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

Taylor, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Isn’t it funny how we begin looking for another job while we are at work? Well, that’s how it happened to me. As I was working my first job as a student worker at 17 years old at the Board of Education, I became curious about a t-shirt kit that I seen at the store, which eventually became my side hustle in 2013 and has literally changed my life.
I was the type of person who would run home after work, as if I was going to be late for something. Thankfully, one day a voice in my head, whom I acknowledge as the Lord, told me to go and purchase this kit that I have been thinking non-stop about. The kit instantly made me think of the guy at the mall who made money for printing on shirts.

Even after purchasing the kit, I didn’t make any shirts for a while. Until one day I decided to create a hoodie with a collage of my nephew. I was literally ironing the template onto my hoodie, on a wooden chair in my room. I didn’t have anything other than my computer, a printer, an iron, and my chair that I ironed the shirts on. Talk about started from the bottom!

I knew I had something on my hands when I revealed what I was up to, to my parents. My dad’s eyes opened extremely wide, and at that moment he reached into his pocket to grab his credit card and told me to get what I needed.

My next creation was a shirt that I made in honor of my aunt who passed away from cancer. This was the shirt that put me on the map. Memorial shirts are extremely popular in my culture and knowing my audience helped me establish loyal customers. My cousin was my very first customer. All it took was for others to ask, “Where did you get that shirt” and I had begun to grow my company.

Honestly, since day one, my parents have always been supportive of my interest in making t-shirts. My vision would not have been executed without them. Three years later, in 2016 my company TayDesigns LLC was created.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

TayDesigns LLC operated for a few years without a name because at first it was a hobby, and I was taking everything in. From learning how to design a shirt, learning how to create my website, and learning how to price my items, this was a completely different, yet exciting experience for me. I didn’t know anything about graphic design, but I had the dedication, drive, and research abilities to teach myself how to start my company. Even with these great qualities, that didn’t mean I didn’t make any mistakes. Trust me, I’ve destroyed a multitude of items, I’ve become extremely frustrated, and I have undoubtedly wanted to give up. As with anything, there were good days and bad days, but both have been great learning opportunities for me.

I love that there are many people beginning their journey as t-shirt makers, but something that makes TayDesigns LLC stand out from the rest is patience and care for my customers. My customers are literally the reason that I’m still in business, especially since the pandemic hit. It’s all about them! While they are making orders, I make sure that they have a pain-free ordering process. They can approve their design before purchase to guarantee that they are getting exactly what they ask for. There is nothing worse than paying for something and it’s not what you want. I absolutely love to hear my customers rave about their purchase!

I’m so proud of how far TayDesigns LLC has grown. What has started as a t-shirt printing business, has transformed to many categories such as screen printing, sublimation, and the most recent, embroidery. TayDesigns LLC is my baby! I started with a dollar and a dream, literally. It’s so wild to see your vision manifest. Since the beginning, 3F has been the brand behind TayDesigns LLC. The 3 famous f’s to live by are faith, fun, and fashionable. Without faith, my company wouldn’t even exist because I took a huge leap of faith into the unknown, and that alone says so much. I believe life should be enjoyable, that’s where fun comes in. Last, but not least, fashionable. When you look good, you feel good and at TayDesigns LLC, that is the ultimate goal.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn not to take everything personal. Having my own company has shown me who truly supports me, without me having to give them a deal, without me having to provide a discount, and without me having to ask for support. This truly has been the hardest pill to swallow because I am always ready to support other entrepreneurs, especially other women in their prospective business. Yet, the feelings are not always mutual.

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

Word of mouth, followed by great products, has been the greatest way for me to build my reputation. When my customers love their purchases, they have no problem tagging, commenting, or personally emailing me concerning a product. That is the absolute greatest feeling when my customers share their personal experience with other locals, or their family and friends from other cities and states.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.taydesignsllc.com
• Instagram: @_taydesignsllc
• Facebook: TayDesigns LLC