EVA TOOR

Eva Toor has been riding horses almost her entire life. She took her frustration with saddle stands to the LaunchLab and created The Stable Boy. After winning $35,000 at the Bridging Innovation Conference, she is set to improve the lives of horse riders everywhere.

LL :What is one way that you have professionally sprouted a new leaf this semester?

E: This was the first semester that I was really able to start entering pitch competitions. My business was finally at the stage where I could do that. I entered as many as I was eligible for, and they each lent themselves to the other. They all forced me to take fairly large steps in one way or the other. Whether that was thinking about the future of my business in ways that I hadn’t before, coming up with financial projections, or writing a business plan. So I think just being eligible for the business competitions was kind of a new leaf. They pushed me further than I thought they would have just by entering.

LL: Do you think you’re going to keep entering the competitions?

E: Absolutely. As many as I can until I graduate.

LL: How has the new season of spring inspired you to grow,separate from entering the pitch competitions?

E: I was more involved this Spring than I had been previously with the LaunchLab and other organizations. Being more involved has allowed me to see everyone else around me, and kind of what is and what can be. That’s pushed me to want to achieve more and keep growing my business. Now that we’re going into Summer, this is the time when a lot of students are getting Summer internships and everything. I started kind of thinking about how I might spend my Summer, and realized that the best and most enjoyable way to spend my Summer is just to continue growing my business.

LL: Do you know what you’re going to do over the Summer to try to grow your business?

E: I need to do lots more customer research. Every horse show that I go to will be customer research for me. I’m going to hire an engineering firm, so I’ll be meeting with them. And then I’ll be overseeing small batch manufacturing and beta testing throughout the whole Summer, I imagine.

LL: Have you had any challenges sowing the seeds of progress in your ventures?

E: Yes, absolutely. I would say that one of my biggest challenges, and one of the biggest challenges for all entrepreneurs, is pivoting. Because every time you pivot, it’s the result of a failure, a good failure, because you know, you learn something new. But it’s still a failure, you know, you’ve had to change your design in some way, or your market or your strategy or something. I think whenever you have to pivot, and you have that failure, you begin to doubt yourself. I think that’s where a lot of entrepreneurs stop, at their first pivot. They doubt themselves, and then they don’t continue. I know I’ve had to pivot several times. That doubt is difficult. But I think that if you manage to overcome that and come up with legitimate solutions to those problems, not only are you bettering your business, but also your personal ability to solve problems and handle situations.

LL: What way have you not been able to come out of your shell this Spring? And can you think of any specific moment that you did?

E: I think that I was unsure, and a little bit quiet and timid in some of my interactions with certain people. I probably could have been a little bit more assertive and demanding. I think that’s a skill that gets businesses and entrepreneurs far. Not, you know, rude or too pushy, but you’ve got to know when to push back and really advocate for your business. I think being so new at this, there were several times when I felt like I didn’t really have the authority to do that. But I think it’s all just practice and experience, and Bridging Innovation Week, for me was really great practice because there was so much networking. The more I did it, the easier it became, and then it became fun. So I think it was harder for me in the beginning of the year to kind of feel confident in those kinds of situations, and confident in my business ability with solo experience. But you know, the more situations I’ve been put in, the better it’s gotten. It’s a fine line between being sure of yourself, and confident, and then being overconfident and arrogant. You’ve got to be able to find that nice balance.

LL: Looking back at all your bright moments this semester, are there any that stand out as having been a result of the help of others?

E: I think my brightest, most memorable moment was Bridging Innovation week, the West Virginia Business Plan Competition. And, I mean, it was amazing to kind of see it all come to a head after I pitched. I was like, oh, my God, I spent months preparing for those 10 minutes. Like, it was kind of crazy that it was all over so quickly. But it was an amazing moment. And, you know, it showed my hard work and the hard work of everybody around me; it really paid off. But I immediately followed up after the competition. I had a meeting with one of the entrepreneurship professors here about the future of my business and asking him some questions and advice. He suggested that I consider creating a board of advisors to have everybody in one place, and also to help hold me accountable for milestones and stuff. I was thinking about who I would put on my board of advisors, and I was like, oh, my God, I already have a board of advisors. You know, I have so many people already, my board is going to be like a whole house. It’s gonna be so long. I mean, the LaunchLab, especially Carrie and Anne and really, everybody here has done something to help in some way. And, you know, the people with Three Steps to Startups: Michele O’Connor, Nathan Polk, Tara St. Clair at WVU, Gavin and the Maker Lab. I mean, just so many people. Like if I was, if I had to give like an Oscar speech or something, and thank the list of people who’ve helped me get here, they would be playing me off the stage. It would take way too long. Yeah, it’s been definitely a team effort. It takes a village.