After breaking his leg in a racing accident, jockey Frank Lovato, Jr. wanted to get “back in the saddle” as soon as possible.  So he built the first Equicizer, a wooden riding simulator, that allowed him to rapidly regain his strength, flexibility, and conditioning.  Soon other jockeys approached Frank seeking their own Equicizers to help them stay in shape, especially during the off-season.  So while he continued racing, Frank launched a part-time business on the side manufacturing and selling Equicizers to jockeys, riding academies, and sports medicine clinics.  Just like real horses, each Equicizer gets a name like Rainbow or Cherokee.  Over the years, Equicizers have developed a loyal and passionate following.

In 2004, after an award-winning 25-year career as a jockey, Frank decided to retire and work full-time on the Equicizer business.  To help “spread the word” about the Equicizer, Frank created four online presences: a website to sell the Equicizer, a blog, a website about himself and his career, and a Yahoo Group discussion forum for aspiring jockeys and other Equicizer enthusiasts. The discussion forum, it turned out, became a powerful way not only to generate word-of-mouth but also to develop long-term customer loyalty.

Over time, Frank realized that four websites was too many. “I needed one website to support my business.  Customers were having a difficult time finding the information they needed. With Grouply, I now have a single website that supports my online community and also helps me build my business and sell more Equicizers.”

Frank included rich media and engaging content throughout his website on Grouply.  He dedicated an entire page to jockey training where he embedded videos beside ads for his instructional DVDs.   As part of longer-term strategy to make his site a hub for the thoroughbred racing community, Frank added RSS feeds containing racing news.  With Grouply’s user-friendly customization tools, Frank is able to make updates in seconds, so he can focus on building his business instead of maintaining his website.