How to Leverage a Book to Grow Your Equine Business with Lee Baucom, PhD
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Welcome to the show notes! Remember, this is a brief summary from the How to Market Your Horse Business podcast. You'll want to listen to the entire episode for all the good stuff!
If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, you may have wondered whether it’s actually worth the time and effort.
Will anyone buy it? Will it help your business? And once the book is published, then what?
According to author and business coach Lee Baucom, PhD, the answer may be much bigger than book sales alone.
Lee has written seven books and built an entire business around his expertise. Along the way, he’s worked with other authors who have realized something important: the book itself can be the starting point for much more.
In my conversation with Lee, we talked about how equine entrepreneurs can think beyond simply selling copies of a book and instead use their expertise to create more opportunities within an existing business.
5 Ways to Leverage a Book to Grow Your Equine Business
Start with what you want the book to do.
Before you decide whether to self-publish, pursue a traditional publisher, or explore another route, Lee recommends asking a simple question:
“What do I need this book to do?”
Then, reverse engineer from there.
That might sound familiar if you’ve worked with me, because I use a similar approach with business owners: start with your definition of success and work backward from there.
Lee has watched authors choose traditional publishing simply because it feels like a “stamp of approval,” even when that may not be the best fit for what they’re actually trying to accomplish.
The same principle applies to your book.
If your goal is to establish yourself as an expert, create a new revenue stream, attract coaching clients, fill retreats, or open doors to speaking opportunities, those goals should influence how you approach the book from the beginning.
Your book can become a business “flywheel.”
Lee explained how a book can create a flywheel for your business.
He doesn't want authors to get stuck thinking only about book sales. In fact, he pointed out that the average book sells around 200 copies, which means book sales alone aren't necessarily going to create sustainable income.
Instead, think about what the book can lead to.
Lee gave the example of speaking. You might sell books while speaking to an audience, but the reverse can also happen: your book can help create speaking opportunities.
“The book allows you to speak,” he explained, “the speeches allow you to sell the books.”
And speaking is only one possibility.
Your book could also lead into:
* Coaching or one-on-one services
* Online courses
* Live or virtual events
* Retreats
* Additional resources
* Teaching others your method
* Speaking engagements
* Other offers built around your expertise
For an equine entrepreneur, that could look very different depending on your business.
Maybe you’ve developed a specific approach to horse training. Maybe you teach riders using a particular philosophy. Maybe you’ve developed a framework for starting young horses, improving confidence, or helping horse owners solve a specific problem.
The book doesn't have to be the end product.
It can become the doorway into everything else you already know how to do.
Find the framework hiding inside your expertise.
When someone has reached the point where writing a book makes sense, they’ve usually developed enough mastery to have a thumbprint, or a particular way they do things.
Lee calls that your framework.
And sometimes, you don't even realize you have one.
As he put it, “Your book is your framework, you just didn't know it.”
Once you identify that framework, you can begin using it in different ways.
You might teach it in a course. Build a retreat around it. Use it as the foundation for your coaching. Talk about it during speaking engagements. Or even teach other people how to use your method.
That’s where a book can become much more powerful than a standalone product.
Don't try to do everything at once.
Of course, more opportunities can also mean more things to do. That's where Lee says many authors get stuck.
Instead, take it one step at a time.
He shared the story of an author who published her book and then immediately jumped into a program about building a seven-figure digital business. After only the first couple of lessons, she had a checklist of 30 things she needed to do—and no idea where to start.
Lee's approach is much simpler: one thing a week.
You don't need to turn your book into a course, launch a podcast, start speaking, create an event, build an email funnel, and run ads all at the same time.
Start with one opportunity that makes sense for your business.
Then build from there.
Your book is also a content library.
A book contains a lot of words, and those words can become articles, videos, podcast episodes, emails, social media content, and more.
Lee even shared that he has written several of his books by recording podcast episodes first and then turning those conversations into the book.
So if you've already written a book, don't immediately assume you need to come up with an entirely new content strategy.
Make the most of what you’ve already created and repurpose the content to help you grow your equine business.
A book may never become your primary source of income, and that’s okay. Lee would actually encourage most entrepreneurs not to make that the entire goal.
But it can become something much more valuable: an asset that showcases your expertise, communicates your message, attracts the right audience, and opens the door to new opportunities within the business you've already built.
You’re invited …
It's a six-month, one-on-one coaching experience built specifically for equine entrepreneurs who are ready to stop piecing together random marketing advice and start building a sustainable business that attracts the right clients consistently.
Head to Stormlily.com/reins to check it out and apply. I promise to personally check in with every single application to help you determine if it’s the right fit for you right now.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
Lee Baucom, PhD: Booktobusinessblueprint.com
Take the Reins: 1:1 Business Coaching for Equine Entrepreneurs: Craft and implement a clear strategy for your brand messaging, website, social media, and email marketing in my 1:1 coaching container.
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