What is expected of a professional farrier? Members of the horse-owning public have the right to expect their chosen farrier to act in a professional manner. 

Webster’s dictionary describes a professional as “someone who has specialized knowledge and academic training, exhibits a courteous, conscientious businesslike attitude and adheres to ethical standards for their chosen field.” Basically, he or she is professional in appearance, behavior and competence or skill. We call these the ABC’s of success. All three have a character component as well as require some degree of skill.

Here are several questions to ask yourself to determine if you are presenting a professional image to your clients. Remember, your image creates their perception of you, and their perception of you determines your value to them.

What Kind Of First Impression Do You Make?

First impressions are formed when contact is made with the “face” of your business. This can be when potential clients see you, your ad, your card or your truck. You can make a positive impression with good grooming, clean clothes, a clean truck and smart business practices.

But making a good impression takes even more than that. It’s your voice on the phone, your expression and appearance when they meet you and the respect you show for them. How do your clients perceive you? Do they look forward to their experience with you? 

Try to answer all calls personally. If you cannot, make your voice mail message short, clear and courteous. Answer all calls enthusiastically. Make and keep appointments. Ask for your client’s cell phone number and make it part of the horse’s record so you can notify the client in case you are unavoidably detained. You can also call to inquire about a horse’s progress when dealing with lameness issues.

I recommend you use a cell phone as your business phone and do all of your business during business hours. That way you can legally deduct the cost of the phone for business and you can ignore it after hours. Let calls go to voice mail when you are occupied with something of a higher priority, such as time with your family. Have a land line phone (or another cell phone) for personal calls.

Are You Competent To Do The Required Job?

First impressions are lasting ones. Being clean and professional in your appearance can make a big difference in how clients perceive you. Pete Rosciglione of Defiance, Mo., starts every day with a clean shirt and fresh jeans and will change his shirt if it gets soiled.

After you graduate from farrier school, plan to work with a successful practicing farrier for awhile. Find the best farrier in your area and then try to convince him or her to let you work with them — without pay. Be teachable. Realize you still have a lot to learn. This will help you gain experience and develop the skills that will get you up to speed to start your own business.

Show up on time. Help set up, clean up and be a “go-for.” Don’t just sit and watch. Act interested and listen to what’s being discussed. Don’t talk to the clients about their horses. Remember, they are not your clients. Ask your questions in the truck after the appointment, not in front of the client.

Understand that, at first, you may be a hindrance to an experienced farrier. But if you take the right approach, eventually they won’t be able to get along without you. A well-known expert farrier, Billy Crothers, from Wales, said his first year as an apprentice was not any fun “because I was not any good.” However, as he improved his skills, he found he began to enjoy the job.

By working with someone, you don’t have to worry about the real possibility of getting in over your head. You can avoid deep trouble by working with an experienced person until your horse and people skills are marketable. You can benefit from his or her advice and prevent making mistakes that could destroy a business. And, when your mentor thinks you are ready, he or she may recommend you and pass unwanted or excess business along to you.

Are You Committed To Continuing Your Education?

Farrier school is only the beginning of your career. Continue to get the best training possible. Just as you researched where you should go to horseshoeing school, you should do the same for your continuing education needs. 

Analyze the cost of attending or not attending continuing education events. Be selective in the events you attend. Some are much better than others, and you can’t justify going to all of them. Determine the cost/value ratio of each. In other words, is the value of the activity worth the cost in both time and money to attend? 

Your continuing education should be balanced and include both practical application and book learning. Apply what you learn. Work on doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. Remember, all the training in the world isn’t any good unless you apply it to your business and personal life.

Set aside a special time each day to study and practice. Continue to read, reread and study your text and notes daily. Subscribe to and read trade publications. Read widely to expand your vocabulary. Learn all you can about the type(s) of horse(s) you service. Share information you learn with your clients when appropriate. Practice forging regularly to keep this important skill operative.

Work on self-improvement as well, especially your personality. Improve your self-discipline. Schedule time daily to work on your skills and self-improvement. Make time for important events in your life. Keep those who are important to you close by communicating with them and spending time with them. The important people in your life spell love “t-i-m-e.”

Is Your Behavior Professional?

Horseshoeing is like grooming. Shaving daily, bathing regularly, having neatly trimmed hair and dressing in clean, appropriate work clothes and hat all contribute to your perceived professional image. Does your clothing appropriately cover your body when you bend over, especially during the summer months, avoiding any inappropriate exposure? If you don’t give the appearance of caring about yourself, people may wonder if you care about them and their horses. 

Avoid addictive habits that waste time and destroy health. Evidence of tobacco, alcohol and other drug use destroys trust. Learn to use appropriate language and avoid profanity, as it is as offensive to gentlemen as it is to ladies and children. 

Trust is of utmost importance when building a new business. Live by a code of conduct that encourages people to trust in you. Avoid doing things that violate or destroy that trust. One of the quickest ways to establish or build trust is to become competent in your skill. One of the quickest ways to destroy trust is to violate a character expectation. 

Courtesy is most important. Do you show respect for others by showing up at the appointed time? Do you thank your customers for their business? Do you have an attitude of service? Do you show respect to bystanders, especially children? Do you avoid thoughtless comments that may be misinterpreted or moral indiscretions with clients of the opposite sex?

Excellent horse handling skills are essential for a farrier. Often, especially with a new horse owner(s), it is important to explain what you are planning to do to maintain control of the horse during shoeing, or your actions may be misinterpreted as abusive or unnecessary.

Always ask for permission before disciplining a misbehaving horse. Exercise self-control and self-discipline at all times. Never use inappropriate words or actions no matter what the situation. Safety for bystanders, the horse and yourself must always be uppermost in your mind. This is a dangerous job for all concerned. It is better to turn down a shoeing opportunity in a questionable situation than to make errors in judgment that could prove costly in any number of ways.

Are You Operating A Sustainable Business?

Successful farriers understand the importance of customer relations. Kelly McGhee, a farrier from Wellington, Fla., takes the time to explain how he hopes to affect a horse’s movement to the owner.

Choose the type of business entity that establishes you as an independent business, limits your liability and provides tax advantages. Follow legal guidelines and determine sustainability. Talk to an accountant about setting up good accounting practices.

The average horse may be seen by a farrier as many as 150 times during its lifetime. Do all you can to make each of these visits a pleasant experience for the horse and the client. 

The majority of new businesses started in America fail in the first 5 years of their existence. Our American system provides us a great opportunity to succeed, but it also allows us to fail, as there is no “safety net” or “stimulus” for farriers. You must take full responsibility for your own actions as independent business entrepreneurs. 

Establish policies for accepting new clients and methods of payment — before you begin seeking clients. This can be as simple as a list of statements on a card or tri-fold brochure that you send to potential customers and provide to all new customers. 

Once you select a payment policy, adhere to it faithfully to maintain your integrity. I recommend a policy of “Payment is due when services are rendered.” However, in some circumstances, billing may be necessary. If you choose to bill, use professionally printed invoices or a professional-looking program that is installed on your portable computer. Avoid doing additional work for someone until their previous bill has been paid.

How Do You Effectively Promote Your Business?

Advertising can take many forms. Generally, the most effective is referral, or word-of-mouth. Others are newspaper classifieds, Yellow Pages, club newsletters, local horse magazines, horse show programs, truck signs, cards at tack shops and auctions. Newspaper articles that feature a story about your business are ideal as they imply a third party endorsement. Do not put ads or flyers in mailboxes without postage, as this is a violation of federal law. A Web site and e-mail are fast becoming business essentials and will become even more important in the future.

Build a portfolio of work you have done including pictures and documented case write-ups, along with testimonial letters. Have these well organized and in a notebook that you carry in your truck so you can share them with your clients to explain a procedure, or show potential clients to sell and resell your services.

Create a short presentation with appropriate visuals that you can present to local horse activity clubs. This can be done with your own drawings and photos. If you use materials created by someone else, be sure to properly reference the source(s). Even if you never give the talk, your confidence will increase as you work on and practice your presentation. Eventually, you will look forward to the opportunity to help others more fully enjoy their dream of horse ownership. 

Do You Regularly Calculate And Know Your Operating Costs?

Continuing your education is an important part of growing as a farrier. Author Doug Butler shares his experiences with young farriers during a roundtable discussion at the annual International Hoof-Care Summit.

In the farrier business, as with any business, it is not how much you make but rather how much you keep. Track all expenses and design efficient ways to reduce them. Regularly calculate your costs per horse. A good goal is to keep your costs below 33% of your price for a job. A few excellent farrier businessmen have been able to get their costs below 20% by simply shopping for the best buys in insurance, vehicles and supplies. 

Find an experienced accountant who will help you with a tax strategy. Take money out of the business and invest it. You will discover that shoeing horses is more fun when you don’t have to do it to live, but rather you can do it because you enjoy it. 

Finally, to sustain success you must learn to live providently. It’s unwise to go into debt to buy the latest toys and business fixtures, such as a new truck, until you have the consistent income to sustain them. Put off major purchases until you have established a well-run business with systems that consistently work. Study business development and marketing books. Apply the principles you learn to your business. 

Are You Confident And Successful?

After you accept that there are no shortcuts to success, and truly believe, “If it is to be, it is up to me,” there are three things you must focus on to feel confident and successful. They are:

1. Continually improving your skills, knowing that it may take at least a lifetime to master them.

2. Applying business systems that allow you to run a professional, sustainable business.

3. Improving your personality and people skills. 

You are the business. A better business requires a better you. An above-average income requires that you become an above-average person.

As you practice doing the right things, your confidence will increase. You will come to know your value to your clients and their horses. Eventually, your good reputation will precede you. The better you perceive your value — and get your customers to perceive your value — the more you can justifiably charge for your valuable services. Confidence translates into income. Consistent income makes for a sustainable business. ?