Candace Correa got on a horse at the age of 4 and, according to her mother, couldn’t stop smiling. Today, as the proprietor of the “fine equestrian gift company,” Eliquus, Candace is still smiling. The years between those milestones have been filled with effort, ingenuity and the motivating dream of converting a passion into a business endeavor that can support the pursuit of that passion.
Candace grew up in Massachusetts where she learned to ride at hunter/jumper stables and then competed in New England through her youth. She never had her own horse, so the stable gave her a horse to compete with as part of their show team. As with many other young girls, she always dreamed of having her own horse.



After graduating from Colby College in Maine, she moved to Los Angeles to attend the MBA program at UCLA. Even as a student, Candace thought about starting her own company, but at that time, she couldn’t really imagine what that would be. Since graduating with her Master’s from UCLA 12 years ago, Candace has been working in the corporate strategic marketing departments of large companies, such as The Walt Disney Company, Eastman Kodak Company and Mattel.
All the while, she was bouncing ideas off of her friends in hopes of coming up with a business plan that would allow her to ride more often and eventually buy that horse she always wanted. She knew through the experience of her entrepreneurial grandparents that even successful small business ventures are fraught with hardship, challenges and uncertainty, so wasn’t willing to give up the security of her corporate jobs until she was certain she hit upon a truly promising idea.
Candace picked up riding again in her adult life through Mill Creek Equestrian Center in the Los Angeles area’s Topanga, where she currently leases a sweet, beautiful 18-year-old Thoroughbred named Obie. Like many riders, Candace loves going to horse shows as a spectator, too. She traveled throughout the U.S. and abroad to such events as the World Cup, Rolex and Burleigh and always explored the vendor areas for new and interesting items. She found herself constantly in search of that perfect product that she could use everyday in her home or office and reflected her love for horses in a subtle way. She never found anything that met her sense of individuality or style.
It was in 2004 that she realized she had found a hole in the market: high end gifts for the horse lover. She knew she had finally found that idea for her own business. In fact, it was even better than she had imagined because it perfectly combined her marketing skills and work experience with her knowledge of the equestrian consumer and her love of everything equine.
In early 2006, Candace was finally ready to create Eliquus, a “fine equestrian gift company.” Making that leap from the corporate world to starting a business had required some time to develop a plan of action, put away some savings and take out loans. As Candace says: “To love what you do helps to deal with the long hours required to launch a start-up.” She began seriously working on the business in April this year and, with what seems like stunning speed, now has a full line of upscale stationery products available through her website at www.Eliquus.com.
Candace describes her products as “bringing equestrian themes into the everyday lives of horse lovers in a modern and sophisticated way.” She adds: “Eliquus seeks to meet the needs of the horse enthusiast with unique and stylish items.” She hopes to build up her direct-to-consumer business through her website, but has already had amazing success getting her product into fine tack shops throughout the country. Her stationery line includes everything from notepads to lovely boxed note sets and holiday cards. Candace thought through every detail of her products and cleverly designed the gift boxes so they could be re-used to hold a pair of English spurs or braiding supplies.
Early indications look promising as Candace is finding that once she “gets her foot in the door,” the products are selling themselves. She has already secured placement at top retailers such as Dover Saddlery, Beval Saddlery and Bit of Britain. Eliquus products are available in many local Southern California tack shops, including European Equestrian Supply, Glenroy’s and Calabasas Saddlery.
Candace hopes Eliquus will bring her closer to realizing her dream of having her own horse and expects to expand beyond stationery into other items for the home or tack trunk sometime next year. Candace says: “My only wish now is that I’m not so busy that I don’t have time to ride!”