Intro:
In this Talking Tack feature, we look at the business side of Brigitte’s work. From launching her in house brand Equine Collective to balancing online and in person sales and facing industry wide challenges, she shares what it really feels like to build and run a tack focused business today.
Launching Equine Collective
Q: You launched your own in house product line called Equine Collective, which features the colorful satin matchy sets you designed. What inspired you to start that venture? How has the journey been so far and what is next for your brand?
My inspiration for the matchy sets from my in house brand, Equine Collective, came from wanting to add something fun and creative for myself in a business venture. I also wanted to provide the Canadian version of the matchy sets that were otherwise only available overseas and that were quite expensive for North American riders.
It has ended up being a much crazier journey than I expected. I had a very linear belief of how this journey was going to be, and it has ended up being a lot more of a rollercoaster. There have been a lot of challenges along the way that I have been able to overcome one at a time, and I have learned a lot, especially about marketing and social media ads and website design, especially since I have done a lot of the work myself.
I have hired consultants and digital marketing experts to help me along the way, but in the end, doing a lot of the work myself has been a really, really fun adventure, but also a bit crazy at times. What is next for Equine Collective is to keep selling the sets and keep building brand awareness. I am working on feedback from current customers to decide what to do next for colors and for different features to bring in that would work better to enhance the brand. This new venture is definitely keeping me on my toes, and I love it despite the few gray hairs that this adventure has brought on. But it is still well worth it in the end. I am very proud of what Equine Collective has become.
Online vs In Person Sales
Q: On your website, you have arguably the most detailed descriptions and images of used saddles of any tack shop. Do online sales play a bigger part for a tack shop than we might think? What is the balance like between online and in person sales?
I am glad that you noticed the descriptions and images of my used saddles on my website. I love offering consignment service. It helps me meet new people. I help clients sell their saddles so that they can upgrade to a new one. I even love the process of researching the saddles to find the best price for them, conditioning the saddles, taking the best pictures I can, and choosing the best colored pad to go with them. I do feel that online sales are a huge part of a tack store.
I do not have a physical store, but I set up booths at shows and events, and I do in person sales at saddle fitting appointments. I would say that my online versus in person sales are about fifty fifty. I know that would probably be different if I had a brick and mortar store, but the online component is undeniably significant and definitely worth putting effort into. I think it also helps build trust if people are looking you up, either for the service side of the saddle fitting or to invest a huge amount of money in your store by purchasing a saddle. The online store part is definitely very important.
Shipping Across Canada and the United States
Q: You have built your own website and a loyal following. Do you get many customers from outside BC and Alberta? What is the farthest you have shipped something?
Yes, I do have a lot of customers outside BC and Alberta. I ship orders regularly to all Canadian provinces except for the northern provinces and territories. So if anybody is in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, or Nunavut and would like to order some horse items, I would love for you to be the first person I ship to. So hit me up. I am always open to that. [laughs] The furthest that I have shipped would be to the eastern United States and southern United States, because I am currently set up to ship only to Canada and the United States. It would be great if in the future I could open up my clientele worldwide, so maybe that is something to consider for the future. Maybe I will grow enough to be able to offer worldwide shipping, so maybe that is in the books for the future.
Connecting With Customers and Building Community
Q: What have you found most effective for connecting with new customers or building a community around SaddleFit Canada?
I think one of the best ways to connect with new customers is word of mouth from existing clients, being able to leave enough of a positive effect on people and their horses that they talk about you. Client referrals to other clients are always appreciated and go a long way. Social and online presence are really important too. If people are doing a Google search to find a saddle fitter near them, when they see a website that looks professional, good online reviews, and regular posts on social media that show a bit of the knowledge behind what you offer, that really helps. I think the strongest part of the SaddleFit Canada community is definitely the return clients that I get to see regularly and the awesome barns that I get to spend so much time in. Sometimes it is every single trip that I go to the same barns and get to see the same people, spend a few hours there, catch up, lots of laughs get shared, lots of stories. [laughs] That is definitely one of my favorite parts of our little community.
Challenges for Independent Saddle Fitters and Tack Shops
Q: Every small business has its challenges. In your experience, what are the biggest obstacles for independent saddle fitters or tack shops right now?
I definitely think there are many challenges for small businesses and specifically for independent saddle fitters and tack shops. From the saddle fitter aspect, there are so many people nowadays who are so called saddle fitters and are maybe more so brand reps or work for a specific brand of saddles, versus being trained and certified with an international or recognized school to be a qualified saddle fitter. Sometimes it can be really hard to stand out when a client or customer is looking for a saddle fitter and does not necessarily know the difference.
From a tack shop perspective, I think it is similar, especially with online stores. There are so many people jumping on the bandwagon and wanting to open an online store because they are told it is really easy or you can just have a dropship store, super easy to set up, not a big deal. But people forget that no matter what, customers are going to be looking for brand trust. There is brand loyalty and brand awareness that you need to build, and that takes so much time and effort just to be able to stand out from all of the little tack shops that people may not be able to trust. That is very different from having a brick and mortar store. I think it is a lot easier for people to walk in and be able to see that you are real, versus the online world where people are wondering, is it a scam, is it trustworthy.
That is a very different way to try to pierce the market and stand out. I have definitely felt the challenges in that aspect with my online store. Another thing that is quite common as a challenge for saddle fitters is burnout. When you are trying to find balance in your life, especially with a young family like I have had, it is really hard because you can get so darn busy not only being on the road working but with all the work outside of that, catching up on the paperwork and the ordering and the admin and the customer service. It is definitely a heavy workload. I also find it difficult to make social media a regular part of my business when I was not raised in the day and age of technology. It is hard to make that second nature when it is such an important part of a business nowadays.
Dreams of Becoming a Bench Saddler
Q: You have handled training, rehab, gear, fitting, tack retail, and design. Is there anything you still feel you have missed out on, something that makes you think, “One day I will make time for that”?
Yes, of course there are still things I feel like I am missing out on that I keep telling myself, one day I will make time for that. For me, I would love to become a bench saddler, just to be able to know how to make my own saddles, and for those odd hard to fit horses where you could put all the customizations and different specs together on your own. I would love to be able to make my own saddles and also be able to do major modifications and big repairs on saddles. It would be a really cool thing for me to learn. Again, when I have time. One day.
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