August 2011

I'm writing this sat in Belfast City Airport - more of a glorified bus stop than an airport to be honest. Been home at Abbeyview to see the horses. They're looking well - big fat bellies and shiny summer coats. I'm very much looking forward to the day I can bring them over to England. With my horses across the water, missing them is pretty difficult at times - even to be able to go to the fields and say 'hello' is one of the nicest things. Anyway, enough of my rambling.

The ladies taking it easy on Saturday morning.

Horses touch you in a way that therapy, self-help books and life coaches couldn't even try to. Winston Churchill said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man" - couldn't agree more!

So on that note I'm thrilled to bring you information from Sonia Birch, one of the British Equestrian Federation's (BEF) regional coordinators, about Hoof - an equestrian legacy. Recently launched throughout England they aim to help businesses within our industry build on the positive impact the media coverage the Olympics will have on equestrianism to get new bums in saddles. We were privileged to be asked to speak at two of the Hoof events. They lit a flame under us, and we want to help in any way we can. You'll find a way for you to get involved too, to start the discussion on social media with the launch of a new #tag on Twitter.

If that's not enough, we have three pieces from individuals who are definitely outstanding in their fields! First is one from dual PagePlay user Laura Butler with a site for her chartered accountancy business, Butler's Accountants she also works as a freelance instructor. Laura has written a piece for us on finance points of interest for equestrian businesses. Second is a thought-provoking piece by brand consultant and co-founder of PagePlay, Chris Charlton. The third piece in this month's newsletter is an update from freelance equestrian journalist, Victoria Spicer on her thoughts of the Olympic test event at Greenwich.

With one year to go until the opening of the London games the excitement is starting to build. Alas our whole office is ticketless - it will be a tremendous televisual spectacle nonetheless!

The Society of Master Saddlers' (SMS) CEO, Hazel Morely gave us lovely feedback on our talk at the society's recent AGM:

"We at The Society of Master Saddlers were pleased to welcome Chris and Liam as speakers at our annual seminar last month. 'Social Media Means Business' was the subject of their talk and they really convinced us of the truth in that statement. Everyone can increase their footfall, and their turnover, with a little bit of expert help in getting the right message across to the right people."

We are thrilled to be able to continue to offer a 25% discount on all PagePlay website subscriptions for SMS members. If you would like to avail of this benefit select SMS when signing up - simples!

Are you involved in an Equestrian Business or organisation in England and would like a local voice or support group to inspire your organisation's development? Then why not join your regional Hoof network which is open to all across Equestrianism.

With a year to go to one of the biggest sporting events of our nation’s history, Equestrianism has the unique opportunity of being showcased to all via the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. In order to capture that drive and enthusiasm, Hoof aims to ‘grow our sport’ and raise the profile of riding at local/regional level.

Hoof is the British Equestrian Federation’s legacy brand and this summer has seen the launch of a Hoof network in every English region. Hoof has 3 key objectives:

1. To get more people riding and increase participation at all levels in Equestrian sport

2. To empower the equestrian sector to grow their businesses and raise standards

3. To provide a communication network for the local equestrian sport to raise the profile of Equestrianism and share best practice

Hoof has been piloted in London since 2007, and has through collaborative working successfully:

• secured funding and investment into riding projects and facilities.

• attracted over £500k worth of Publicity.

• developed a regular calendar of Hoof events which involve a range of industry guest speakers, business/coach development days and networking opportunities.

Natalie O'Rourke, one of the riding centre proprietors who attends the London Hoof network said “I have been a sole trader for two years and running a riding school single handed is challenging to say the least. The network has enabled me to meet other proprietors and have people to ask for help when necessary, a problem shared is definitely a problem halved and I have felt much less pressured since joining. My business knowledge has also increased enormously, hopefully helping me to avoid problems in the future.

Since May, Hoof has been launching across the regions, and over 300 people from right across equestrianism from all areas of the sector have attended in support.

The next round of Hoof regional events will take place in the Autumn and will build on the launch success to encourage more members to join, attend its meetings/events, as well as generally offer a regional forum for Equestrian sport to network and benefit business.

For more information on Hoof and how you can join your local Hoof network:

North West
E: sonia.birch@bef.co.uk
T: 07813 332362

Yorkshire & The Humber
E: emma.white@bef.co.uk
T: 07900 811377

West Midlands
E: sonia.birch@bef.co.uk
T: 07813 332362

East Midlands
E: gill.barham@bef.co.uk
T: 07818 252244

East
E: gill.barham@bef.co.uk
T: 07818 252244

South West
E: anne.clarke@bef.co.uk
T: 07912 387412

South East
E: anne.clarke@bef.co.uk
T: 07912 387412

North East
E: emma.white@bef.co.uk
T: 07900 811377

London
E: jodievm@aim.com
T: 07815670035

We've been inspired to help the BEF Hoof Networks increase awareness of equestrianism within their local areas, building on the positive impact the Olympics and Special Olympics will have on our sport. On Twitter we follow BBC Sport's Ollie Williams. Ollie is an equestrian enthusiast, their leading equestrian journalist and writes a blog on the BBC Sport website. In his bio he says he, "covers sports which don't normally hit the headlines." The Olympics will be a different story with the BBC guaranteeing continuous coverage of equestrian sports online during the games, not to mention the television coverage they’ll get. This is an amazing opportunity for the grassroots in our industry to capitalise on the exposure and help get bums in saddles!

We want to start a conversation on the social-sphere by getting industry professionals talking about what they've tried in their local area, what worked and didn't. Getting marketers, organisations and equestrian companies talking about how we can help each other to break down barriers and shatter preconceived ideas about horse riding. We want to hear from a broad spectrum of equestrians using the hashtag #bumsinsaddles. This of course will not just be visible to those in the UK. We encourage equestrians across the globe to join in for the benefit of the grassroots in their own countries. So please do join in and spread the word!

If you’re not a ‘Tweeter’ find out about hashtags.

Another quote from Churchill: "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." Such wonderfully fulfilled lives we lead - let's spread the horsey love!

Butlers is a small family practice of Chartered Accountants with a specialism in equestrian businesses. We asked Laura Butler to give us a run-down of what equestrian businesses should be aware of when it comes to the minefield of tax and accounting.

Your equestrian business may or may not be making a profit yet but having a specialist equestrian accountant on your team can help your business to achieve its potential and guide you through the many beneficial tax reliefs available to the equestrian industry and avoid the pitfalls along the way.

Growing your business (or making hay while the sun shines)

A specialist equestrian accountant who really understands your business inside out, can help you to monitor your business on a regular basis and provide you with relevant information to help you make decisions about that new arena, whether to take on a new employee or where to reduce your costs.

Butlers could help you set up a robust system for recording all of your income and all of your expenses. We could help with setting up a simple computer based spreadsheet, or even a set of printed sheets for you to complete specifically tailored to your business. Don’t forget - you need to keep all receipts and records for seven years in case the taxman comes knocking.

The bank manager

It is becoming more and more difficult to borrow money whether it’s to grow your business or to help you through these difficult economic times. Whether you are looking for a loan or renewing your overdraft, banks and investors are increasingly asking to see annual accounts with Chartered Accountant’s reports and copies of tax returns for the previous few years, so it pays to have them ready.

When your accountant is as excited about your ideas as you are and can understand your vision it becomes much easier to prepare forecasts and get help filling in the gaps, so you are fully prepared to face the bank manager with confidence.

The taxman

When it comes to the taxman, it really pays to have a specialist accountant on your side. You are legally obliged to register your business with HMRC as soon as you start trading and you may face a penalty for not doing it, but did you know there are a number of other advantages to being registered? Structuring your business properly as a registered trade can save you thousands in the long run.

Potential 50% tax relief on losses

If you run an equestrian business alongside other income, for example if you live the exciting double life of livery yard owner who also holds down an office job, then losses made in the livery yard business may be used to get relief against of other tax you have paid, including PAYE.

Potential to save inheritance tax at 40%

Equestrian business property used in a properly structured trade can potentially reduce inheritance tax on your estate.

Potential to save capital gains tax at up to 28%

When you sell property there are reliefs available on trading business assets which can significantly reduce any capital gains tax you would have to pay.

Cash businesses

Many equestrian businesses are largely cash based with lessons, livery bills, farriers’ bills and feed bills all being paid in cash often with no receipts – it goes in one hand and out the other right? The taxman, for all his faults, isn’t stupid. He knows that this happens, and he knows that lots of people in cash based businesses don’t always own up to all of the cash that comes in. So he targets them for investigations and now he has the power to knock on the door and ask to see your business records anytime he likes – and guess what? His official guidance stipulates that in cases where record keeping is poor he should dig a little deeper.

It’s worth knowing that you don’t have to answer any questions on the spot and you can ask him to come back at a more convenient time when your accountant can be with you. That’s when you need a specialist who really understands your business and is familiar with it to guide you through the process or even meet the taxman on your behalf.

And talking of the taxman...

If you are actively advertising your services through a website, listing page or social networking site, the taxman assumes you are trading commercially and may now check to see whether you have registered.

VAT

VAT is a funny beast particularly for livery yards where full livery, schooling or teaching are involved. If you provide services other than basic DIY livery it would be worth having a chat with an equestrian accountant about VAT. You are currently required to register if your total income all together is likely to exceed £73,000.
Employees

Don’t forget, it is important to check whether anyone who works for you needs to be registered for PAYE. If they don’t declare their income the tax bill lands on your doorstep. We could help you check the status of people who work for you, to make sure you aren’t exposed.

A specialist equestrian accountant...

If you would like to discuss any of the issues in this article, or annual accounts and tax compliance, drop us a line for a chat.

To find success, we first need to understand what is meant by a brand. It is a term which is widely misunderstood. With this established, we can explore what constitutes effective brand experiences are and how to achieve these in an increasingly online world.

What is a brand?

Some people think a brand is a name, a logo, a set of values or a set of rules for how to design for a particular product or company.

In reality it is much simpler and yet deeper.

A brand is in essence a story; an idea which inspires and excites your audience. It is a tool and an asset used by the business to create an emotional and profitable connection with consumers.

Before you design a logo, choose a colour, typeface, tone of voice or any of those other creative communication tools, you must define the brand. This is so much more than simply listing a load of values. There needs to be a coherence – a dramatic tension – a personality, which makes sense when explained. It may never need to be explained – as long as you know what it is and can judge your future brand decisions against it.

So the brand can be considered to be the story, the DNA or even the soul of what we create. You need to be brave and make some decisions about what your brand is and is not. Strategy is about making decisions: do not try to be all things to all people. This is about more than just a unique selling point (USP). What makes your brand personality different to that of your competitor(s)?

What makes a good brand experience?

A brand experience is any moment in which a consumer comes into contact with a brand with the possibility of making a memory of it. I tend to prefer a very broad definition of this as I believe it’s more realistic. So we may consider the following:

• All deliberate brand communications – e.g. newsletters, advertising, website, social media channels and posts, references within media and PR activities, business cards, letterheads, vehicle graphics, event sponsorship.

• All deliberate product/service experiences – e.g. staff, telephone systems, online management or ordering systems, email style, automated letters and emails, product characteristics, returns policies, pricing structures, smells in the retail environment, uniforms, packaging design.

• All of the accidental/indirect stuff – e.g. packaging disposal options, your logo in litter, press coverage you didn’t instigate, being talked about in social media, word of mouth, fan sites, competitors’ comparisons against your offer, former employees.

All of these represent brand experiences – your audience will have these (and more) whether you think they are or not. Clearly, to try and control all of these experiences – especially for a small or medium sized business – would lead, very quickly, to a nervous breakdown! I’m not religious at all, but I think we can take something from The Serenity Prayer here:

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Focus only on the things you can control and make those experiences the best that you can. This is the ‘secret’ of the most successful brands.

In deciding what to focus on, you could do a lot worse than to choose those experiences which are most likely to make positive memories.

What experiences make positive memories?

• Multi-sensorial
We’re more likely to make a memory when we experience something through more than one sense. Powerful immersive experiences will touch all five. Smell is most strongly connected with memory making and smell-branding is emerging as a very influential field.

• Emotional
We remember emotionally engaging experiences. Something that makes you feel really happy, nostalgic, broody, sexy or powerful for instance. These emotional drivers have a really strong hold over us – so experiences which consistently help us to experience these things are remembered better and sought again.

• Real
Although it may be counter-intuitive to suggest in our media age, we still remember things that have really happened to us more than things we have read or seen on television. Actual experiences of a brand should be higher on your list than designs or layouts. Think of how you feel about a brand when you experience poor customer service on the phone or in a shop. It’s much more potent than the company’s visual identity – so deserves closer attention.

What does this mean in practice for online experiences?

• Exploit sound and vision
Make sure you at least use both of the senses which can be reached directly online –use audio and video content to support your message. A real client recommending you on video is more powerful than a written testimonial.

• Evoke other senses indirectly
Use photos and descriptions which will evoke memories of smells and tastes. Design in textures to your 2D design which connect with the 3D reality of how you brand feels to the touch. A good example of this might be a soap powder commercial – even a name like cut grass or real leather will evoke great smells.

• Actually connect your online experiences with offline ones
This will depend heavily on the nature of your business, but if you express an aspect of your brand story and values online then this should feel consistent with when you come into contact with the brand in the ‘real world’. As a riding school, a brand value might be ‘integrity’ so you push the message that you offer real quality tuition – you can communicate this online but how does it come through in a lesson? Do you have a positive, yet honest de-brief with pupils?

So depending on what stage you’re at, you’ll have some or all of the following tasks to tackle:

1. Identify your priorities in terms of the brand experiences you can and want to control.

2. For each of the experiences on that list, figure out how you can cross-connect your behaviour and communications so that it reinforces the memories of the brand that you want your audience to make.

Chris Charlton is a brand strategist and entrepreneur. In 2008 he co-founded PagePlay, an award-winning content management system which allows anyone to take control over the hub of their online brand experiences: their website.

It’s been a hectic month since I last wrote an update for the Abbeyview e-newsletter. The four weeks between the British Jumping Derby Meeting (22-26 June) and the Longines Royal International Horse Show (26-31 July) at Hickstead, for which I’m press officer, seemed to whizz past in a stream of press announcements, updates and endless picture requests! I also had a number of other equestrian events to attend in between times, including the Coral Eclipse at Sandown, Kent County Show, Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the little matter of an Olympic Test Event in Greenwich Park.

I was somewhat relieved to receive press accreditation for the test event, as I have neither a press pass or tickets to the Olympics proper. I’ve been one of the few people who’ve supported the choice of Greenwich right from the start, for the mostly selfish reasons that I live in walking distance of the park. I knew that it wasn’t some sterile, flat piece of parkland, but that it was undulating and blessed with the most dramatic backdrop an event could wish for. Yes, three-day events usually have the obligatory stately home in the background, but Greenwich has Canary Wharf, the O2 arena, the Queen’s House and the National Maritime Museum, and the entire of London spread out behind it.

The selection of Greenwich as the venue for the 2012 equestrian events has met with controversy though, and a small group of locals gathered outside the gates to protest against the use of Greenwich park, holding polite banners with slogans such as ‘Please go home’ or ‘Fly away Piggy’. Incidentally, I’ve interviewed Piggy French before and she’s one of the nicest and most down-to-earth riders I’ve met, so it was frustrating to see her name bandied about as some reason why eventing was a sport for ‘stuck-up toffs’ and had no place in London. What was worse was the local blogger who posted online ‘Piggy French and William Fox-Pitt – great role models for young people. Not.”

I argued that sportspeople like Piggy and William, who had worked hard and showed amazing talent and dedication, were perfectly good role models for anyone, only to be told ‘Get real. There is people who live in poverty near Greenwich.’ As I don’t live on the doorstep of Greenwich park, where average house prices could quite easily cover the cost of a nice house with a decent yard, stables and land elsewhere in the country, I thought this somewhat patronising. As a friend later pointed out, sport is one area where you can excel, whatever your background, and I know lots of riders who’ve made it to the top without coming from a privileged family.

I digress. Despite being a temporary structure, the main arena at Greenwich ­was certainly stunning. Only one grandstand was used, on the south side of the arena, so when the additional stands are put in place the atmosphere will certainly be electric for next year’s Games.

What was most pleasing about the test event was the amount of press coverage it has generated – breathtaking photos of horses jumping with London’s landmarks forming a glorious backdrop appeared all over the newspapers. It was also fascinating to see the reaction of local schoolchildren, most of whom had never seen live equestrian sport before – their loud and excited cheering every time a horse went past is proof that this temporary Olympic site may have a lasting legacy after all, and that’s introducing new supporters to our sport.

It was brilliant to stand by the water jump and listen to the schoolchildren scream and whoop every time a horse approached – so different to the usual polite hush you get at equestrian events. Some chanted things like ‘Go Piggy!’ (they should have a word with the protestors, I think), or ‘USA! USA!’, and apparently some even called out, in a hopeful voice, ‘Please fall off!’

Whether the riders all manage to stay in the plate through the water at next year’s Games or not, I think equestrianism will win some new fans over the next 12 months. The choice of venue may have courted controversy, the ticketing situation is deeply frustrating, and logistically there will be issues to overcome, but I would be surprised if anyone who’s lucky enough to be there watching in 2012 comes away disappointed.

As ever, if you have any news you'd like to share, feel free to drop us a line: info@abbeyviewequine.com

We launched the new Abbeyview site two weeks ago. We've had a much-needed refresh - a serious case of physician heal thyself. Please do check it out; we'd love to know what you think.