Sept 04
Oct 04
Nov 04
Dec 04

Jan 05
Feb 05
Mar 05
Apr 05
May 05
June 05
July 05
Aug 05
Sept 05
Oct 05
Nov 05

Jan 06
Feb 06

Home | Links | Resources | Feedback | News-Articles | Privacy Policy | About Us | Services | Events

www.farrierappointmentserviceteam.com
Member of Farrier Industry Association (FIA)

Autumn Begins – Will Gas Prices Go Up or Back Down?

Autumn, my favorite time of the year begins September 22. Crispness fills the air and the Canadian geese begin coming home to nestle in for the winter at the lake nearby. They never fly south because they have it too well here in Fort Collins, CO.

Everything and everyone starts to move at a slower pace during this time of the year. Your farrier business is probably starting to slow down a bit, too. Now is the time to decide what you will be changing about your farrier business for next year. If you think that you will not be making any changes and will be keeping things the same, you had better think twice.

This is one big change that directly affects your business. Our nation has been devastated by the disaster caused by hurricane Katrina in three of our states. Gas prices have reached an all time high. What are you going to do about the effect it will have on your bottom line?

I like being optimistic and I would like to believe that the rise of gas prices will not be a permanent problem. I want to think that as soon as everyone has gotten out of their panic mode and the media stops sensationalizing on this tragedy, Americans will take a deep breath and say, “Let’s make some good out of this. Jobs will be available to help rebuild these cities and towns. Because there are these jobs, the economy will be better. Our government will give money to help those who have lost everything in this tragedy but this time the money will remain in our country.”

There should be a silver lining to every cloud, but what if there is not? Can your business survive the gas price increases? You will be paying at least $1.00 more per gallon of gas. Your gas bill will be 1/3 or more than it was at the beginning of this year and this is a conservative estimate.

But, let’s not run around like Chicken Little, yet. Let’s look at some of the ways you can economize on fuel and help your business’ bottom line.

1. Apply for gas credit cards that will give you up to 5% cash back on fuel. I have a Shell card that gives me 5% back on gas.
   
2. Give your customers a 10% discount on their shoeing if they bring the horses to you. Of course this only works if you have a place at home to shoe or you know of a place close to home where you can shoe.
   
3. When you go to a customer’s place to shoe, add a fuel fee to their bill. Companies that use trucks such as UPS, Yellow, and FedEx, all impose an extra fuel charge on the customers that use their service. They started doing this back in the nineties when fuel jumped above 99 cents per gallon (we would love to see those days, again). These companies have to drive gas guzzlers just like you do in order to do their job. They cannot trade their fleet of trucks in for a fleet of small cars to save on gas because, just like you, their business requires a truck. So, they passed the expense on to the customer. This fuel fee can be charged at a per mile rate (i.e. 25 cents/mile, 50 cents/mile) so that customers who live closer pay less. Or, you can charge a flat fee of $1.75, $2.50, etc. 
   
4. This is my favorite. Employ my services. I will make sure you don’t make needless trips to customers only to be stood up because they forgot. Your schedule will be made so you will not do any back tracking. If you are delayed, I will call ahead to make sure the customer is notified of the delay and they are waiting for you or reschedule your customer and let you know so you do not make any unnecessary trips. My services cost most farriers between $1.50 and $5.00 of their shoeing fee per horse per month. It’s tax deductible and it’s worth every penny.