My name is Eva Toor and I am a recent graduate from West Virginia University. I am
the founder of Toor Equestrian LLC, which is a business in the horse industry,
and we’ve got a whole line of products with the goal of keeping riders safe and
stylish at the same time. Our flagship product, the tiny tack room saddle stand,
is actually just about to launch and we’re very excited about it.
I have grown up riding horses; my mom and aunts all grew up riding horses, so it runs in the family. It’s a labor of love and definitely a passion for anybody who’s in it, they will know. I knew that I wanted to stay in it somehow for the rest of my life and try to serve and support the community that I love so much.
Hardships of Entrepreneurship
Being a businesswoman is not all it’s cracked up to be. I think entrepreneurship is generally very glamorized on social media and whatnot, but it is not glamorous. It’s very hard work and I learned that very quickly. It’s very much a labor of love. That’s why they say to fall in love with the problem and not the solution. Because if you aren’t that passionate about what you’re trying to solve, there’s no way that you’re going to have the persistence and the will to keep going throughout all of the struggles. It is very demanding but ultimately very rewarding.
How the LaunchLab has Helped
It is a lot, especially for entrepreneurs when you’re first starting, you don’t really have a set schedule. You’re having to work very flexibly. You work when you have time to work, and you work when everybody else needs you to be there. It’s difficult to balance. I don’t have a set 9 to 5 but I am working just as much as someone with a 9 to 5. I’m taking classes, sending emails and taking calls at midnight, at 3:00 am, on the weekends, whenever I have time and whenever I need to. That’s when the work happens. Most entrepreneurs will tell there’s really not much of a balance in the beginning, but eventually you get there. It gets stressful sometimes. I live and breathe by my calendar. I am very forgetful, so the second anything happens it goes in my calendar with a million reminders.
Advice
So much advice and you’re going to get a lot of advice. I think surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, surround yourself with as many talented, experienced, intelligent people as you possibly can. Get them on your team, but also understand that at the end of the day, you are the boss and it has to be your decision. You’re going to hear from a lot of different people, all of whom are very accomplished and successful in their own right, but they might tell you different things. It’s hard not to feel like an imposter, but at the end of the day, you are the boss and the decisions fall to you.
Stay up to date by following evatoorllc on Instagram, Eva Toor on Facebook, evatoor on TikTok and shop on my website at evatoor.com