We had the good fortune of connecting with Landyn Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Landyn, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As many entrepreneurs, I created my business in order to fill a need I seen in the market. I had recently gotten engaged, and wanted a very western styled wedding-through and through. As a planner type person, I knew the first step was finding a wedding planner that I could brainstorm and jot my wedding ideas down in. When I started looking there were zero western styled wedding planners on the market–so I decided to create one for myself. From there, I decided to sell them on Etsy, and the business snowballed via my social media platforms. All of my designs are either hand done by me, or partnered with other small artists I’ve met through my business; this ensures that they are all unique and on brand. Because people loved my design work, I got a lot of requests to make western stationery products that were non-bridal, to diversify my market and audience. When I started my business I was a full time teacher as well. I taught and ran my business for two years, and in August of 2022 I quit teaching to pursue my business full time! It has been a challenging and rewarding journey!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The Saddle Shoppe is made of 3 main business entities: The western wedding, the western stationery, and the small business coaching. I believe all 3 of the different entities are unique because of the style, designs and niche market it serves. Western, Country, Ag based individuals are the main market, but anyone who loves the western designs and imagery can find a product that would serve them through The Saddle Shoppe. I also have a large focus on women in business, and have spent countless hours trying to create an encouraging community space that is safe and inspiring for other women. I love being able to offer such a diverse range of products and services, that all fit within a niche that is near and dear to my heart! Developing and managing a business has been extremely difficult! When I first started I was a full time Agriculture teacher and the products were just a hobby of mine. I had to develop extremely diligent time management habits in order to maintain both positions. Social media was completely unknown to me, and I had to learn to be brave in ways I never thought I would have to in order to access new customers. I also faced many challenges learning how to create products that were affordable and high quality, and it took hundreds of hours and dollars to find solutions that worked.
The biggest lessons I’ve learned along the way is that nothing is more valuable than experience and connections. No one can wake up one day and just decide to have a successful business. There will be more challenges than you can imagine, and having the patience to work though the new and unexpected will result in irreplaceable knowledge and experience. It is also important to rely on the knowledge and experience of others, and accept help when you need it. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart– you 100% of the time have to be willing to do tasks you don’t like, work with people who make you nervous, and put yourself out there to be rejected. But if you do this, you will find people who not only love what you offer, but support you as a person, and there is nothing more rewarding!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a major foodie, so we would spend several days exploring the incredible food and beverage selections in the Northern Colorado Area. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast, and some of my must stop breakfast places are Verns Place in Laporte, Silver Grill Cafe in Fort Collins, and Doug’s Diner in Greeley. As any local Coloradian, I also love a good brewery/distillery, and there are no shortage of those to visit! Some of my must stops include Weldworks and Wiley Roots in Greeley, and Odell’s in Fort Collins. I also really enjoy Mob Mountain Distillery in FOCO and 477 in Greeley. As far as some of my favorite activities, I love to hike and paddle board in Fort Collins, visit every antique shop I can find (there’s a great row of them in southern Fort Collins), and go to summer time concerts and rodeos like the ones at the Greeley Stampede!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be where I am without the support of others! I have recently started offering Small Business Workshops to other women in business, as a way of giving back my gained knowledge, and one of the biggest topics I teach about, is how important collaboration with other people and business is! Not only are connections valuable in helping you reach a larger audience or source products/services in a new and better way, but they are also valuable because they can help you when you are struggling or burnt out! When I first started The Saddle Shoppe, I had 1 product idea, 0 social media following, and not a day of sales experience to my name. Today I have over 100 products ranging from bridal, to clothing, to stationery and school supplies; I have over 16 thousand potential customers via Instagram and over 16 thousand via TikTok, and coming up on 2000 sales! A huge reason for my growth boils down to the people and connections I have made through this business!
I have endless amounts of support from my Husband Zach, who always encourages me to take the chance, and pursue my dreams–whenever I question myself or my business Zach is right there with a smile and a solution. My friends and family have helped me tremendiously through the creation and management of The Saddle Shoppe; they always pick up the phone when I need help learning how to do a new skill, or provide advice when contemplating my next big business venture. Through my business I have also made several new friends who have become my biggest cheerleaders; whenever I have a new product, new success or even a bad day, they reach out to me with kind words and encouragement. I have customers who are 5, 10 time repeat customers, and I know I would not be where I am today without them. I also work with a variety of talented artists, social media influencers and magazines, and have endless amounts of support and encouragement from not only them, but their amazing customers as well.
When people say “It takes a Village”, it really does! I am who I am, and my business is what it is, because of the countless hours and dollars that people have shared with me. I am so grateful to each one of the amazing people in my life!

Website: the-saddle-shoppe.com

Instagram: thesaddleshoppe

Facebook: The Saddle Shoppe

Image Credits
Miss Miller’s Photography Baleigh Creed Photography CFagrilm

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