Over 900 students (and counting) are raising their business acumen to start their professional careers in the horse industry or raise their current operations to the next level.
On June 21, Equine Guelph launched a new on-demand, online course, Equine Business 101, which will be offered for free until September 20, 2021.
The discussion groups are full of helpful shares from guest experts and students alike.
Sun Life Financial advisor Sean Jones shared his top 20 business tips from his ventures in the horse industry and said, “You are not charging enough for your knowledge, expertise and experience.”
How do you know what to charge? Information provided in the Equine Business 101 course will help you answer that question and more. Topics covered include: risk management, value propositions and creating that all important business plan.
Continued access to discussion boards will be available for one year after students complete the course. There are three discussion boards in this very inviting learning community:
1. Taking Care of Business
2. Marketing and Communications
3. Future Planning
Strategies are being shared for launching an equine business and creating an equine business plan. There is a place to brainstorm ways to get creative with marketing and consider unique promotional ideas to help you plan your first events. The importance of networking is among the discussion points and how to grow your business with future planning is a really hot topic.
“This new on-demand offering arose out of an abundance of interest to better understand the business of managing and/or starting an equine facility,” said Gayle Ecker, Equine Guelph director. “With students enrolled from all across Canada and around the globe, there will be diverse take-aways for all kinds of different facilities.”
Videos shared throughout the eight units are brimming with eye-opening content ranging from the skills needed to run an equestrian facility to reality checks, problem solving and making tough decisions. Professionals that have ‘been there and done that’ candidly share their inspirational stories and cautionary tales. They describe choices that were key to their success and decisions they would reconsider with the benefit of hindsight so you can avoid some of the common pitfalls. Participants will learn why customers will choose to employ them and how they can continue to build a great team and attract and retain staff.
The very popular Canadian horse jobs site, EquineJobTrack.ca, is among one of the valuable resources listed. Participants in this course will be busy bookmarking sites that will serve them well for years to come.
The new Equine Business 101 course is one of three courses offered in the Equine Facility Management Certificate on TheHorsePortal.ca.
Students completing the following will be eligible for the new Equine Facility Management Certificate:
Horse Care & Welfare (two weeks)
Sickness Prevention in Horses (two weeks)
Equine Business 101 (self-paced, 20-30 hours)
Future stable workers applying for jobs in the equine industry will stand out amongst other candidates if they have acquired the Equine Facility Management Certificate. They will enter the industry armed with evidenced-based knowledge on biosecurity and stable management practices that support optimal horse health and welfare, as well as great business ideas.
To get started on your Equine Facility Management Certificate and sign up for the new Equine Business 101 free online short course, register at TheHorsePortal.ca.
(With files from Equine Guelph)