Equivont got a behind-the-scenes look into Pinsnickety, a unique small business paving the way in the equestrian fashion industry. Get to know Meredith Sanger-Katz, Co-Founder of Pinsnickety, and how she and her sister teamed up during the pandemic to bring a one-of-a-kind product to the market—whimsical pins for your horse show number, bonnet, hunt coat and other equestrian needs!
Tell us about your business and how it got started.
Pinsnickety was a pandemic business. My sister was doing crafting projects while cooped up at home and came up with the idea of making decorated number pins. Our early prototypes involved a lot of glue. Once we saw how much people liked them, we decided to team up to form a business that could make these pins just to our specifications.
What was your biggest hurdle when starting your business?
Pinsnickety is something brand new, so a big challenge for us early on was just explaining what our product is for. If we were making a new saddle pad, everyone would know to look for us in the saddle pad section of the tack store. But there's nothing else like us on the market, so there is no horse show pin section of the store. Now that we've grown, that has changed. People see our product and immediately recognize it—and many people are actively searching for it when they are shopping.
What has been your biggest accomplishment within your business?
This may sound cheesy, but we just love hearing from our customers about how much they love the product. Every time someone tags us in an Instagram about their horse show or sends us a personal note, it makes our day. Our goal was to bring a little joy and humor to the show ring, and it means the world to us when we succeed in that.
How do you balance being a businessman/woman and an equestrian?
Balancing everything is always a challenge! In some ways, juggling the riding and Pinsnickety is the easiest part, since they often go hand-in-hand. That might be the best part! Being an equestrian means that I have opportunities to test new products, a horse to use as a model for photography, and an excuse to go to horse shows and talk to vendors and show officials. We think it's important to our business that we actively participate in the sport so that we know what our customers need.
What is the biggest life lesson you’ve learned from horses? How has this impacted your professional career or decisions?
Riding is a very humbling sport. You can be the winner one day and fall off the next. You can take the sport seriously, but you have to have a sense of humor. Pinsnickety is for the serious equestrian who likes to have fun. The ups and downs of the sport have taught us to persevere, take setbacks in stride, and to wear our Dumpster Fire pins with pride. (I actually won a national finals wearing my Dumpster Fire pins, which felt perfect!)
What advice do you have for other equestrians trying to start their own business?
Be patient and do what it takes to launch with products you—and your customers—will love. Our initial idea seemed really straightforward, but there were tons of details that made our pins easy to use and perfectly suited for equestrians. We enlisted so many generous friends to review designs and test our products in the show ring so we knew they would fit, look amazing, and do their job.
Do you have any future plans, projects, or products that you are excited about?
We're not ready to spill the details yet, but we have a few new products in the works. Stay tuned!
Pinsnickety pins make the perfect stocking stuffer for your barn besties or a fun way to treat yourself this holiday season! Shop the entire collection of Pinsnickety pins on Equivont, and SAVE $15 when you buy three pinpacks with code BUYTHREE at checkout!
