go underground to get serious about important endeavors, I've really missed hearing from you and am glad to be back to blogging.

Happy Trails, and look for blogs, in honor of the upcoming Business Building Intensive, from the Virtual Team on Fundamental Business Concerns!

Shannon

Spring is a time to indulge your Inner Perfectionist, a momentary time out from the every day bustle to evaluate progress, siphon off unneeded baggage, and create breathing room in your office space and project files.

May is also a good time to evaluate progress in your marketing efforts, too; if you don’t stop at some point to appraise how things are working, you’re missing a valuable step in your marketing efforts.

Here’s an example: earlier this year, Horse Sense momentarily dropped its advertising in a local publication. For years we’d maintained a small annual contract with the local paper to promote monthly tour dates. It was time to see if those ads were still doing their job.

The answer: Yes, they were! Attendance dropped off dramatically when the ads disappeared. It turns out this small investment yielded response from the local market while also helping Horse Sense maintain top-of-mind awareness. The ad was worth it.

Take a couple hours now to regroup and look over your marketing efforts for the year. Are you networking in the right venues? Are you overlooking important opportunities? Is your website Events page up to date? Is it time to restock brochures? Are your ads working?

Do your spring cleaning now, and you still have time to course-correct and renew your focus before more valuable time passes.

--- Brenda Dammann
The Riding Writer
www.CreativeInc.net

Happy Spring and Spring-cleaning!! Tis that time of the year to try and review the basics and straighten up accordingly. For us it is audit time with our insurance friends. So I actually have a motive to get it done. So what does this look like from my position as the Practice Administrator?  Here is a basic list to review and clean or straighten up:

• Personnel Files
• Policies & Procedures
• General Ledger (the books)
• Tax Payment records (state & federal)
• Insurance (review health, worker's comp & liability)
• Internal audit of client records
• Grant paperwork/files
  

Some people are great at keeping up with all these materials on a regular basis. Some people prefer to do periodic cleanings (more my speed). There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong way as long as at least once a year you are going through these things. Call it a self-audit.

April is a very busy month for us, and probably one of the hardest as far as paperwork, premiums, federal and state reports, etc. So May is a great month to re-cap and straighten up. For example, my staff hasn’t seen the wood on the top of my desk in probably a month (I pull everything I am working on and keep it out on my desk), but they will in the very near future. I have done my hoop jumping for the first quarter and now it is time to review all areas, file what needs to be filed and find my desk.

It seems like a lot, but don’t despair! You don’t have to do all the above in one day. Spread this out over the course of the month, and get help if you can. Start simple and work up to the more difficult and arduous. By the way, no, I don’t know what the easiest one is to start with. I will tell you that I will be starting with personnel files because it is always the last one on my list. This year I am making it the first.

So jump in and fear not! You will feel great when it is done and be surprised upon review how organized you are and how much you know.

Hey everyone!

I was recently reading in Consumer Reports about non-profits making it easier and easier for folks to give. If you are a non-profit, I would definitely check this out and make sure people were able to give to my organization this way! Here's the article, in part:

"More and more charities are accepting donations through a monthly credit card charge or electronic bank account withdrawal. If your chosen charity doesn't, you can www.networkforgood.org to schedul recurring payments to thousands of charities, schools..." and other organizations. Online bill-paying services offered by banks usually let you schedule a monthly payment to charity.

Before giving, check with these watchdog groups to see which charities deserve your donation:

• American Institute of Philanthropy
• Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance
• Charity Navigator

Making it easy and safe for people to give to your organization is important! If I were a non-profit, I would be checking these sites to see how to avoid being on their "do not donate" list!

Whether you’ve been in business for a few months or a few years, if you periodically remove the figurative cobwebs, you’ll give an energetic boost to your business! Here’s a simple 3-step process to do this.

1. Assess your business. Look at all aspects of your business – clients, administration, marketing, environment, staffing, etc. Block out 30 minutes, grab a sheet of paper and make three columns. Label them

• What's working well? - Celebrate your successes!
• What's not working so well? - Identify what needs improvement.
• What can I change? - List the areas you know you can modify
  

2. Create a plan. After you’ve done your initial assessment, look at the third column “what can I change?” and prioritize it. Look at three things that could make the biggest impact on your bottom line and three things that would be easy and quick to fix that would make you feel a sense of accomplishment. For example:

Quick fixes:

• Buy a new phone system
• Add an e-mail signature with a link to my website at the bottom of all outgoing e-mails
• Clean off your desk
  

Big impact fixes:

• Schedule weekly staff meetings to improve communication
• join a new networking group to help generate more word-of-mouth client referrals
• Finally hire that website designer and build a website
  

3. Just do it! Once you’ve identified the areas you want to work on, create a timeline and just do it! Don’t think you have to change everything over night, either.  Start with 3-6 changes and watch the momentum build.

You’ll feel a spring in your step and likely see an increase in your business in no time!

Hey Everyone!

Just got back in town from a recent trip to Ohio State University. Lisa Wheeler, Diane Voytek and myself were up there doing presentations on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning.

How did Horse Sense of the Carolinas end up in Ohio? Well, a business intern from last summer went back to the University excited about her experience, and drew the interest of her faculty and other staff at the University about this unique new treatment modality and learning opportunity.

She arranged two demonstrations for us: one for her classmates in an Animal Sciences course, and another for the general University, including the medical department, the psychology department, the social work school and many more.

We were joined by Pam Smith, of Reinbows at Serenity Springs Equine Center of Canton, Ohio (visit her site at www.serenityspringsequine.com). Together we offered a general introduction to EAGALA-model Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning.

We were very warmly received, and want to encourage you to look through the course listings at your local college or university for possible demonstration opportunities. It's a great way to further spread the word about your program and what you do, and to inform your community!

Happy Trails!

Shannon

Shannon Knapp
President & Equine Specialist
EAGALA Advanced
Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc
Real Help, Real Results™
www.HorseSenseOtc.com
828-683-7304 (office)
828-683-6281 (fax)

Business Building Intensive in Asheville, NC, Sept 19-20
Jump-Start your EAP/EAL Business and your Business Skills! Learn More By Clicking Here!

So you got your tax return back from your CPA, or your tax program filed it on time. Here are some things to do with that information:

• Make sure that the CPA firm provided your adjusting entries so that your books match the return. This becomes a big deal when you go to get a loan at the bank or you want to sell your business.

• Purge all of your old accounting and tax records. I recommend that you keep all documents for 5 years, but if it has to do with the “basis” of property it should be kept forever. I also recommend that you keep your tax returns forever. Electronic documents are considered the same as paper, so if you can get it on a CD that would save space.

• Most companies only keep 1 year of information in the office. The rest should be stored in a different location. On the personal side, all of the prior year should be stored away….most people don’t need that stuff handy.

• Lastly, get organized. I just hired a person to get my company files in order…if you can’t find things then it is probably time to get a handle on it. And don’t wait! It only gets worse.

Mike Sowinski, CFO Consultants

Hey Everyone!

This month's topic will be on aspects of "Spring Cleaning" your business, getting ready for what is usually a busy summer season for many of us.

Elizabeth, Mike, Brenda and Lisa will all chime in from their area of specialization on ways to get your house (and barn!) in order. Today I'm going to talk a bit about some Spring Barn Chores that are regulars for us here, and might be for you, too!

Shedding: When it finally gets and stays warm enough, we begin the process of shedding out all the horses (and building lots of minis with all the leftover hair!).

Washing: We wash all the horses on the farm at least twice a year, giving them a good scrubbing! Some love it, some aren't so fond, but...hey, it's gotta be done! During that washing, we soak all that horses' grooming utensils in a tea tree oil mix to get them nice and clean, too.

Stall Art: Although our horses don't spend much time in stalls, we still pull out all the floor mats and hose 'em down, and scrub the walls free of what I affectionately call "Stall Art." You may have a Stall Artist in your barn, too. You know, the one who backs up to the wall of the stall and....voila! Stall Art!

Barn Cleaning: At this time of year, we also move all our winter equipment into storage (like any heaters we use in the barn), and bring out all our fans. As we do this, we walk through the barn and arenas looking for anything that needs repairing, making a note of it and a plan to get it done.

Hope this short list of must-do items helps you get ready for a busy summer!

Happy Trails!

Howdy everyone!

Today Lisa and I spent the day in Morganton, NC attending the North Carolina Gang Investigators Association's Gang Awareness Symposium, and all-day event designed to educate about gang and gang activity in our state.

As many of you may know, we are active in serving gang-involved and youth at-risk of gang-involvement in Western North Carolina, and events like this keep us informed and aware of new trends and developments that affect us and the kids we serve.

Today's symposium had an Overview of Gangs in North Carolina and, although no one would really expect North Carolina to rate high on such a scale, there are over 550 gangs across 62 counties in our state. Pretty surprising numbers, wouldn't you think?

Also part of the day was a presentation on Psychology Behind Gangs, along with a presentation by Gang of One(tm), a Charlotte-based program that offers a variety of services, such as prevention, intervention, suppression and reentry of former "gang-bangers" back into society. It's a large collaborative effort that is well worth a look!

Like the many programs involved in Gang of One (tm), Horse Sense of the Carolinas is part of a larger collaborative effort in our own Buncombe County called the Gang Violence Prevention Program, begun in 2006. Our Running With Mustangs curriculum is the culmination of our five years of work in the field with adjudicated and incarcerated youth.

To learn more about gangs and possible gang activity in your area, visit this website called Helping Gang Youth. While there, be sure to download the National Youth Gang Survey 1996-2000. Although a bit outdated, it's still a great reference. Or, contact your local police department and ask if they have any upcoming trainings or educational presentations about gangs in your community!

All the best,

It used to be having a website was a novelty; now having a website is a marketing necessity. A website is probably the Number One piece of collateral you should develop for your program.  In my line of work, websites are a big focus for clients, and rightfully so.

But now, more than ever, it is the wrong time to have a website built by your sister-in-law’s brother’s pet squirrel. Here are the import elements and considerations to factor in when thinking about starting your program’s website:

• The Foundational: Please, for the love of horses, DO talk to several website development vendors before starting. In addition to finding a widely divergent array of prices, you’ll find some alarming differences in capability. Some vendors are heavy on the technical side, with no professional visual artists or graphic design capability. Others might look good but have poor back-end software.

• The Functional: It is very expensive to go back and retrofit an existing website. Think ahead now so your website can handle the things you want in the future. Most people today want the ability to change content on their Events page, or add photos to the News section. These folks need a Content Management System (or CMS), integrated onto appropriate pages. Some will eventually sell manuals, T-shirts, or products on their site, and need to plan a shopping cart function. Others want to have a blog.

• The Visual: strong visuals and proper navigation, appropriately and strategically thought out, are enormously important on the Internet. It’s very easy to spot an amateur job from a professional job. Invest in professional visuals so they can be an accurate reflection of your program.

• The Verbal: the effectiveness of beautiful visuals is instantly destroyed by poor written content. Just like the visual, invest in professional writing so that your program is accurately and intelligently presented, with all the right pieces. These pieces include a strong tagline, benefits-driven key message points, language tailored to your customer, and the right balance of information/call to action. And don’t forget to integrate the search engine optimization tactics: keyword saturation, meta tag development, etc.

There are so many other things I could tell you about website development...the latest trends in software, the latest studies in readership style and readability, or the latest trends in layout and design. But hopefully this will get you started

The Riding Writer,
Brenda Dammann

Horse Sense has just launched our new pilot program of "Cowboy Poetry" here in Western North Carolina.

After having studied with Strides to Success, we have begun our first "Cowboy Poetry" EAL School Curriculum at Edneyville Elementary School, and it's a big success!

Kacey Cramer and Laura Anthony, both EAGALA Advanced Practitioners, are the facilitation team for the Edneyville School program. "Mr Richard," pictured above, is the cowboy who helps them with the horses. The kids think he's the best!

Sargeant Gus, known by the students as "Sarge" (pictured), and Masada are two of the horses who make the trip twice a week to the school campus, where we set up a small arena each time. Scout's Honor has also joined the boys once or twice and showed them about branding!

This program was implemented with the support and assistance of Rob Curtis and Kelley Dull of Henderson County Schools. Kelley is a counselor at Edneyville Elementary, and assists Kacey, Laura and Richard with the program each week.

The pilot will last 6 weeks, with 2 weekly sessions. Kids are learning, reading and writing about respect, punctuality, imagination and a variety of other key life and development skills.

To find out more about how to implement this curricula in your community, visit Strides to Success.

Read the article, see the pictures and view the video that appeared in the online paper by clicking here.

Hey guys! Last week we talked about getting started on your website. Here are some specific resources to help you turn your ideas into reality!

Very low budget: Start with a blog! It’s a great way to build an internet presence, they’re easy to set up and use, and you can modify all of the content yourself. Check out sites like www.wordpress.com, www.blogger.com and www.typepad.com.

Low-medium budget: Consider a DIY (do-it-yourself) site. www.GoDaddy.com has a program called Website Tonight that is very popular. Also check out www.webpowertools.com for a low-cost but professional looking alternative. Another great resource is www.elance.com where you can get bids from people all over the world for your project.

Medium-high budget: Hire an experienced website designer! Personally, this has been my choice over the years and it’s yielded terrific results. It’s more expensive financially but it’s often less stressful to turn it over to an expert. Shannon and I both use www.totsie.com –they create exceptional Plone sites (you are able to manage the content yourself) for businesses around the country. Or if you want to hire someone in your community, check out your local Chamber of Commerce. If you hire a web designer, be sure to shop around and get several bids.

I have coached dozens of clients through the process of creating a website. If you need support, give me a call for some coaching! Good luck!

Hey everyone!

I'm so excited for our Monthly Teletopic Call on Websites next week (April 22nd at 4pm Eastern, if you haven't already heard! Click here & scroll down to learn more). I've been immersing myself in information about usability and navigation of websites for the past month or so, and can't wait to share what I've been learning with you!

One of the main problems I see with websites (and with most marketing material, including brochures and videos) is that they are often written from the perspective of the business or organization, instead of written for the the user/reader/viewer.

When we sit down to develop our website, we think of all the information we want people to know about us. But oftentimes viewers never read all that material, even if it's well-written. Instead most people who are on the internet come to your site with a very specific need or question they are asking.

Think about how you navigate when you are on the web. When looking for something specific, like the answer to a question, how do you search? Do you find a webpage and read every word on the page, hoping and trusting that somewhere on that page will be the answer to your question, or do you instead skim and scan, looking for subheads and bullets that will tell you if this page will even answer your question?

Research (and my own personal experience) shows that we do a lot of skimming and scanning, and not a lot of sitting down with coffee and reading the whole website page by page. We grab and go with information on the web. And the design of our websites needs to reflect that fact. Hence Usability and Navigation have become my buzzwords here in the office.

So, of course, I'm now in the process of redesigning the Horse Sense website, actually splitting it into three sites to improve usability and navigation, and to help avoid confusion. Keep up with this redesign process for me and for Horse Sense on this blog and on the telecalls. I always love helping people learn from my mistakes!

Happy Trails,

Don’t have a website yet? You need one!

Over the past year, I’ve read several articles that point to the fact that most Americans are now using the internet as much as they are watching TV, if not more. Wow! I think it’s safe to say that if you want to be successful in business in the long-term, you’ve got to have a website because that’s where consumers are going to make their buying decisions. Sure, networking and advertising and other traditional marketing methods are important. But having an internet presence is key to establishing both visibility and credibility which lead to profitability!

Here are a few simple steps to get you started.

1. Buy your domain name. Visit www.godaddy.com for the cheapest domains on the web. If you're not sure exactly what you want, buy a few for just one year. That way, you'll have some choices.
   
2. Research other websites of your competitors. This includes other EAP and EAL practitioners (in your community or around the country), but it also includes other similar service providers in your community. Make note of what you like and what you don't like about their sites.
   
3. Sketch out your initial ideas of what you'd like to put on the site. Consider your target market--who are they and what do they want? how can you help them to solve their problems? Be sure to include descriptions of your services, photos, testimonials and what action they should take next.
   
4. Consider your budget. Decide if you want to try and create the site yourself or if you want to hire someone else to do it for you. There are costs with building a website and then also hosting it and maintaining it. Factor all that into your planning.
   

Tune in next week, as I'll share resources for low, medium and high budget websites!