Interview with Christina & Cavalo Designs
As a young entrepreneur I am always inspired by others. A few months ago, I stumbled upon a young rider named Raquel Frohlich who created her own online business at the age of sixteen. What made it really fascinating was that each of her products was entirely handmade. Let’s meet Raquel and learn how it all began.
What motivated you to create browbands?
“ I was inspired by my mare, Maggie, to design my own crystal browbands. After a session with an equine communicator, I learned she wanted one. I thought about buying a custom browband but everything I liked was out of my budget.
So... I scoured the Internet for ways to make my own browband and my answer was - empty channel browbands! I purchased some and together with beautiful Swarovski crystals, I designed and sewed a browband for my mare, which she wears to this day.”
What made you want to turn your hobby into a business?
“ I was happily designing new browbands every second of my spare time. A friend of mine suggested I start putting my browbands up for sale and CavaloDesigns was born!”
What have you learned through your years of running an online business?
“It's been extremely fun and educational to navigate how to run a successful Etsy shop. In the past three years, I have improved my customer service skills, managed inventory and shipping, and learned how to budget my monthly finances to make a proper profit. As with any skill, my browband making process has improved over time and I have been able to incorporate different types of crystals and settings into my work, something I had not been able to do previously because of a lack of experience. I’ve also learned to keep an eye out for what is trending in the dressage world so that I can update my items accordingly.”
What is one of the key aspects of creating and designing these unique browbands?
“Each browband & halter is made with top quality leather with soft padding and hand sewn with Swarovski crystals. I think the secret to success is to love what you do. I make sure every one of my designs is something I can be proud of and I love the process that goes into making the browbands & halters.”
Today, a Cavalo Design halter as well as browband can be found all around the world. Over the years Raquel has been able to perfect her design as she continues to hand make each browband with love.
