7 Game Changing Courses & Solutions for Equestrian Business.

I have many hats as a Freelance. I have worked as a Coach since 1994 and as my riding career progressed in tandem I also began to work with brands and sponsors. When I first heard of Social Media in around 2008, I felt like I had missed something and wondered if it really was going to be the match for my business that my friend suggested. Fast forward to today and I’ve had a great time facing tech challenges and design quandaries that I could not have imagined landing on my desk. I think the sea change is down to the fact that I was introduced to Apple around the same time and my mind expanded at the creative potential. It helped too that over the years my office has often existed and functioned well in fields, stables, horseboxes & service stations! Rural broadband notwithstanding I love this aspect of my business. 

I’m motivated by learning new things and the open access courses on offer are mind blowing. I think a challenge now is to work out which courses are a fit for you as sometimes it’s only word of mouth that paints the picture of what you might expect. Social Proof is a pretty cool indicator of the look and feel of the content. It will always be a case of managing expectations and exploring what is the best fit for you and your needs. I am writing this blog to share some insights into what shapes my business and there will be affiliate links so that you can try things to see if they are a fit for you and your business. 

First up I need to spotlight the lovely Jenna Kutcher who has an accessible and friendly website with a good mix of free training that is delivered in easy to read blog style. If you want to explore content in more detail then Jenna runs courses such as The Pinterest Lab. The Pinterest Lab   At the time of writing I am in week 3 of the programme and have followed the exercises set for homework to grow my new Pinterest business account from 0 to 75k  monthly viewers  and learnt a huge amount about adding the process and data lead insights into my existing intuitive based relationship marketing formulas. 

The second Spotlight must go to Kajabi. I am writing my blog here on the platform which has made it possible, through their university and amazing tech support team, for me to build a website and learn about things such as how a DNS record works, where the code lives and what to do with it and how to unleash the creative potential that has been bubbling away for years as I explored the digital world and yearned to have a platform of my own where I could build a learning hub. I have an affiliate link here  Kajabi 30 Day Trial which gives readers a chance to try Kajabi free for 30 days. You will be delighted to bring your digital business vision to life with Kajabi. Do have a look around my site too to get a feel for what’s possible. 

There are some discoveries that would appear to be a happy coincidence and for the third Spotlight I’d like to tell you about Meg Burrage. I found myself on a free training week with Meg, I think the lockdown Mindset was encouraging me to be bold and I considered myself ready to learn more about the design aspects and the scary tech side of Kajabi. I wondered if I might bookmark some of the trainings to view at some point in the future but with the first welcome from Meg I was glued to the screen. Meg is friendly and super calm as she explains the mysteries of the behind the scenes workings of the technical structure of Kajabi process. I was scared, apprehensive,  not really sure how to talk to my website with any authority but Meg changed that. The training week and the design solutions Meg suggested with custom templates and adaptations for existing templates was a catalyst for me to step up and feel confident about my digital business pathway. Contact Meg here Meg Burrage

Templates are, I now understand, an essential part of freeing my mind from the constraints of having to be a designer to unlock my vision and translate it into a product that makes me smile. For this reason I connected with The Template Tribe and began to bring my ebooks and digital course workbooks to a professional template that made me feel proud of the work inside. Have a look here with my affiliate link Template Tribe

Another template designer that I have felt a real creative connection with is Susan at Fresh Scribes. I found Susan’s planner templates a delight to work with and like the best templates, I was inspired to create additional content that supported my existing library of resources for Riders and Coaches.  Contact Susan here Fresh Scribes

At number six the spotlight shines on FloDesk who helped me fall back in love with email marketing. Over the years I have been involved with many email content creation and delivery platforms and found myself vexed and disappointed to feel like my hours of input still resulted in a feel that it was not representing my vision. The day I began my Flodesk trial I was filled with new editorial content ideas as I finally connected to a provider with an intuitive interface that simply sparked joy. I was stressed by connecting my domain but the tech team went out of their way to hold my hand and I conquered my fear and soon all was working smoothly. It’s not necessary to connect your domain but I was on a mission to adopt best practice and I’m so glad I did. Fear the tech support team no more, at Flodesk they go over and above conventional customer service! Try the best email platform here with my affiliate link giving you a 50% discount. FloDesk offer

Lucky number 7 spot goes to Canva. I was initially overwhelmed by choice but soon with training from Meg and The Template Tribe, I was confidently creating graphics that represented my vision. I use the term vision a lot when I’m discussing creating content. It perhaps represents something a little intangible in this context. I have always lacked skill and confidence in any kind of artistic work that involves drawing and painting but with Canva, I was able to recreate the picture in my minds eye onto the screen. I can’t tell you how exciting this has been, to be able to create business graphics that represent my brand identity is a precious thing. I urge all business to explore Canva Pro. 

Bonus Links for Horse Riders & Coaches.

I am an Ambassador for Digital Coaching experts Ridesum App. Free month of Premium membership for Riders and Coaches.  Ridesum Trial Details

I have an affiliate link for E-Riders a competition website with truly the biggest range of classes for serious dressage enthusiasts and leisure riders alike. There is even a class to log the hacks that you go on. Click here E Riders

I have two courses that I suggest for Equestrian Business owners and Riders who have enjoyed this post. 

For finding your calm Hygge For Horse  Riders Hygge for Riders

Coming soon my Super Strength Marketing Plan will share my insights and solutions for developing your own effective, intuitive, relationship marketing strategies and implementation to support Equestrian Business. Sign up to join the waiting list and I will send you further information with no pressure to enrol.