Use Forget Me Nots And Have The Memory of An Elephant
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I'd been thinking about telling you this for some time and kept forgetting. But last week, I captured the thought on paper and the result is you're reading about it right now.
You and I do a lot of thinking each day the experts tell us. You may be surprised at this, but research estimates you may have 40,000 to 60,000 thoughts each day. Even though that sounds like a tremendous amount of thinking, most of your thoughts are repeat thoughts.
Thoughts like:
- What's the temperature outside?
- I need to clean the house
But, mixed in with the business-as-usual thoughts are great thoughts and ideas. Your best thoughts and ideas about your business and personal life bubble to the surface in your conscious mind and then are lost faster than cash at the race track betting window.
Thoughts and ideas like:
- Marketing your riding lesson program to home schooled children
- Calling two good candidates to lease your underutilized lesson horse
- Checking out pricing for an indoor arena and financing possibilities
- Approaching a part time employee prospect for helping with weekend barn chores
- Starting your own electronic newsletter
Thoughts like those above and thousands of others are lost each day. Some times they resurface for you, other times the thought ocean undertow claims them for others to discover and put into action.
There are almost as many ways to capture ideas for your horse business as there are bits for a horse's mouth. But just like bits, the favorites should get tried first.
Index cards- don't leave them in the package! Spread them around. Keep a few in the barn, in the truck, on your desk, next to your bed and in your pocket. Collect them daily, rubber band them and look at them several times a week.
Post it notes-buy 3-M brand only. The sticky part on the knock-off brands is as useless as a 3 foot lead rope. If you use a pencil based calendar planner, stick your thoughts on the pages of the calendar on the appropriate days.
Spiral pocket notebook- buy pocket sized only, in multiple packs. Get in the habit of carrying one with you.
Moleskine- these are impressive and this classic notebook of choice of writers and artists. Not only cool looking, it frames your thoughts as you re-read them. Good enough for Hemmingway, good enough for me.
Cell phone: Dial, dictate, done. Call a phone number and your words are automatically transcribed, captured and e-mailed back to you with service called Jott.com
PDA's Once you make the shift to electronic notes, these are extremely useful tools for capturing thoughts and converting them to notes. However, even though PDA's are durable, they're not as forgiving as paper when your horse's foot is standing on it.
Personally, I log a lot of my work day at a desk focused on a computer screen and talking on the telephone. It requires concentration and as a result, my best thoughts do not occur while I'm engaged in work. I've used the above methods to capture brilliant and not so brilliant thoughts while feeding, mucking stalls, being a tractor jockey and cooling out a horse.
If you want to make more money in your horse business, capture your ideas and take action on the best!
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| Others Have Said |
"The mistake a lot of politicians make is in forgetting they've been appointed and thinking they've been anointed."-- Claude Pepper
"A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory"
--unknown
"Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by authorities whom we do not control." -- Cyril Connolly
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Have Voice, Will Travel.
There is no easy path to success in this business of horses. Clients and audiences I've talked to have confirmed that reality many times.
I've been writing this newsletter about success in the business of horses since 2005. It's brief and takes only a few minutes to read. That's because my intention is to provide an idea, ask a question or simply inspire you.
Some weeks I write them just for you; because you need to be reminded about something you've temporarily forgotten.
Other weeks, I write them just for your friends, your colleagues and competitors because they need a nudge, too.
I'd like your help with my goal of helping 10,000 horsemen in the next ten years become profitable horsemen. I'm looking for public speaking opportunities to associations, groups, councils and businesses to tell the story about success in the horse business.
Please contact me about your group's event, the subject and the possibilities. E-mail me here or call me (716) 434-5371.
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Women's Horse Industry
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New Organization for Women in the Horse Industry
I had a phone conversation last week with Catherine Masters the founder of a new organization, Women's Horse Industry. Catherine is a skilled marketer with a successful record as founder of the National Women's Football Association.
With a keen interest in horse racing and a dedication to helping women in business in the horse industry, her new organization has attracted over 500 members since late June 2009.
"I understand how to market things and how to bring people together for the benefit of all and that's what I want to do for the women in the horse industry. There is a lot of business that can be done if we can just find one another. I've formed this organization so we do just that," she states.
Membership is very affordable at $ 50.00 per year and a Fall Conference in Louisville, KY has already been organized. click here for details
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 Back At The Barn |
It's peach season in Niagara County, New York and there's nothing like Betsey's fresh baked peach cobbler for a break at the barn. Farriers Dan and John wasted no time
letting their tools take a late morning break the other day while they sampled peach cobbler right from the oven and delivered fresh to the barn.
I spent some time behind the windshield this week traversing New York state on its main thoroughfare, the Thruway. If you're not familiar with the toll road, it has seemingly endless and boring stretches that have my inner child asking, when are we going to be there?
Breaks are the highlight of the journey and thankfully there are plenty of fast food vendors on the expanse.
Sadly, none offered fresh baked peach cobbler. And few offered friendly customer service. A McDonald's counter employee maintained an expressionless face as he punched in my order, took payment and made change without saying a word. Obviously a skilled master of non verbal communication, he most undoubtedly is a certified hamburger whisperer.
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Ihelp professional horsemen and horsewomen struggling with the business half of the horse business.
Not enough time, not enough money or not enough of the right people working for you?
Is your horse boarding business unprofitable?
Contact me to see if I can help.
Until next time,
Doug
Doug Emerson
Profitable Horseman  | | |
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