Having grown up in an entrepreneurial household with small businesses, the fastest way to get me to open my wallet is the phrase, “support a small business.” I have a major appreciation for the courage it takes to go out on that limb, be a self-starter, and come up with your own “thing.” With that in mind, I try to do as much of my buying via small business as possible. Fortunately, the world of endurance is so small and so specialized, it’s actually a pretty easy thing to do.

Most small businesses don’t have a huge marketing budget for things like advertising, or the financial margins to be able to compete against large companies via lower price points, so they have to rely on referrals and word of mouth advertising to get their name out.

To that end, I will be introducing a series called “Small Business Saturdays” in which I feature a small business, mostly endurance related, that I have done business with and love what they offer. It probably won’t be an every-weekend thing, but my goal is to feature a new business at least every month. These will be unpaid, uncompensated reviews, and strictly based on my own personal opinions and experiences with the company.

Just in this photo alone, the saddle fleece, the saddle pad, and the beta tack all came from very small, mom-and-pop companies. (JMS Sheepskin, Archer Equine, and Taylored Tack)

So stay tuned for Saturday, and the first SBS feature. A little preview of what I will featuring… Flik Equestrian!