We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Pritchard recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

It was March 2019. I was playing college soccer at Sam Houston State when I got injured going into my senior year. As a result, I became medically ineligible and found myself going through a sort of midlife crisis, unsure of what to do with my life. All of my friends were still playing soccer, and my soccer journey ended so abruptly that I didn’t know how to fill my time. So, I started working at a boutique in College Station because I love clothes and thought it would be fun.

Little did I know one of the hardest times in my life would turn into such blessing!

We had a girl who would come and tan us before we took photos in the clothes. I remember thinking in college that it didn’t look that hard to do, and we would pay this girl $30. There were five of us, so I thought that this girl was making bank! A coworker and I then decided to buy all the equipment for spray tanning, and we started spraying ourselves. We began spraying each other and anyone who would let us, and we were honestly SO BAD! Some of the worst spray tans were probably because of us back in 2019, but we had so much confidence because we were self-taught. We didn’t have anyone telling us what we were doing was wrong, and we loved it so much.

We just kept going and would spray anyone at any time. We would even drive 2 to 3 hours to do one spray tan simply because we were so excited that someone wanted us to spray them. From there, my love for spray tanning grew. I moved back to San Antonio after a couple of months of starting our spray tanning business, originally called Bronzed before it became Tans by Taylor. I started fresh in San Antonio and have not looked back since.

Growing up in Hawaii, I spent 10 years of my childhood surfing, playing soccer, and tanning by the beach, so this was something I truly loved. I enjoyed making women feel confident, tan, and beautiful. My passion for spray tanning has grown even more as I just celebrated six years in the business, and I hope to continue doing this for 50 more!!

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.

At Tans by Taylor, we specialize in creating custom blend airbrush spray tans for every client. We only use violet and olive undertone solutions, so our clients can achieve a beautiful tan without the worry of looking orange or yellow. Our sprays are also safe for moms, babies, and anyone with sensitive skin, including conditions like eczema and psoriasis. I really believe in providing a safe and tailored tanning experience for everyone who walks through our doors.

In addition to spray tanning, I also work full time as an emergency room nurse. I’ve been a nurse for about two and a half years now, and I truly believe my experience in the ER helps me a lot with my tanning business. It allows me to spot certain skin conditions and give my clients advice on what would work best for their skin.

I also know that coming in for a spray tan can be a bit nerve-wracking, especially when clients have to wear less clothing in front of someone they don’t know. I find that when I mention I work in the ER, it helps them feel more comfortable. It often eases their worries and makes the whole experience a lot less intimidating.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

One thing I really feel like helped build a reputation within the spray tan industry is consistency. When a client comes in to get a spray tan and they like their first tan, when they come back they’re expecting the same result the next time. As a spray tan artist, especially when you’re custom blending and mixing every single solution, it’s really important to note what you do for each client and keep it consistent. The same amount of spray the same mixture and percentages keep it all the same. That way they know exactly what they’re gonna get when they show up I think consistently having good results is key to building your name and clientele in the spray tan industry because as soon as you tan one girl she is walking advertisement for your business and if you consistently have good results That one person is going to see a handful of people while they’re tan and your business will grow just by the Spray Tan and clientele that you have now.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

To be honest social media is really hard for me. Luckily, God blessed me with a younger sister who does marketing and social media full time. She helped me completely brand Tans by Taylor from day one. She created my first logo and helped schedule my posts back when social media wasnt as popular. without her help my social media profile would not be where it is or even look 1/2 as good. KEEP POSTING! word of advice is just keep posting content even if you only have one like or none – turn your like count off and keep posting. Post content you like and you will reach your target audience in time. When I was first getting started I would reach out to micro influencers and ask if they wanted a free spray tan in exchange for a story post and it helped my page grow so much. I was giving away so many free tans at the beginning of tanning just for content/story posts/tags.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tansbytaylor.com/
• Instagram: tans.by.taylor