We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taylor Torres a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success isn’t an overnight accomplishment. The people we look up to and reverse as successful have spent years, if not decades, perfecting their craft, building their empire, and putting in work. People often ask me what it takes to be a mom of 2, multiple 6-figure business owner, and still have time to stay fit, create content, and live life. The answer to it all? Discipline + consistency + action. Those three components are key to leading a successful life, hitting your goals, and becoming the best version of yourself possible.

Discipline makes up the small daily habits that help you build and grow. For me, this often looks like discipline within my mental and physical self that flows into who I am and how I perform as a business owner. Discipline is the magic potion to become stronger mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Consistency builds upon itself. Rarely do you see many people pick up a hobby or skill and become an overnight success–it happens, but the successful ones like Steve Jobs or Lebron James stayed consistent. They realized every single day requires a level of consistent action to reach new heights, hit goals, and become the very best at what you do.

And lastly, it’s all about action. Great ideas and incredibly skilled individuals may never ‘make it’ simply because they don’t act. Without taking the risk, or speaking up, or just going after it, we could miss the opportunities that our discipline and consistency are preparing us for.

Taylor, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am many things, but for starters, I’m a mother, a systems and client experience expert, an educator, a speaker, and a published photographer. In 2019, I left a social media management position while I was 2 months postpartum to take my virtual assistance “side hustle” full-time. I was seeking financial and time freedom so I could work from home with my baby. In just a year’s time, my VA business quickly scaled to 6-figures where I then founded Chanel & Lee, a systems consulting studio that supports and executes ideas for the modern, multi-passionate CEO in 2020. I’ve assisted over 200 entrepreneurs in streamlining their businesses, launching over $200k+ of new offers in 2021 alone, and creating a priceless dose of work/life balance for those who dare to dream big and implement.

I support entrepreneurs through online systems tech support and consulting, education on operations and client experience, and I teach other new online entrepreneurs how to follow a path in systems tech. Alongside my consulting and education services, I’m also a speaker and educator and have shared my knowledge at over 10 online and in-person events for entrepreneurs.

I didn’t always start in the systems and social media space. My first taste of entrepreneurship began in 2012 when I started my photography business which I ran profitably until 2017. I pursued a career art and studied Fine Art & Digital Media at the University of Houston. After a series of devastating life events and a positive pregnancy test, I walked away from the art world and found myself at a boutique agency in Houston–which is where this all began.

As a woman with deep knowledge in entrepreneur marketing, content creation, and customer service, I’ve realized that many entrepreneurs are creating businesses but lack the resources and understanding of how to actually run those businesses. They’re looking to spend less time on the day-to-day and more time creating stellar experiences for their clients while doing what they love. My mission is focused on helping entrepreneurs step into that CEO power by giving them the processes they need to run their businesses at optimal efficiency.

I’ve worked with dozens of industries–from wedding pros and interior designers to party planners and coaches. It is my absolute joy to watch other entrepreneurs succeed, scale, and tap into their genius.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building a reputation in your market/industry all comes down to authority. There are 3 key elements I’ve focused my time and attention on to be revered in my industry and build rapport with my audience.

1. Expertise–We’ve all heard the phrase “fake it till you make it.” Which always sounds good in theory, until it’s time to execute your knowledge. As a systems and client experience expert, I have devoted countless hours to truly becoming the EXPERT in what I speak about, provide services in, and train on. The processes and systems I teach and consult my clients on I could do in my sleep because I’ve been extremely proactive and intentional about gaining knowledge and learning every facet there is to what I do. My market trusts me because I know what I’m talking about, and I utilize my social platforms and content to display my proficiency in my services. I’m not just selling something because I know how to do it, I’m selling it because I’ve put the time in to learn what I know and continue to expand my knowledge in every arena.

2. Showing Up Authentically–There are a lot of ‘unauthentic’ people in the online space claiming to be authentic for social media, but true authenticity attracts your people. I’ve built a reputation based on who I truly am in real life. My brand is marked by my own unique personality, talents, and quirks and my market is attracted to that. I’ve approached my industry in a way that is truly unique to me and that helps me stand out against competitors and shows that I’m a real person behind this business that can be trusted. This has taken me very far, especially as I stepped into the education & coaching space within my niche.

3. Value–I don’t just focus my business on making money and selling to my market; I show up and give value to my audience. Whether it’s through building relationships with my audience and clients, sharing information and experiences without requiring anything in return, or providing support and inspiration, I work to give value. My market sees me as more than just a service provider and that has turned my selling into something much deeper than a seller/consumer relationship with my market.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients is current and past clients. As I mentioned, I am an expert in client experience and I believe it is one of the most important driving factors in a brand’s success and growth. You can have an amazing product or service to sell, but if you lack customer service and an excellent experience you can easily stall or lose ground to competitors who have it.

Serving my clients and supporting them in every way possible has allowed me to create amazing experiences for my clients that have built incredible relationships with them. These are the clients who are consistently speaking my name, sharing my services when an opportunity arises, and referring their peers to me. Without the referral network I’ve created, I wouldn’t be where I am today and that all stems from how I treat my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chanelandlee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chanelandlee
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorltorres/
• Other: Secondary IG & website: https://taylortorres.com/ https://www.instagram.com/taytorres/

Image Credits
All image credits go to Brian Junior https://www.instagram.com/brianjunior__/