Another Friday, another Small Business Spotlight. This one is a really fun one: Emily’s Equine Creations. If you’re active on basically any kind of social media, you’ve probably seen her products before. If not, you really need to like her on facebook and follow her on Instagram – you’re missing out on all the pretty things.
The most popular product at EEC definitely seems to be bridle charms. My personal favorite is the hand-stamped tag with a colored gem. Gone are the days of just a boring brass tag! It’s the perfect dual purpose item: a practical tag to mark your bridle plus some pretty bling for decoration. You can have the tag stamped with whatever you want – your name or your horse’s name or even just a word that means something to you. The gems come in light blue, blue, clear, light pink, magenta, red, orange, yellow, lime green, dark green, lilac or gray. If you’re not so into bling but still want a cool tag, she can do that too. The best part? These are only $3! At that price you might as well order one for every piece of tack you own.
She also offers lots of other charms, from crowns to clovers to anchors to initials. I think my next favorite item is the spherical balls of bling that I personally think would look really cute on boot zipper pulls.
If you’re some kind of weirdo who doesn’t like bling, EEC also offers custom hand painted brushes and stall signs starting as low as $15. Lots of things in her store would make great gifts for the hard to shop for equestrian, and your money goes to help support another fellow horse lover’s obsession. That’s my favorite part about small businesses like this!
EEC’s creator Emily (bet you never would have guessed!) was kind enough to give us more insight into her business.
1) When did you start this business?
I began my business as Emily’s Stall Signs. Which is exactly what I did, stall signs! It began in December 2013 when I was brainstorming Christmas gifts for my barn family that wouldn’t break my college student budget. My first 2 years of college were as an art major, so I thought I would give stall signs a shot. Turns out, when I posted them on Facebook, TONS of people wanted me to make some for them too, so I created a Facebook page and got to work. After a little while I started dabbling in different products and renamed my little business, Emily’s Equine Creations, in March 2014.
2) How many employees are in your company?
It’s just me, myself, and I. However, my boyfriend occasionally helps me with designing logos and prepping brushes. I also have 5 brand ambassadors who help with advertising and I also sponsor local riders and barns.
3) Where did the idea for the business come from?
I think I pretty much answered this in question 1, but I’ll expand on it a little. A lot of my basic product ideas come from seeing a need and want for custom products but what’s already out there is expensive. Horses are already expensive, and it’s nice to be able to get quality, custom products at an affordable price.
4) What is your background in horses?
I’ve been riding since I was 7 or 8, so around 14 years. I grew up in the hunter jumper world in the Midwest, and that’s where I’m strongest. But I also play in dressage, eventing, jumpers, and even show up in the western ring contesting and showing ranch horse classes occasionally. I own 1 horse, he’s a 17hh, 12 year old standardbred that I’ve had since I was 13. I also ride and train one of my trainer’s horses, a 7 year old Irish thoroughbred.
5) Any interesting notes about yourself, your business or your products that you would like for people to know?
I love making my customers happy and seeing people enjoying and showing off their creations is what makes me happy. I love what I’m doing and don’t plan on quitting any time soon. Running this business keeps me incredibly busy, and on top of a second job, riding, and school, it’s very stressful at times, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
If you like her stuff – definitely go follow her on Instagram. Every 500 or so followers she does a giveaway, so there are regular opportunities to win FREE STUFF. Everyone loves free stuff, especially when it’s this adorable.
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