We were lucky to catch up with Hannah Stutts recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hannah, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I’m 26, and started this business at 17. Imposter syndrome held me back for a long time. Getting anyone in this industry to take you seriously at that age is hard, and you begin to question if you even belong. Should I be doing this professionally? Do I know enough? Over time, I just had to develop the confidence to enter the arena, head held high, and not care what anyone else thought. Of course I’m not going to win as much as someone with 20 more years experience and twice my income. That doesn’t mean I don’t belong. I’ve dedicated much of my life to horses. Everyone has to start somewhere. I spend most of my free time reading books, watching videos, or attending in person clinics and lessons with other professionals. There is always more to learn, and I plan on continuing my education in this industry for as long as I’m a part of it. There’s always going to be someone out there better than you, but you aren’t in competition with anyone but yourself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Our primary focus is horseback riding lessons. We have the largest ranch based lesson program in our area, and a show team that competes along the east coast. Our focus is on ranch roping and cutting, and overall horsemanship. I decided pretty early on that I didn’t want to just teach kids how to ride, though. I wanted to help them develop work-ethic, confidence, responsibility, and communication skills. I also wanted the barn to be a safe space for anyone that needed it, and to be able to offer lessons to everyone. We have several foster children in our program, along with many low income families. We hold fundraisers so that anyone who wants to ride can come to us for that opportunity. Horses have so much to teach us, and I want to make it available to anyone willing to put in the work. Over the years, this truly has become a family, and many of these kids look to me for guidance. It’s a huge honor and I do not take it lightly. I love the horses, and the riding, but watching these kids grow up into brave and kind adults has been the best part of the job by far, and knowing I play a part in that. We continue to grow and usually have a wait list for lessons, which is tough because I want to take them all!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
When you have your own business, you have to be good at conflict management, budgeting, and marketing. Those three things will get you a long ways. I developed most of these skills just through life experience, but I also majored in business and gained some valuable insight there as well. The biggest thing is creating a brand that sets you apart from others in your industry, and being able to market that brand successfully. Not every client is for you, and that’s ok! Learn how to tactfully deal with any conflict, listen and learn from the situation, and move on. Don’t spend money you don’t have, and never spend money you haven’t yet received. Study under others in your industry that have made it work, and take notes!
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest challenge we have is outgrowing our facilities. Since 2015, we have been in 4 different facilities, leasing, and have outgrown each one pretty easily. Right now we have an amazing farm, the largest one to date, and within a year have already maxed out our space. We really could use more acreage, which would allow us more horses and cattle, which would allow us to take on more students, another instructor, and impact more kids. Right now, it’s just not in the budget with land prices, but we are putting back funds and constantly on the lookout for purchase options that may work for us! Since we work with low income families a lot, it does impact our bottom line and limit what we can afford, but I know our forever farm is out there somewhere.
Contact Info:
- Website: jaksstables.com
