Alpha Entrepreneur Case Study 1 Bob Douglas National Center for Therapeutic Riding

1. Aa Alpha Entrepreneur Alpha Entrepreneur Case Study 1Bob DouglasNational Center for Therapeutic Riding

2. National Center for Therapeutic Riding Horseback Riding as Therapy Burtonsville, Md. • Led by Executive Director Bob Douglas- Business Started: 1972 as profit business- Became non-profit in 1980

3. Why he started the company and how it related to his disability • - Developed Multiple Sclerosis, leaving him crippled and partially blind- Forced to retire from his research job as virologist because of his disability at age 38, but needed new employment- He wanted to do something he loved and he could still ride horses- Opportunity to purchase stables presented itself- Formed corporation to take advantage of opportunity and started Rock Creek Park Horse Center

4. How he financed and started his business - Applied for and received SBA loan to afford to buy the stables…based on his minority status and his disability- Developed effective business plan- Made sure mission and vision was clear in business plan - Set out to form board of directors that could help him get off the ground and attracted them with the mission and vision of the business plan

5. How did he choose his board members? - Picked people who trusted him and people who he trusted who would get their friends involved- Didn’t just pick people with equestrian interest…drew from lawyers, accountants, educators and other disciplines- Made himself the focus to show what horses had done for him as a disabled person to demonstrate model and attract board

6. How he made the most of his employees and volunteers • - He made sure mission and vision was clear to draw employees with similar goals… “people will come to you”- Tapped all talents of his employees and volunteers by giving them chance to do many things- People want to use all their skills…allows business to benefit from “human capital” resources

7. How he decided on his target market • - Started with physically disabled (called handicapped at the time) children, age 10-12- Goal was to improve motor skills and subsequently academic performance- Used grant from SBA to finance kids in program pro bono to prove benefits- Conducted pre and post testing to validate program- Students showed improved mobility and psychological attitude- He used test results in follow-on grant applications for both federal and city funds

8. What barriers did he face and how did he overcome them? • - People doubted safety of horseback riding for young students with disabilities- He tested and trained horses to make sure they could work around children with disabilities- He did the same with the volunteersand also trained them in safety around horses- He hired qualified and expert employees - He obtained testimony of doctors and experts and had them join board- He incorporated these efforts into business plan and used as marketing tool

9. How did his business change and evolve as he grew? • - In 1998 he moved to Maryland to include activities not allowed on federal property- Added first-time offenders and severely emotionally-disturbed 16-17 year olds - Added vocational training component with carpentry and masonry and then had students in this curriculum help build new facility

10. How did his market demographics change over time and how did he respond? • - Incorporated profit-making component to meet new demographic demands and diversify to compete in new markets after clearing with IRS- Now he could serve market of those without disabilities to generate new revenue stream - Attorney needs to be consulted to address all issues of running hybrid non-profit/for profit operation

11. What did he do to finance new growth as he expanded? • - Submitted 30-40 grant applications/year - Recurring revenue from repeat grant awards from same organization

12. How did he maintain his competitive edge? • - He carefully chose name for his organization based on board member’s recommendation, selecting one with national connotation to infer national market- He kept all clients informed as his business grew with newsletters… people read newsletters and need to be kept abreast of the organization’s progress

13. How did implementation of the ADA & Title 5 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1986 affect his organization? • - At first he was concerned about negative impact, but decided to turn it into a positive- Initiated effort as an educational projectto tap human capital-Assigned emotionally disturbed students to draw up plans and specs to meet access requirements- Students gained self-esteem from project, watching the results of their efforts to design accommodations benefit others such as those with physical disabilities

14. What would he have done differently if he was starting his business all over again? • - Assess all the downfalls ahead of time and identify ramifications- Pick people to advise you ahead of time about those downfalls and who understand your mission - This especially applies to grant applications

15. How would he advise a person with disabilities starting a non-profit business? • - Don’t be afraid to ask for pro-bono help…but ask larger organizations with resources- Ask well known people to be on board…include their names on your letterhead-Persist in applying for grants over and over again…find an experienced grant writer and follow all grant application instructions exactly- Remember that obtaining non-profit status is a time-consuming process

16. What are the future plans for his business? • - Build a small school to handle 30-35 students- Create academic and vocational environment- Continue to use horseback riding to improve self confidence and self esteem- Relate the academic studies to the horseback riding to maintain student interest

17. Did he find that being a person with a disability hindered him form getting funding and attracting people to achieve his vision? • - He doesn’t see himself as disabled- If you feel that you’re not disabled, other people will feel that way too - Its not the disability that counts…it’s the ability…the disability will not carry you through and it could become a disadvantage- If a disabled person can concentrate on ability, others will be even more drawn to the cause

18. How does one contact the National Center for Therapeutic Riding? • - (301) 421-0380 - e-mail nctriding@aol.com- P.O. Box 434 Burtonsville, Md. 20866-0434