What do you love about your job? Is it a question you’ve been asked before? Maybe you’ve asked others what they love about what they do and found their responses really interesting? I had a ponder on this subject and asked a few friends and clients what they loved about their job. For me, there are quite a few things. I love seeing clients and friends succeed, and being able to help them achieve their goals gives me the biggest buzz. I love planning campaigns and seeing them fly. I love learning new things and testing them out. I love sharing my knowledge with people and helping them to grow and develop. I like being a teeny part of someone’s success story.

I asked a few clients, friends and members of my Small & Supercharged Facebook group what they loved about their jobs. Here’s what they had to say…

So, what do you love about your job?

Rachel Bragg is the incredibly talented photographer behind Sweet Images Photography. She said: “I love the flexibility of working for myself and the diversity of my days…”

Emma Warren is the MD of Hiho Silver and the lady behind Doris & Co, Dimpsey and Dimmet… and does a lot more too. I’ve had the privilege to work with Emma for a number of years now… hence the reference. “I love…learning from the great people and brands we get to hang out. I love that we can have ideas and try them out. I love working with you, Mrs F, and pursuing our hare-brained schemes. I love delighting our customers and knowing that someone is excited about receiving a present or treat that we’ve designed. I love that I get to live and work in the country and I can organise my day around my family. Oh and I love that I get to wear jewellery, hats, belts and lovely things in the name of work and research!” 

Sam Hobden is founder of Haynet, #horsebloggers and my partner in crime on the Haynet podcast (if you haven’t listened, go now if not sooner!), she said: “Lucky to love most aspects of my work in the equestrian blogging industry. I have met bloggers from all over the world, learning along the way from their super content to then helping others with their blogging questions too. With it all themed around horses and life in the countryside, what is there not to love!”

Sarah Johnstone is the brains behind equestrian apparel brand Apt Cavalier (I’m basically surgically attached to the Apt Cavalier Bobble Hat!). She said: “I love my job because the subject matter is something I get truly excited about: it combines my degree and my ultimate passion (Eventing) and I feel really lucky to be doing it!”

Ruth Chappell is part of the team behind online dressage competition platform Dressage Anywhere, a service that allows you to compete (and be judged by BD and FEI judges) from anywhere in the world. It’s amazing. Anyway, she said: “After spending nearly 15 years commuting a long distance, I now love the commute down the stairs to my home office. I love watching my customers develop and progress in their dressage journeys and I love the flexibility of being able to walk my own dog and ride my own horse in daylight hours – I used to have a dog walker and ride my horse between 7 and 8pm!

Melanie Clarihew is the co-founder of luxury British leather belts and accessories company Mackenzie and George, Actually, that doesn’t even start to do the company justice – go and have a look at the M&G website if you don’t know about them yet. Melanie said: “I love… having a role that exercises all of my grey matter; one day I could be doing accounts and analysing reports, the next day researching and developing, sketching designs and creating prototypes, then I could be plotting and designing marketing materials. I love seeing and reading our customers’ reactions to the products, or when we’re able to exceed expectations and make someone’s day. Of course, I’m in a fortunate position to be able to work with my husband every day too, so we are in the unique position of being able to share the highs and lows, and support each other in every aspect of our lives, and it’s been one of my greatest achievements to grow this business from scratch and see it go from strength to strength together.”

Chantal Wellavize runs Equichoice Ltd, and online equestrian store that selects products ‘your horse would choose’. She said: “I love the fact that I get to decide what I do, how I do it, when I do it. No politics, no inequality, no boss. I get rewarded for what I get done and if I don’t enjoy it, well I don’t have anyone else to blame but myself with that level of control over what my job looks like

Laura White is a freelance Instructor and rider and runs White Horse Support, she said: “I love the fact that I get to travel around to all sorts of different yards and help people enjoy their hobby even more. No two days are ever the same!”

Danielle Crawford is one half of Black Nova Designs, an IT Solutions Business that has worked with many equestrian (and non-equestrian!) businesses. “I love what I do. It fits around my family – I get to see my little girl in school plays, parents visit mornings and be around what I love most each day. My job helps people with website and internet issues that most people are usually not interested in or do not understand – we help people understand the importance of a good website, hosting and internet in hopefully a fun and family orientated way. Computers and the internet are fairly ‘boring’ subjects but we try and help others understand the basics to help their home and working lives. Never thought I’d be lucky enough to have a job that works around my lifestyle and not the other way around.”

Sarah Skillin is the lady behind online magazine The Bit UK and also runs Equiconsulting, a company specialising in business improvement services for the equestrian world. She said: “Because it means I get to completely immerse myself in the world I love, whilst doing something I really enjoy and with people I actually like!”

Jen Atkinson is the lady behind Bling In The Show Ring, a business that specialises in bespoke designs using Swarovski crystals. She said: “Proud of doing what I thought I could never have done as I didn’t have any belief in myself. I also work full time hours from home in customer services so it’s a struggle but so worth it to get the feedback I have.”

Janey Lazenby is an equine photographer with ‘a modern artistic twist’ – see her images at EJ Lazenby Photography. She said: “My job completes me – I would have it as a bucket list thing, but it’s actually reality- using my imagination and creativity to celebrate the horse in art and all of its variations”

What do love about your job? Please comment below if you’d like to share.