From horse lover to entrepreneur: Franzi's journey to BRISQUE Bridlewear

Who doesn’t dream of bringing their own ideas to life with true creative freedom?
Managing Director Franziska Offenberg has done exactly that with BRISQUE Bridlewear — here, she shares her personal journey with us.

Franzi, what was your path to becoming an entrepreneur? How did you come to start your own business?
"I was fortunate enough to take over an existing brand that I already knew from a few equestrian events. Back then, I was absolutely fascinated by the concept! I had also noticed how successful it was on Facebook and in the early days of Instagram. I actually stumbled across the opportunity by chance: I saw that the previous owner wanted to close down the brand and was running a clearance sale on Instagram and Facebook. Without overthinking it, I got in touch with her and told her I was interested. After a spontaneous meeting and a great conversation, I decided to take over the brand."

Was it always your dream to run your own company, or was taking over the business a completely spontaneous decision?
"It was really a gut-over-head decision. I had never seriously thought about starting my own equestrian brand before — the idea came to me the moment this opportunity popped up. I’ve always been very interested in entrepreneurship. My husband is also self-employed, and I supported him a lot, especially during his early days. So the topic has always fascinated me, especially when you can pour your passion into something and have full creative freedom. But it wasn’t a lifelong dream. Even today, I sometimes can’t believe what we’ve built and achieved — it still feels surreal at times! We simply went for it, and it grew and evolved step by step. It was never planned in advance."

What was it like when everything was finally settled? How did it feel to suddenly run your own business?
"Since I hadn’t really looked into the whole concept beforehand and didn’t know much about the details, I actually cried when I brought everything home and thought: ‘Oh God, what have you done?’ But then I quickly realized: close your eyes and go for it — now it’s time to make it happen! I built a new webshop in no time, immersed myself deeply in the topic, but also kept many existing elements like the concept, models, and processes. Once it was launched under my name, I gradually adapted everything to match my own vision and was finally able to put my personal stamp on the brand."

The last few months have been exciting! Your company is now establishing itself on the market as BRISQUE Bridlewear. How did this come about? Was the rebranding a gradual process, or did you know from the beginning you wanted to head in this direction?
"Especially because I was so overwhelmed at the beginning and had to learn so much about areas like purchasing, marketing, and sales, I was initially very grateful to build on existing ideas. Someone had already put a lot of thought and effort into creating the original brand. Over time, though, I realized it didn’t feel truly mine. It became clear that we needed to think about where we really wanted to go, how we wanted to be perceived, and what our path should look like during the relaunch. Personally, I wanted the whole concept to feel more mature and premium — and that’s how the relaunch started to take shape."

Give us a little sneak peek into BRISQUE’s future. Where do you see your company in five to ten years? What is your vision, and what can we look forward to in the near future?
"In the short to medium term, increasing brand awareness in German-speaking countries is a clear priority for us. But I also have a big vision for BRISQUE! We want to contribute to the well-being of horses with our products and constantly develop and refine our range. Because of our high standards of quality, it’s really important to me that BRISQUE continues to be seen as a premium brand within the equestrian industry."

A spontaneous decision gave rise to a brand dedicated to horses with passion, clear vision, and ambitious goals. BRISQUE Bridlewear stands not only for high-quality bridles but also for promoting horse welfare and enriching the equestrian world with quality and individuality. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for BRISQUE!