10 Steps to Starting (or organizing!) Your Equine Bodywork Business
Are you feeling overwhelmed with where to start with your equine bodywork business? You have the certification, but now what!?
I’ve outlined the top 10 priorities for you to follow when starting your equine bodywork business to ensure your legality and business legitimacy.
Let’s dive in:
👉🏼1. What will you be called!?
Decide what you want to call yourself. Will you just go by “First Name Last Name, Equine Bodyworker” or do you want a business name? Now is the time to decide 🙂
If this step is overwhelming, you could always do a DBA (doing business as) later if you want to just start with your name now… but it does add a layer of complication. I recommend picking your business name now.
The reason this is so important first is because many of your next steps will need your business name (creating an email, making a website, applying for a business license, etc.)
Considerations:
Do thorough research to make sure the business name is not already taken!
Think ahead to any long-term goals for your business. Do you hope to eventually add saddle fitting to your resume? Naming your business “Butler Equine Services” might be more all-approaching than “Butler Equine Massage” for future plans.
👉🏼2. Open a business email account!
I always recommend Gmail. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it can be “firstname.lastname@gmail.com” or “mybusinessname@gmail.com”. Consider that you’ll be giving this email address out to potential clients and professionals… you don’t want to be spelling out a 47 character email address 😉
This step is important at the beginning so that every account you create (website, ordering materials, continuing education, etc.) can go through this email address and stay organized from the start. We do not want to muddle personal and business!
👉🏼3. Get legal
This step will vary depending on your state, province, county, or city. You will need to research the business requirements for your area. You may need:
-a business license
-an LLC or sole proprietorship
-other requirements
Feeling overwhelmed with this step? I recommend starting with your county business office. Give them a call and ask questions! They can transfer you to someone who can answer your questions and ensure you are setting up your business properly.
Another option is to hire a local business lawyer to complete this step for you.
👉🏼4. Open your business bank account(s)
Once your business is ✨official✨, it’s time to set up your business bank accounts!
It is imperative to keep your business money separate from your personal money.
I recommend:
-a checking account
-a savings/tax account
Some bodyworkers prefer to have a third account to keep their tax and savings accounts separate - that is totally up to you! I personally am comfortable keeping it in one account and I just have the knowledge that the dollar amount there isn’t a true reflection of my savings (I know that I will need to take tax money out of it quarterly).
👉🏼5. Create a website + branding
Website: Your website can be as basic or complex as you want! A simple one-page website is appropriate or if you want to go all-out with Home, About, Rates, Resources, etc. - that’s great too. Don’t over complicate it unless it’s fun for you!
-I recommend Squarespace. Very reasonable pricing ($16-40/month depending on what features you want) and super user-friendly.
Whether your website is just a single page or 10 different tabs with tons of details - the only non-negotiable I recommend on all websites is have your pricing clearly outlined. Our clients don’t want to guess and we don’t want them to assume we are too expensive for them. Not sure how to structure your pricing? I have a free guide on that available here.
If you want a more formal business email (ex: liz@barrioperformancetherapy.com), you can integrate your Squarespace domain with your original email (ex: barrioperformancetherapy@gmail.com) at this stage. Squarespace has lots of tutorials for this and you don’t lose any of your original data in your first email address.
If you are overwhelmed by this step, I highly recommend hiring someone to complete this step for you (hi, I can help!).
If you bring someone in to help you, be sure they are using your business Gmail to create your logins, etc. so that you will always have access should anything go sideways. You need to be the owner of the site!
Branding: This is another step where you can get as complex or simple as you feel comfortable. Branding is how your business looks to others, and it’s important in order to create a cohesive look to your website, social media, marketing, etc.
At the bare minimum I recommend: a logo, brand colors, and brand fonts. Canva has some great resources for creating a brand image (ps - I love Canva and recommend it for creating social media graphics!) or you can hire a graphic designer to help you create a brand package (I love Caroline Arendt Creative!).
👉🏼6. Policies, procedures, and the legal stuff
Policies: Determine what policies feel appropriate to you. Don’t create a policy just because you think you should if you know you’ll never enforce it 😉
Policies to consider: Cancellation, preparation (ex: horse must be groomed and caught, no fly spray), payment timeline (payment due at time of service? within 2 weeks?)
Procedures: Determine what chain of events you will follow so that nothing slips through the cracks once you’re working on 10, 15, 20 horses a week and things are harder to keep track of.
Picture this like your own personal employee handbook. What are the “rules” you will follow for scheduling? Sending session notes? Collecting payment? Scheduling next session?
These can (and should be) fluid and will change and grow with your business.
Legal Protection: We will talk about liability insurance next but you will also need a liability waiver before beginning your work on client horses. I offer a physical Intake + Liability Release Form template on my website, but it is imperative that you consult with a lawyer when creating your own liability waiver. My template (or any other online template) can be used as a starting point but each state/country will have different legal requirements. You can hire a lawyer locally or virtually through platforms like UpWork. A consulting fee for a finished document is usually $50-$200.
👉🏼7. Get insured
Liability Insurance: Before touching horses, you absolutely have to be insured (even if you are still a student!).
Here is a list of liability insurance options (second tab!) that you can look through to decide what the best fit for your business is. I personally use Hands On Trade Association.
Property Insurance: If you use equipment (PEMF machine, cold laser, red light etc.) that would be financially challenging to replace if it were damaged or stolen, I recommend biting the bullet and purchasing property insurance. It can be challenging to find a provider for this type of insurance, but I personally use InstaCover for my PEMF machine.
Short-Term/Long-Term Disability Insurance: This is optional but something important to consider. If you got kicked and broke your ankle tomorrow, how would you financially cover yourself until you healed?
This is where short and long term disability insurance come in. Depending on your plan, they cover things like injury, pregnancy, caring for a sick loved one, etc.
The plans can be pricey, so I recommend doing a cost analysis to determine if that money is better spent going into in a high-yield savings account (rainy day fund!) or if it makes sense for you to carry disability insurance at this stage in your business.
To research plans, Google “short/long term disability for small business owner”.
👉🏼8. Set up an accounting system + plan for taxes
This can be as simple (a spreadsheet) or complex (Quickbooks/Honeybooks) as you want!
But you do need to be diligent about ensuring that you collect payment for each client (and track that income) as well as track and categorize all expenses (mileage, marketing materials, etc.) so that you are prepared come tax season.
Speaking of taxes, I recommend paying your estimated taxes quarterly. This can be done online in most situations. Always consult your tax accountant with questions on taxes - don’t just guess!
👉🏼9. Consider your client management system
How will you gather and store client information?
Digital intake? Paper intake forms? Will you store session notes physically or electronically? How will you get clients to sign your liability waiver?
There are a ton of ways you can go about your paperwork and client management. What you choose to do will ultimately be what works best for you! Maybe you’re old school and want everything to be done pen and paper. Maybe you’re techy and want to have everything done digitally! There is no wrong answer.
Choose a system that works for you, not just what you think you should be doing because others do it that way.
I do recommend exploring the option of using a third-party app for scheduling, intake forms, payments, etc. I recommend trying the 30-day free trail of Equipro Connect - it’s a really great software program for bodyworkers and can take a ton of the guesswork out of inventing the wheel.
👉🏼10. Social Media
The benefit of social media is that is one of the best free ways you can market yourself! It gives potential clients the opportunity to feel like they know you and how you work with horses before they ever meet you.
I recommend at least a business Facebook page + and any other socials you want to use (Instagram, TikTok, etc.).
You don’t have to post like an influencer, but do be intentional with regular posting so that you have an active online presence. When someone searches you, they don’t want to come to a page that hasn’t been active in 2 years and wonder if you’re still in business.
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These 10 steps give you the outline for creating an equine bodywork business that will not just survive, but thrive!
Feeling overwhelmed? I can help 🤗
In my 1:1 coaching calls, we have the opportunity to look through your business operations and determine what’s working, what’s not, and how to optimize your day-to day-so that you feel confident in your business ownership.
I’m here to help, you don’t have to do this alone!
