[deonk1]

Hi Brit,

I'm going to jump in on this... I ran a horse business for 6 years prior to starting school, so I have lots of insight into the running a business based on your passion.

FIRST the MOST IMPORTANT lesson I learned starting out is NEVER undervalue yourself. If you start low cost you are stuck charging that, existing clients will not accept a rate increase, and people may view you as a low end service, where you clearly want to offer a high end service. So your valuation isn't strong, you need to increase the price, cause business expenses will add up. I started teaching riding lessons by charging $20/hour, by the time I stopped I was delivering equivalent value of my coach who charged $50 per hour, but could only raise my rates to $30.

Second, are there loans in your area for small businesses, or youth. Look into this, there are many programs that come with mentors and perks and traininer for young entrepreneurs. I know in Canada there are several grant programs.

Third, get a mentor, or two, or three. You will want to call people and ask for advice, and you will get brutal honesty from these people, that will help you succeed. You need someone who isn't going to sugar coat things, they will tell you it straight so that you can learn quickly.

Fourth, I don't want to be a downer, but this needs to be considered. Make sure you're up for the work. The root of every good entrepreneur is indeed passion, but make sure you're ready for the amount of work that will come. I thought I was going to run a horse business for the rest of my life, I started at 14, built a small empire by 18 and lost it all by 20. I'm 23 now and I haven't rode a horse in over a year cause I had such a bad business experience that I don't want to ever go back to riding again. So think long and hard about it before you start. You want to assure that you are willing to take that extra work.

I have a million things I'd love to tell you, and I want to offer if you have any questions and want some help from a young entrepreneur I'd be happy to chat with you in more detail. I am part of a mentorship program here in NS and I mentor young entrepreneurs so do not hesitate to ask me anything you can pm me or email. We can even skype if you want.

I can see your passion and I know you've been working on trying to find what you love to do over the past year or so. I think this could be a great idea for you, you just need to make sure you've thought of everything, and it looks like you're off to a good start.