Episode 101: On Relationship Marketing, Networking Power & The Rule of Three with Mandee Flanders (Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast)

Episode 101: Welcome to the Equestrian Author Spotlight podcast! In each episode, you’ll hear inspirational stories from horse book authors, including writing advice and marketing tips to help you write your own horse book. If you are an author, aspire to be an author, or simply love horse books, then you are in the right place!

In this episode with Mandee Flanders, Host of the Leadline Podcast, you'll learn ...

• About relationship marketing, the power of networking, and tips for networking success.
  
• What led Mandee to return to the horse industry and successfully develop a podcast and community for equestrian business owners.
  
• Why she always makes important decisions using the rule of three.
  
• And MUCH more!

---

Watch Mandee Flanders Interview on YouTube!

---

Or listen to the audio version.

---

About Mandee Flanders of The Leadline Podcast

Mandee Flanders is an equestrian pod- caster and marketing coach. When her 8+ year career as a traveling events manager came to an abrupt halt in 2020, Mandee decided it was time to leave the corporate life behind and return to her roots in the horse industry.

​Today, Mandee hosts The Leadline Podcast for horse business owners as well as monthly equestrian network- ing events online and around the US. Mandee believes that there's nothing better than being able to make money doing what you love most and aspires to help more equestrians do the same.

---

Mandee Flanders Interview Excerpt

Carly: Let's talk about your business and what you're up to.

Mandee: Obviously everything changed for a lot of people in 2020. A lot of folks had to pivot. Up until that point, from between around 2012 to 2020, my husband and I had been working in the events industry. When events started getting shut down and everything was cancelled, we realized very quickly that things were going to change for us.

I decided to take a step back knowing that I was going to be removing myself from the events industry, not really by choice, but just by the situation by circumstance, so I ended up coming back to the horse industry.

Now I have The Leadline Podcast, which is a podcast for equestrian business owners. The Leadline teaches horse business owners the best productivity skills, marketing strategies, money tips, and more through interviews with the smartest and most innovative entrepreneurs in the equine industry.

It's come full circle because I left for a period of time, gave my horse away, was not in the horse world at all, and then got the horse back and came back to my horse business.

---

---

Carly: Your expertise is relationship marketing and networking. The word networking can make people nervous. What advice would you give someone who might be a little bit nervous about attending a networking event.

Mandee: My number one tip would be to not overthink. It's very important not to overthink the experience, what could happen, or how you might feel going into a networking event.

One thing I started doing when I was starting off as a young entrepreneur was going to the business after hours event that my local Chamber of Commerce was hosting. I was going alone and one thing I realized was the people that came in groups did not network very well. They were so busy in their own circle that they weren't talking to anyone that they didn't already know.

​While it's great to get out there and see people that you know, it's important to also go out and find other people that you don't know. The purpose of going to a networking events is to increase your number of relationships or network with people that you've never met before.

Definitely go in with the warmth. You don't want to stand in the corner with your arms folded or being on your phone. That's not approachable. You want to make sure you seem approachable and that you're smiling 

Carly: You're back in the horse business with a successful podcast and you're bringing people together through networking. What advice would you share with an aspiring entrepreneur or author or podcaster or anybody that has a creative endeavor?

Mandee: I've learned a lot of lessons in the past 10 to 12 years in the marketing space, the event space, and then back in the horse industry. There's something that really holds true that I share a lot. I've invested a lot of time and money into things that haven't worked for me. I could give you a list, but one of the things that I found that worked really well was when I wasn't sure what direction to go in and I had a big decision to make, whether it was hiring a service provider, hiring a business coach, or even hiring a contractor to work on my house,

I have a rule that I follow. I call it the rule of three. I use it anytime I need to invest any significant amount of money in either my personal life or my professional life. I do my best to find three options to choose from.

You don't really know what other options are out there if you look at one. If you look at two you're going to choose one or the other, a 50 50 shot, but if you look at three you've got a tiebreaker, and then you can weigh your options and make the decision that's best suited for you. That general rule of thumb has worked so well for both myself and my husband over the years. 

---

Connect with Mandee Flanders 

Website: http://theleadlinepodcast.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/theleadlinepodcast 
facebook.com/groups/horsebusiness
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theleadlinepodcast/​www.instagram.com/mandeeflanders/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/theleadine

---

Listen to More Equestrian Author Spotlights!

​Make sure you never miss a show by subscribing on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. This podcast is made possible by listeners like you. I appreciate your support! 

Want a free guide to secrets of horse book authors? Gallop over to https://www.carlykadecreative.com/wisdom.html and join the Equestrian Author Spotlight email list to have the author advice resource delivered instantly to your inbox.

Visit the Episode Directory

---

About Your Podcast Host Carly Kade

Photo: Shelley Paulson Photography

​Carly Kade is an award-winning author, horse owner, creativity coach, and the host of the Equestrian Author Spotlight Podcast. She helps fellow writers start, grow, and expand their author careers. Creative writing makes her spurs jingle!

Carly's In the Reins equestrian romance book series was written with horse lovers in mind, no matter which discipline they ride. The horses are as vital to moving the story forward as the human characters are.

These books are perfect for poolside reading, taking to the beach, or settling down with after a day of horseback riding.

---