We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Taylor Warren . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Taylor below.
Hi Taylor , thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
Starting my business was one of the biggest risks I took. I decided to take a break from college and simply find me, who I was, what I liked and what I wanted to do in life. In October of 2017 I launched my brand, Taylor Nycole. I didn’t know what I wanted to do exactly but I knew I wanted to do something that had a positive impact on others, I wanted to be voice for those who really didn’t have one. I launched my business with so much fear, I didn’t know if people would actually support me, what if I turned into a joke, what if all the money I invested was a waste. I had to just have faith that it would all work out. Someone once told me that failure is not an option, you only fail if you don’t try, so I knew I had to just do it.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Taylor Nycole. I grew up in the small city of Camden in South Carolina. Some would call me a serial Entrepreneur. My brand/ business has been through many stages. I currently focus on uplifting those who struggle with self-love, body positivity, and mental health awareness. I am most known for being a plus-size influencer, mental health advocate, pageant queen, and event host. However, people will call on me for everything, plus size outfits, makeup, lip gloss, websites, flyers, you name it I can do it. I do not advertise everything I do because it can be overwhelming. Growing up being a plus size girl, I always got picked on for my size; this caused me to have low self-esteem. I always was strong and held my emotions in. I eventually got diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I was in denial about my diagnosis for a long time. After taking so time and going to therapy I realized that it is okay to not be okay. In October of 2017 I launched my brand. I wanted to share my story in hopes to help others. A lot of people related, and some didn’t. I received a lot of comments like, “she just sits and feels sorry for herself” “she just wants attention” “it’s nothing wrong with her” “I have gone through worse than that”. I was discouraged in the beginning, but I knew I had to keep going. I had to keep pushing and sharing my story to let others know that they are not alone, its okay not to be okay and you do not have to be a certain size to be beautiful. I began speaking at events, writing blog posts, and even YouTube videos to share my story. I even sold inspirational t-shirts. In 2018 I started hosting networking events and photoshoots to get likeminded individuals together. Hosting events is my passion. I love providing a platform for others to share their business and platforms. Hosting photoshoots would make me emotional because I would see women come out of their shells in front of those cameras. Being a life coach is important to me because I like to help guide those that need it. I am also active in my community and give back quite frequently. One of my goals has always been a plus-size pageant queen and in 2019 I started my journey with that. I did it for the little girl inside of me but also to show other little girls and women that size doesn’t define beauty and you do anything. My titles are 2019 Miss Full-Figured SC Fashionista, Miss Camden Plus America 2020-2021, Miss Palmetto Pride Plus America 2020-2021. I just want to pass my story along to other young women and men who have dealt with or are dealing with the same thing as me. So many people deal with things alone because they feel like no one can relate to them when it’s a whole world of people going through the same exact thing. You have to learn to love yourself for who you are first and everything else will fall into place.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I started my journey at such young age and without much knowledge. My brand/business has gone through many ups and downs but I have learned from it all. When selling physical products I had to figure out good vendors from bad vendors. I also had to manage my 8-5 along with my business, trying to figure out post office days. I also would take orders any way I could, I didn’t have set business hours, and I would not enforce people ordering on my website so it became difficult to keep up with inventory. It became overwhelming and I just wanted to give up. I had to realize that giving up was not an option so I had to take time to regroup, rebrand, and rebuild. I did not let the stress take me down
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
Networking is honestly everything, it has helped me grow so much. I would go to events and talk to any and everyone. I learned early on that networking will get you places. It is people that I met in 2017 who still will call on me when they are in need ,recommend me, and support just about everything I do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_taylornycole/
- Facebook: Taylor Nycole
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC63c_Td_Zyq8piA1lTH_CrA
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/shop/_taylornycole