BSET Academy Blog – April 2025
Showcasing student work in Equine Entrepreneurship
BSET Academy is delighted to share the outstanding work produced by our second-year students in the Entrepreneurship and Business Ventures (EBV) course. This month’s blog highlights two student submissions that stood out not only for their creativity and relevance but also for their depth of understanding and commitment to their studies.
First, we present Melissa Rautenbach’s Persona Task, where students were challenged to create a detailed persona of an entrepreneur operating in the equine health and well-being space.
Then, we feature Shelley van der Wel’s blog on business systemization, where she draws an engaging and relatable analogy between managing a well-run business and the daily operations of a successful stable yard. Her piece is not only informative but also grounded in her lived experience, making it both practical and informative.
We are proud of the effort, creativity, and professionalism our students continue to show. Their work reflects the passion and diligence that define the BSET learning environment.
Melissa Rautenbach – Persona Task
Systemization Blog by Shelley van der Wel
Think of running a business almost the same way as a stable yard that takes care of the horses. If you think about it there is quite a bit that the business can learn about how stable yards look after their horses.
Sticking to a timeframe or routine:
At a stable yard everything runs smoothly to routine most days. The horses are fed at the same time every day, get ridden or exercised as regularly as possible and get given care whatever and whenever they need it. In a business the business should work almost in the same way. By means of:
- Creating checklists or schedules of the most important tasks that need to be completed
- Having a duty list of tasks everyone must complete.
Treat people individually:
Stable yards treat and know each horse that comes through their door differently and that they know not one horse is the same as another. This goes for the people in the business as well. That by having a good system in place does not mean that the workplace is treating everybody the same but by making a framework that helps everyone in the workplace out.
Make checklists or templates:
Stables keep track of everything that goes in and around the stables and even what gets done with the horses, nothing is left as a guessing game meaning that there is not one thing that someone cannot remember what was done and when it was done. Businesses need to do the same by making checklists that everyone in the workplace can follow, especially if one or more people are doing the same task. Also, by creating templates that show how a certain task needs to be completed will help the people’s jobs be easier to complete as there will not be any confusion.
Adjusting as needed:
Stable yards are also able to adjust where they are needed, for example like if more horses come into the yard the stables need to adjust to what that specific horse needs and adjust so that the horse can fit into the stable’s daily routine more comfortably. Business should be able to adjust as well by making changes to the systems that have been put into place so that the business can run more efficiently.
Think about the bigger picture:
Just like a horses life depends on everything like food, water, exercise and emotional well-being. The business is the same. You must not just focus on one thing in the business you need to make sure that all parts of the business work well together so that everything can run as smoothly as possible. Which means that:
- You need to make sure that everyone in the business understands the main goals
- Make sure you encourage people in the workplace to work together
- Make a space where people can communicate freely with others
- Break tasks in different departments into smaller steps so that other people can understand as well.
In conclusion, running a business is not that much different than running a stable yard or looking after horses. It’s about having a routine, being able to be flexible, paying attention to the finer details and always looking at the bigger picture within the business. So, start treating your business like a stable yard. Where you create systems that help your team, help track progress and goals and help the team be able to perform at their best. You can now watch as your business becomes healthier, stronger and more successful.
References:
Works Cited
Anthropic. “Claude.” Claude.ai, 2023, claude.ai/.
“Developing Your Stable Management Plan – Stablebuzz.” Stablebuzz, 31 Aug. 2022, www.stablebuzz.com/2022/08/31/developing-your-stable-management-plan/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
“Tips for Running an Efficient Horse Stable – Stablebuzz.” Stablebuzz, 23 Nov. 2021, www.stablebuzz.com/2021/11/23/tips-for-running-an-efficient-horse-stable/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.