Ever wonder what ideas other farriers are using to effectively grow their shoeing businesses?

Based on a survey of shoers attending last winter’s American Farrier’s Association convention in California, we came up with 52 ideas that have proven beneficial in expanding a business.

In addition, we asked farriers to share the two worst ideas they’d ever tried and came up with 48 “disastrous” items. 
Surprisingly, very few farriers mentioned the importance of learning new horseshoeing techniques or the lack of shoeing skills in affecting their business growth.

Best Ideas For Expansion

Some 19 percent of the farriers say their best tool for getting more clients is to always do the best shoeing job they are capable of doing. Another 11 percent credited word of mouth advertising with the best way to get more clients.

Being prompt for appointments was listed by 9 percent of shoers. Always being courteous and upfront with clients about shoeing problems and delays was listed by 7 percent.

Some 5 percent of farriers said letting clients and prospects know they continually expand their shoeing education by participating in farrier conventions and clinics resulted in more business. 

Distributing business cards to horse owners was cited as a valuable business tool by 5 percent of farriers.

Some 4 percent of farriers say certification helped expand their customer base. Another 4 percent believe communicating effectively with equine veterinarians and seeking referrals helped grow their business. 

Some 3 percent of farriers find returning telephone calls as soon as possible, learning…