If you feel your horse business keeps you too busy to allow you to make changes to improve it, you are not alone with that feeling.

But, being too busy is not why you don't make the changes. You may not like the real reason I'm about to tell you, but please hear me out.

The reason you cannot make changes in your business is because you are afraid of change. Change makes you nervous because you dread the unknown. And that means you accept the frustration and misery of what you have over risking the possibility of new frustrations in your search for improvement.

Besides, you already know there is no money in the horse business and trying a different way of doing business would destroy the myth and your personal comfort from proving the myth to be true.

Businesses are either growing or shrinking. They don’t stand still, especially in today’s economy. You are kidding yourself if you believe that your business will stay the same from year to year. You may be in the stable business, but your business is seldom stable.

You understand the need for making changes in "a business" for greater profit and more personal freedom, but cannot see how your business can possibly begin to make changes. No one really understands how busy you are and how little time you have to even think about changes.

I understand how busy you are and I don’t question for a second that you are already working too many hours on everything else. But, even though I understand how busy you are, I won’t accept that as an excuse from you to not start making changes in your business. You can do better and deserve a better living from self employment. The only defense I will accept from you is your admission that you’re afraid of change.

There is an old expression that says, “A problem named, is a problem solved”. Naming your problem fear of change is the first step in making your horse business more profitable and enjoyable.

The second step is spending 30 minutes this week to think about and write down what you would change if you weren’t afraid of change.

That’s all you have to do. Make a list of the things you would change if you weren’t fearful of change. Don’t worry about the How, Where and When. Just concentrate on the What you would change.

Thirty minutes, a pencil, a pad of paper and you have a deadline of midnight on Saturday this week.

I double dog dare you.

“If at first you don’t succeed, find out if the loser gets anything.” — Bill Lyon

“Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed.” — Michael Pritchard

“No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear." -- Edmund Burke

We bed our horses with wood shavings and have been piling some of the manure and shavings for future use as compost way-way out back. As I scoop up the aged, organic rich end product of composting, I always joke that it is the world’s most expensive potting soil. A huge investment in horses, feed, bedding and labor just to produce a small pile of compost.

I noticed some squash leaves on vines had started to grow on the pile sometime in July. Suspecting yet another self seeded zucchini attempting to take over the world, I ignored the plants for a few weeks.

Jungle like growth on top of the pile surfaced in mid August and closer inspection revealed a pumpkin infestation had broken out. BIG green pumpkins were soaking up the sun and the rich nutrients from the organic material in the manure pile. These weren’t ordinary pumpkins; they were blue ribbon punkins.

They're bright orange and ready to carve now. Solving the mystery of who planted the pumpkins, the boys reminded me once again of my less than perfect memory. They told me last Halloween's pumpkins had been heaved onto the top of the pile as more compost material.

Nature took its course and voila! pumpkin surprise.

I wonder what else will grow in there?

I work with Professional Horsemen who are struggling with the business half of the horse business. Just like a top performing horse has a strong foundation, so does a top performing horse business.

If you've had enough with disappointment in your horse business, call or e-mail and we can talk about your business and how I may be able to help you.

If you know other horsemen who would enjoy this newsletter, please forward it to them! I am on a quest to tell 1000 people what I do and I need your help.

Life is short,

Ride hard.

Doug

Need a speaker about the horse business for your horse related organization? Talk to me about talking. Keynotes and workshops available. (716) 434-5371