This is a paid piece from Startup Sioux Falls.

Simplified: Burnout is no joke in the agriculture industry, and Courtney Tjeerdsma's experience running Rugged Cross Stables was no exception – that is, until she found an entrepreneurial community and support through Startup Sioux Falls. Here's how Startup's GrowCo program helped her grow and sustain her business.

Why it matters

  • Rugged Cross Stables offers horse riding lessons, camps, training, boarding and breeding in northeast Sioux Falls on land Tjeerdsma's husband first started leasing in 2014. It's on the land where they now run their business together that the couple first met when Tjeerdsma boarded her horse.
  • After a few years of running the business, Tjeerdsma said she felt isolated and fatigued of being the only person to make the big decisions in her business. Then, she saw an ad for GrowCo, Startup Sioux Falls' program to accelerate mid-stage businesses to financial and operational sustainability.
  • Through GrowCo, Tjeerdsma implemented new processes, restructured memberships and riding lesson packages, and found new systems to bring returning customers.
"We're building that pipeline from somebody who's never touched a horse to them buying a show horse," Tjeerdsma said. "In a perfect world, that's the goal."

Tell me more

Tjeerdsma bought her first horse, Angel, from a family friend for $1 as a fourth-grader – a horse that's still helping kids learn to ride at Rugged Cross Stables to this day.

For her, the passion has always been there.

"Within a span of three years after I bought Angel, I quit every sport I was in because I lived and breathed the barn," she said. "The moment I woke up, I wanted to be in the barn ... I wouldn't know what to do without it."

Now, in her business, she's finding new ways to share that passion with others.

At first, the focus was on growing and growing fast – getting new people in for lessons, more horses for boarding, breeding, etc. Tjeerdsma was doing all of the lesson scheduling herself, teaching eight hours per day and working 15 show horses.

Through GrowCo, Tjeerdsma realized what she really needed was to slow down.

"Sometimes it’s not about how many new clients we can take on," she said. "Sometimes it's about stepping back, and if we don't have structures and programs and procedures in place – it's going to fall apart really fast."

Since participating in GrowCo, Rugged Cross Stables has added an administrative assistant, hired new instructors, launched a new membership program and begun selling lessons as packages rather than one-off purchases.

GrowCo also helped Tjeerdsma find confidence in her own abilities and validation as an entrepreneur. Working in agriculture is hard, and often thankless, but she hopes her journey can inspire others in the industry to take a step back and find ways to make the business side of their operations more sustainable.

Tell me more about GrowCo

GrowCo is a 12-month program designed for business owners who are ready to strengthen the systems behind their growth.

The program is built for founders who:

  • Are full-time in their business,
  • Have been operating for 2+ years,
  • Are generating consistent revenue,
  • Are beginning to hire or manage a team,
  • Are navigating the shift from doing everything themselves to building systems and structure.

Applications are open now. Learn more and apply here.