Strategic consulting for owners of equestrian businesses
Am I satisfied with my life? Is my job fun and fulfilling as well as being financially successful? If you can answer these questions with a clear “yes” you can carry on with your work as usual. If, however, there is any degree of uncertainty, then read on!
There are many reasons why an equestrian business could run into difficulties. The stable could be better utilised, you could have constant trouble with the horse owners or simply too much work for too little gain. It’s also possible that you are interested in investing in horse husbandry, but are not entirely sure if it will work out exactly as you have planned. Regardless of which particular situation you currently find yourself in, you have the feeling that you don’t know exactly where to start in order to properly get to grips with the issues or demands facing you. As the textbook saying goes, you have to “act purposefully” – but, how do I do it, without trying to do too many things at once and ultimately failing?
The answer to your question is crystal clear: the strategy has to be right!
The road to success for horse boarding businesses
HIT founder Thorsten Hinrichs:
There have been many success stories so far. Despite the years of growth of our business, situations still arise in which things become “tight” for various reasons. As a businessman, I was naturally able to solve many of the issues by simply working more (…although this is only possible in the short-term) or by acting on instinct. For instance, things really started becoming difficult in the crisis-ridden year of 2009: defined by the dramatic downturn in foreign sales which had been triggered by the international economic and financial crisis, I had to think on my feet and come up with a solution. So, I took some time out of the hectic day-to-day running of the business to reflect and read some books. Whilst doing so, one of our Active Stable customers, Nader Safari, suddenly came to mind. Nader, himself a very successful businessman in the field of medical engineering, had told me that the success of his business was solely based on having the correct strategic direction.
If the strategy is right, then the business will continue to do well in good times and bad. So, full of motivation, I set about my task of finding out a lot more about strategy and used the findings to orient my business consistently on strategic principles. With a renewed sense of purpose and energy, which tends to emerge of its own accord in the course of such processes, we at HIT created a completely new sense of awareness and…by the end of the crisis-ridden year we had more than compensated for the drop in sales!
The “subject of strategy” has gripped me ever since. I’ve established contact with many people who deal with strategy implementation in their professional lives. By qualifying as an accredited Chamber of Industry and Commerce strategic consultant, I had been able to acquire the right tools to advise other businessmen. Since 2010 I’ve predominantly been advising owners of equestrian businesses, who are on the brink of making major investment decisions, or want to set a new direction for their business or significantly improve its economic potential.
What is the procedure for a HIT strategic consultation in practice?
Basic requirements: openness, trust and a relaxed atmosphere. If these conditions are met then we can do business. When consulting, I use exactly the same tools which helped me the most in the running of my own business. We perform an in-depth analysis of the current situation with the aid of the HIT strategy tableau, then move on to an analysis of strong points, then to target group definition. At the end of the consultation the distinct-positioning of the equestrian business has been ascertained and it is clear what needs to be done. The time frame for the development of the strategy-tableau is between 8 and 16 hours. As a follow-up to this consultation, I then guide the strategy implementation process in agreement with the stable owners. This method of strategy development is not only a way of making them aware of outstanding professional perspectives, but moreover gives the people involved the necessary impetus for the implementation. The long-term value of the strategic consultation most certainly outweighs the costs involved for two advisory sessions. However, each person has to ultimately answer this question for himself. It is easy to gauge economic success if it is achieved; however, it is a different story on a personal level. What value can you attach to knowing what to do, having a clearly defined goal, being highly motivated and feeling completely comfortable and in control of the situation? Have I aroused your interest for a HIT strategic consultation? If so, you can contact me at: t.hinrichs@aktivstall.de
What is the procedure for a HIT strategic consultation in practice?
Basic requirements: openness, trust and a relaxed atmosphere. If these conditions are met then we can do business. When consulting, I use exactly the same tools which helped me the most in the running of my own business. We perform an in-depth analysis of the current situation with the aid of the HIT strategy tableau, then move on to an analysis of strong points, then to target group definition. At the end of the consultation the distinct-positioning of the equestrian business has been ascertained and it is clear what needs to be done. The time frame for the development of the strategy-tableau is between 8 and 16 hours. As a follow-up to this consultation, I then guide the strategy implementation process in agreement with the stable owners. This method of strategy development is not only a way of making them aware of outstanding professional perspectives, but moreover gives the people involved the necessary impetus for the implementation. The long-term value of the strategic consultation most certainly outweighs the costs involved for two advisory sessions. However, each person has to ultimately answer this question for himself. It is easy to gauge economic success if it is achieved; however, it is a different story on a personal level. What value can you attach to knowing what to do, having a clearly defined goal, being highly motivated and feeling completely comfortable and in control of the situation? Have I aroused your interest for a HIT strategic consultation? If so, you can contact me at: t.hinrichs@aktivstall.de
Talks and Seminars
Qualified experts from the HIT team hold talks and organise seminars on a broad range of topics. Our long-term specialisation in “100% group husbandry” has helped us to continually gain knowledge and experience in the areas of stable design, horse behaviour and feeding, construction, Active Stable technology and operational management as well as strategic development. We are glad to pass on this wealth of knowledge and experience to our clients and all interested parties. Below you will find the most important topics and contents covered in the talks and seminars which our HIT speakers offer:
Thorsten Hinrichs
CEO, Dipl.-Ing. (University of Applied Sciences)
Strategic consultant (Chamber of Industry and Commerce),
HIT Active Stable designer and consultant
Strategic consultant (Chamber of Industry and Commerce),
HIT Active Stable designer and consultant
* Group husbandry in the HIT Active Stable – economic potential and strategy
* Horse husbandry in transition – where do we go from here?
* Innovative business models in equestrian sport
* Conversion and new-build solutions for species-appropriate group husbandry
* Automated feeding systems in the HIT Active Stable
* Active Stable – practical application (training days or weeks)
Daniela Scherzer
HITActive Stable designer and consultant, project supervision, trainer,
www.pferdepension-nackenberg.de
www.pferdepension-nackenberg.de
* Species-appropriate group husbandry in the HIT Active Stable®
* Information event for acquiring new horse owners
* HIT Active Stable management
* Support in the opening of an HIT Active Stable
* Horse training at feeding stations
* Horse’s body language – Natural Horsemanship – horse-friendly riding
* Working with problem horses
Andrea Janke
Dipl-Ing. agr., HIT Active Stable designer and consultant,
project supervision
project supervision
* Species-appropriate group husbandry in the HIT Active Stable®
* Information event for acquiring new horse owners
* HIT Active Stable® management
* Support in the opening of an HIT Active Stable
Jürgen Kuhne
HIT Active Stable designer and consultant
HIT Active Service www.aktivstall-service.de
Certified strategic consultant / coach and certified insurance agent (Chamber of Industry and Commerce)
www.horseconsulting-kuhne.de
HIT Active Service www.aktivstall-service.de
Certified strategic consultant / coach and certified insurance agent (Chamber of Industry and Commerce)
www.horseconsulting-kuhne.de
* Species-appropriate group husbandry in the HIT Active Stable®
* Seminar for current and future stable owners
* Seminar “Active Stable live” on-site at the horse boarding business in Syke
* Strategic consultation / coaching
* Designing the HIT Active Stable
* Support in the opening of an HIT Active Stable
* Post-opening support
* Handling the feeding computer including the analysis programme
* Automated feeding systems in the Active Stable
