A BU product design graduate is gearing up for the launch of a new business designed to connect horse owners with available land.
Felix Newall-Smith, who graduated from BU in 2009, has developed Amazingrazing as an online resource to match horse owners looking for livery, with landowners looking to rent out facilities. The business draws on the entrepreneurial skills Felix developed while at BU, together with his own experiences of looking after horses. He said: “A big part of my university experience was preparing for and delivering my final project at the end of year show. This helped me to develop my skills in talking to potential customers and explaining my ideas to a diverse audience. It also gave me a forensic approach to problem solving, and many people have commented that I have left no stone unturned in my research for this new venture. My starting point was my own experience of having to find livery two or three times within the space of a year. The process was frustrating to say the least and, as I spoke to others, I found that I wasn’t alone in the problems I had faced.”
In developing the new business, Felix has spoken to hundreds of people from the horse world and joined equestrian networking groups online. This research has led to the development of a website, due to fully launch in June, where horse owners can post profiles detailing their very specific wants and needs, and landowners can outline the facilities on offer and their ideal customer profile. A trust-rating element helps to remove some of the guess work involved in the arrangements and, over time, Felix hopes that the site will develop a social aspect as riders chat online and meet up for rides. He said: “It seemed crazy to me that in this day and age the process of finding livery relied on word of mouth and Facebook searches. I hope to take a lot of the stress out of the process for both sides, and ultimately result in happier humans and horses!”
Amazingrazing is set to become Felix’s second business venture, having launched his own CAD design agency, felixcreative, after working in in-house roles for the first 10 years after graduating. In pursuing an entrepreneurial route, Felix has supplemented his natural problem-solving skills with support from a mentor provided via the Dorset Growth Hub & Dorset Business Mentors. He said: “This has been invaluable in getting input from someone who has greater business experience than me and who can help me focus on setting key milestones. I would thoroughly recommend it for anyone starting out.”
We at the university wish Felix & Amazingrazing all the best with his new venture.
Find out more about the business at Amazingrazing
