1. Lower the barrier of entry as much as possible. For example, if most equestrian clubs in your area ask for an entrance fee, you should not.
Realize that a student may stay with you, on average, for 3 years, so you can afford to give away a little on the front end to gain their initial trust,
knowing that you will capitalize over the long term.
2. You can run an ad in the local paper that said something like this: "We realize that your little boy or girl may not like horseback riding and it is
difficult for you to risk spending an entrance fee, first month's fee and the price of all the equipment, only to have your child miserable, hoping to
quit. We want to remove that risk from you. That's why you can join the xyz riding school with no entrance fee, and we'll lend you the equipment for
up to three months. And, if you child doesn't like his/her classes for any reason whatsoever and wants to quit after the first month, we will refund
your first month's fee with no hassles."
3. Get instructors who love students and show it. I think this is more important that having a strong ability to teach. Often children come from difficult
environments and if you have instructors who love on the kids, then they will be hungry to come back.
4. Realize that you can only grow your school by increasing the number of hours that an instructor teaches, or increasing the amount that each
student pays. You must look for additional products or services that you can sell to your students. Consider building a DVD training program for
either students or teachers so that you can develop an on-going revenue outside of your own operation.
5. Give your students referral coupons valued at about $30 to $50. Instruct them to hand them out to friends and family members that they care
about. The people they give the coupons to could bring them in and save on their first month's tuition. The student who gives the coupon would
receive an equal amount for a discount on their next month's fee.
Horse Riding Lessons