EmpowHER Spotlight: Taylor'd To You

Every month, Goodman students or members of the Niagara community who are also entrepreneurs will be featured by Brock Women in Business in an effort to foster community engagement and support small businesses. This will be known as the ‘Spotlight’ series that can also be found on our Instagram @brockuwib. Our November Spotlight is Taylor Pattison and her business Taylor’d To You!

Could you begin by briefly telling us about yourself and your business?

Hello, I'm Taylor, currently in my fourth year pursuing a BBA at Brock. The whole Covid situation brought on a wave of boredom, leading me to invest in a Cricut machine and once I started using it, there was no turning back. Initially, it was all about experimenting and creating things. I began with wine glasses, cup decals, and gradually ventured into the world of clothing. Sweaters, especially themed ones like Christmas attire, caught my interest, and now, clothing customization has become my main focus. The 12th (of November) was a big day for me as I was at the Americana selling my prints. I do a lot of vinyl prints, but I also work with a sublimation printer. The printer's a bit different as it uses ink that gets absorbed into the fabric. On the other hand, vinyl is applied onto the fabric; I print the design, press it at a high temperature, peel it off, and it's there to stay. When it's not the holiday season, I receive numerous orders for custom-made items. I cater to various groups, from bridesmaids to stag and does, even large groups like teachers and nurses. People often come to me with ideas they've seen online, which I later create on my own.?

When did you begin your business? Do you remember when you made Taylor’d to You official?

Taylor’d to You officially began on June 6th 2020, when I made my sister a graduation wine glass. My first official sale was to one of her friends who wanted the same wine glass to give as a gift to someone. I have now adapted into apparel but still do the custom wine glass here and there.

What led you to join the industry of customization? How do your strengths come into play with this business?

As I've previously said, my business came as a result of the pandemic and the boredom I faced during the lockdown. My business is mostly done as a hobby rather than for profit. I do a lot of this because I am a naturally creative person, so my brain is always turning gears and looking at things like 'I can do that, oh I can make that'. So when I started making things, I just wanted to be the person who could bring people what they needed and create what they imagined in their heads. My want to help others is what keeps me in this customization industry and it helps that I am always inspired by the variety of different requests I receive from customers. It's fun because you get so many different ideas from people that I wouldn't have thought of. I can take their ideas and combine them with my own to create something that neither of us expected! My customers like to send me posts from pinterest as inspiration which is great because it allows me to look through similar posts and come up with something that meets their expectations.?

How did you gain clients for Taylor'd to You? As well, what advice would you share with small businesses looking to gain clients??

I used a lot of social media and played to the strengths of the people who came to me for my products. Since my mother is a nurse, I frequently work with the nurses at Hotel Dieu Shaver, which is located directly across the street from Brock, and I have created a lot of shirts for them to wear on their shifts. My advice to others is to keep trying. I've failed a few times and have had lots of mess ups, which are hidden in my closet. But don’t give up and keep pushing because you will get there. Sometimes I have shirts that don't sell, but other times I can't keep them on the shelves. At the end of the day it's a market where you don't know what you’re going to get so don't give up.?

As a BBA student at Goodman School of Business, how has your education impacted your business?

I completed a social media marketing course MKTG 4P93. One of the projects involved analyzing Instagram profiles of various companies to determine their branding categories. This taught me alot about what I won't initially see or think of when I’m posting to my socials, because they may be happening naturally.?

For that project, I chose a big wine brand, Babe Wines. I studied their instagram page, looked at hundreds of posts, and the content within like the image, tags, likes, comments, and captions. Through this, I would decide what way the brand is trying to portray itself. What category do they fit in? Is it a fun brand, dark brand, professional brand? That project helped me with branding my own business since I understood how important it was to not only put up a picture of my sweaters and call it a day, but to create connections between the image and the caption or to have a fun and engaging comment as well. It was a great project to help me create the brand and engagement for Taylor’d to You.

On Taylor’d to You’s Instagram, you can always be seen showing gratitude and celebrating wins, big or small. Why is that?

I think this is the way that I can connect with my customers on a more personal level. What is great about small businesses is that you can connect and build deeper relationships with your customers which also helps you to perfect their orders. If I understand my customer’s needs fully, I can ensure that their customization is as personal to them as possible. It's also a great way for my customers to see how my business is doing and where it’s currently at.

How do you manage your time as a (full-time) student and small business owner?

It's been tough this time around because it's my final semester and I need to get everything done. Usually I would slow down but it’s the holiday season and that’s my busiest time. I am also working part-time while doing this, so I make use of every available hour. I make sure to prioritize my tasks and begin early. I actually began my Christmas preparations before Halloween! Christmas in my house started around the second week of October so I started getting things ready and organized then. Taylor’d to You has always been a fun experience for me so if it's not enjoyable, then I'm not going to do it.

What is the most common order or most popular product at Taylor’d to you?

I have two sweaters that are very popular and they are both inspired by the movie Christmas Vacation. If anyone knows the movie it's when uncle Eddie is emptying his tank from his RV, so the sweater says “Merry Christmas” and then on the bottom it says “Shitters Full.” It's really popular with the men, also women, but mainly with the men I sell out on these. Another popular sweater of mine says “Griswold’s Tree Farm,” and my Griswold inspired sweaters are always selling out.? Basically what inspired these sweaters is the fact that I grew up watching Christmas Vacation every year because it's my family’s big movie. So when I started making sweaters I was like “I have to make one that my whole family can wear.”