How Model Taylor Hill Went From Fashion To Founder

Forbes

Taylor Hill, founder of "Tate & Taylor" joins Forbes Reporter Maria Gracia Santillana  on 'Forbes Talks' to share how her career as a model helped start her own business.  0:00 Introduction 0:37 Taylor Hill On Her Modeling Career 6:46 Taylor Hill Makes The Jump From Model To Entrepreneur 11:42 Taylor Hill Dishes On Her Pet Business Offerings 16:54 Why Taylor Hill Chose Shopify To Help Launch/Build Her Business 23:37 Here's The Advice Taylor Hill Lives By 30:04 Capturing Content With Taylor Hill  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00I have big dreams and big goals, you know, I have such a huge vision for Tate and Taylor

00:05And I want it. I want us to do it tomorrow

00:11Hi everyone, my name is Maria de Santillana. I'm a reporter here at Forbes. I cover careers

00:16And I'm joined here today with model and founder and chief brand officer at Tate and Taylor, Taylor Hill. Thank you for joining us

00:22Thank you so much for having me

00:23Of course, so, you know very illustrious career that I'm very excited to talk to you about today

00:27But we'll start off at the beginning, you know, you started working at a really young age as a model

00:32Talk to me a little bit about what it was like joining the workforce, you know as a teenager. It was a very

00:39interesting segue

00:41Because I was 14 when I was scouted and started modeling and I left high school at 15

00:46So for me going from school in Colorado a small town to you know

00:52Traveling the world and being on photo shoots and sets and stuff. It was such a different

00:58Shift in life path. Uh-huh, but for me it was really exciting because I

01:04wasn't very good at school and like the traditional sense of like

01:08getting good grades and I always kind of struggled with paying attention and you know, learning new things and

01:14math

01:16But when I finally, you know when I got onto sets and I was you know getting in this groove of modeling and working and

01:23Learning about the fashion industry

01:24I just kind of felt like I found where I belong as one of the sense of place finally and

01:30Something that I was really good at. So even though it was a really big shift and it was

01:36Like oh my god. Well, it's happening. I I loved it and I fell in love with something and I fell in love with my

01:42Career so and what I do with for my job and I just I'm grateful that I get to do what I love every single day

01:48Yeah, what was it like kind of getting shifted into that, you know, I'm working I'm not necessarily going out with friends

01:54I'm not, you know at a play date. Well at 14, you're not at a play date

01:57But you know like hanging out with friends versus work. What was that mentality shift?

02:00like well in the beginning it was funny because I would book jobs and

02:06You know have to fly from home and do all these places and I would miss things like school dances or birthday parties

02:14And when I was really young obviously at 14 and 15

02:18That really mattered to me and it made me sad that I was missing out on a lot of that stuff

02:23but then obviously as I started making more friends in the industry that I was in and getting to know people better and I didn't

02:29feel so

02:30you know new or

02:32Intimidated I started having more fun at work. Yeah, so

02:36It was a shift it like a the shift. It was really small where it felt. Oh

02:41I'm oh, I'm sad. I'm missing this and I I don't get to be there for this birthday or that party or that dance

02:47but then I kind of was

02:49Shortly into it. I was like, I can't wait to get out of here again. I can't wait to go there again

02:55I can't wait to be on set again

02:56So it was quick, but there was definitely times when I felt, you know bummed because I was so little

03:02Oh, absolutely, and it's interesting right is like almost did you feel like you were growing up in the public eye to some degree?

03:09And I'm not so much like public, but I definitely felt like I had to grow up quickly

03:13Because when I first started modeling it was it was a different time

03:17There was no there was Facebook and some social media, but not how it is today currently

03:23So I still at that age had privacy and you know, I I wasn't like really well-known in a sense

03:31I was I was just modeling and in the industry

03:35I was starting to become known but that was very it's a very niche crowd when you're that young and at that time

03:41It was only people who really cared and followed fashion would like know who you were. So I didn't feel like I was

03:47you know just

03:49Thrust into a sense of fame right away. Also because modeling fame was very different

03:55Yeah, so then maybe being a young actor. I feel like you get way more attention and way more eyeballs. Yeah

04:01So I did feel like I had somewhat of a normal childhood, you know, I didn't

04:09What was that moment where for you it really switched and you're like, oh my gosh, okay

04:12Like people really recognize who I am now, you know

04:16Social media following and getting a little bit more insight into maybe your personal life

04:20I think for me it was when I started doing Victoria's Secret. I started, you know working with them at 18

04:27yeah, so when I booked my first show and you know walk the runway Victoria's Secret was so much a part of the

04:36like I guess pop culture and all that so

04:42More mainstream, I guess. Yeah is the word it people would pay attention to Victoria's Secret

04:48Yeah, we wouldn't be normally paying attention to high fashion Chanel. Yeah Versace all the other shows

04:54I did when I did Victoria's Secret. It was like, okay now it's mainstream

04:57Yeah, and then my social media following just started like go kind of going crazy from there and and that was when I was like

05:04Oh, well, okay

05:05Things are happening. Exactly. And I mean you certainly had a very, you know, lustrous career

05:10You made our 2016 list of highest paid models

05:13And so talk to me a little bit about when you're you know, you're 18, maybe you're a little bit older

05:18You're getting all this money all this fame when you look at the future, right? How sustainable at that point?

05:23Did you think modeling was as a career?

05:26When I very first started I didn't think it would be very sustainable

05:30Mm-hmm, and neither did my parents just because we didn't know anything about it. Yeah, I didn't know

05:34What modeling careers meant? We didn't know anyone who was a model. Yeah, there was no

05:41blueprint on how to do it and we didn't know how to

05:45Capitalize or like make sure it's a successful. Yeah, we just kind of were flying by the seat of our pants and hoping something stuck

05:51yeah, but my parents are really great because they

05:54They were so supportive of as long as I wanted to do it and I loved doing it they were like

06:01Continue to do what you love. So I felt like I had a lot of support from my family to be able to

06:08You know chase my dreams and do what I want to do and because I had that support and my parents believed in me

06:14I think that's when I started realizing that this can be a career and this can have longevity

06:19Yeah, and the more I started doing in the longer I started working towards, you know

06:23my goals and

06:25building sort of my

06:26Foundation of you know paying my dues and yeah in the business. I I

06:31Was I started feeling? Okay. I have so many connections and I know so many people here like

06:36Now I see how modeling can maybe become something that I could do this forever

06:41Yeah, not forever, but you know what? Yeah for a really long for much longer than you would initially think. Yeah, it's interesting, right?

06:48Because it's to your point. It's those connections that really you see the long-term

06:52Walk me then, you know knowing that you could be modeling for the rest of your life and have a pretty good life

06:57Decided to start this new brand Tate and Taylor

07:00so

07:01obviously, I love my job and I love fashion, but my

07:04Probably my number one passion in the whole entire even since I was like a young child was animals and specifically dogs

07:11I had dogs growing up and with my family to family dogs. Yeah, and I got Tate when I was 18 and

07:19I they are just like to me dogs are

07:24Such special creatures that I truly think you don't deserve them. Yeah, and for me starting Tate and Taylor was

07:32Something that I really wanted to do next to modeling just because it's something that I'm so passionate about

07:39The pet space and you know

07:41I just wanted to start doing something where I could be around dogs all the time and

07:46Add something else to what I'm doing for work. That is another thing that I love to do

07:51So I wanted to start the business just because I have so much passion for it and because I think that you know

07:57There's a lot of room for some change and innovation and growth in the industry and that's you know

08:03I've been in the modeling industry for 14 years and I've seen how

08:07Fashion has changed involved and grown and I would love to apply what I've learned and seen over the last

08:13Decade and almost a half to the pet space and maybe see if there's a way I can sort of like shake it up and

08:18Do it differently. Yeah, so, you know, that's kind of my my thought process. I'm wanting to why dogs?

08:28It's actually and to your point it's a huge industry, right?

08:30I think it's like about a little over 246 billion in value in 2023

08:35Yeah, walk me through what it was like stepping into this huge industry, right? Like how did that feel?

08:41Well, I think people hear oh the pet bit industry is, you know

08:46200-something 40 billion dollar industry and they think oh, that's huge

08:50I want to get involved because of all the money involved or the amount of money that it makes

08:56But I kind of look at that and think oh

08:59That's overwhelming. Yeah, that to me was

09:04intimidating because

09:05There's so there's a lot out there

09:08it's almost feels sometimes oversaturated just because it is so massive and it is so big and

09:15there's no sense of

09:19community or

09:20Curation or an understanding of what's good? And why yeah who are the founders who are starting these businesses?

09:27Why are they starting them? It's kind of just like here's 25

09:32Supplements. Yeah, and no reason as to why you should have one versus the other

09:36So when I started doing, you know research and deep diving into the pet business because I knew I wanted to start a

09:43pet company

09:44I sort of saw I sort of saw that and I had this

09:49weird feeling of deja vu and sort of connected it back to when I first got Tate when he was a puppy and I

09:55was feeling this

09:58sense of overwhelm

10:00Overwhelming and yeah, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to buy

10:04How do I train him? What food should I give him so many opinions so many different, you know

10:11Contradicting ones as well. You should feed him this because of that you shouldn't feed him that because of this it's like there's no

10:17There was no help, you know what I mean?

10:20And I remember feeling you know

10:22how do I do this because so many people have dogs and if they get a puppy for the first time and there's

10:28No how to like true how to guide yeah, you walk into that

10:34246. Yeah six. What did you say? Yeah, 246 246 billion dollar industry and you're like

10:42What

10:43So I was like, okay, I've felt this before I'm feeling this again. Yeah, how can I make this better?

10:50How can we do something that feels?

10:53Simpler yeah and fresh and clean and like

10:58you know all the things that we have on our our website are you know products that are

11:05great and good for you, but good for your pet great for you for your pet and

11:09They're they're

11:10Founded by incredible people who have amazing stories as well

11:14So I kind of just wanted to create this place where people could come and if they don't know what to do

11:19Yeah, you know

11:20Maybe we can help you and we can help figure it out together and like find

11:24Really great products and brands that are doing really cool things that are trying to change the pet space

11:29Yeah, well and let's talk a little bit about that right almost the specifics about how to in Taylor works

11:33So, how is it part of that larger industry? Right? No, is it? No, are you selling specific products?

11:39Are you curating you mentioned that creating community? How is that all working? So right now I would say we're a

11:45Curated online store we sell other people's products and then we also do a lot of charity work as well. So

11:52a big part of what we want to do is just

11:56Make sure that we curate and find brands that are

12:00trying to be different and innovative because I

12:04Think there's a lot of noise out there and if they're on some of these other

12:07Platforms or these other websites or you walk into some of these pet stores?

12:11It could be really overwhelming and there's no sense of guidelines of yeah where and why and they just sort of like

12:18It's just a you got to do all that work yourself

12:21So sort of how we work and what we want to do is

12:25Be really intentional with the products that we pick why and say why we picked them

12:29Highlight the founders and their stories and why they created that product because then when you come to our website

12:35Hopefully you have this sense of feeling

12:37Everything on there is really good and really great and has been you know vetted and we you know

12:42Speak to these founders and hear their stories and we love talking to them and seeing why they started a business

12:48Because I think people are really curious about that too

12:50Especially when it comes to your dog or a pet you love them so much and you want to make sure that you're giving them

12:56things that are good for them and you know trying to the best of your ability to take care for the take care of

13:01them and

13:03being able to sort of I

13:06Guess sort of filter through all the

13:09Out there for you is something that we love the idea of being able to create and then also the sense of community of you

13:16Know on our social media and our website and we have you know

13:19If you subscribe to our newsletter and our blog post on our website

13:23We sort of talk about you know

13:25We just did like a city guide where it's just like pet friendly places

13:28You can take your dog just like cool fun things that feel

13:31Interactive where if you are new to the pet world or you just got a dog you don't know where to go

13:36You don't know what to do

13:37we can't we have content for you on that and

13:41I just think that that was something that was missing when I

13:45Got taped at 18 and I wish I had that when I had him

13:49So I'm I hopefully I can create that and do that now

13:52Yeah, why choose like that kind of marketplace curation approach as opposed to say like hey

13:58I'm gonna launch my own t-shirt or my own like leashes like brand

14:02I think for me I looked into doing that. Yeah, I felt almost sort of

14:08Like in the beginning I would be adding to the problem. Yeah, because why should I make something?

14:13With no previous experience in the pet space. I'm just walking in for the first time and

14:19Create something and tell everyone you should buy it. Yeah, why I talk with my hands

14:28This before

14:29Why why why would they buy it from me? You know, they have no I have no experience in the space. They don't

14:36Naturally, you know people who follow me or know who I am don't naturally associate we associate me with dogs

14:41Yeah, maybe because of Tate they do but not in that sense and for me

14:46I really wanted to do a store and curation because I wanted to learn

14:49Yeah, and I wanted to see what was out there and I wanted to figure out why?

14:53One brand is doing something different than another and sort of figure out, you know

14:59Where are the gaps in the in the marketplace? Like where are people seeing a need for a new product?

15:05Yeah, and talking with our community and building out what we're doing in our platform

15:10And if we do make something one day we want to make it for it an actual need

15:16Yeah, and not just make something just because willy-nilly and say hey you should buy this

15:20No, we want to make it with you. Let us know

15:23what are the top five problems that you're seeing and you know having a pet and

15:27What are where are the gaps and the things that are that currently exist or what do you you know as a whole?

15:32Do we wish existed?

15:34Yeah

15:34that and then we can make something based off of that because we're creating something that people actually need and not just like adding to

15:41This over consumerism in the pet space where it's already at two hundred forty six billion

15:46And and I have to compete with that

15:48Yeah

15:49I would rather just do something good that people really need and create something out of a need not out of a

15:56Here you go. Yeah buy it now

15:58Yeah

15:59it's like that's that's not I don't I don't find that to be authentic and I I love being able to connect with people and

16:06like create something that's

16:09For real. Yeah, just because of the experience and the the story and my journey with Tate

16:14Yeah, we've been through a lot together and I that's my soul mate

16:18Mm-hmm, and I would never want to buy something or make something that I wouldn't have given to Tate

16:22Yeah

16:23so that's the whole foundation that Tate and Taylor is built on is just that love for a pet for a loved one that we

16:30Want to I'm just want to do everything I possibly can to take care of him

16:33yeah, the best way that I can and

16:35by, you know curating and finding brands and products and learning and you know, hopefully we can

16:42You know

16:44Gain some trust. Yeah, because I'm not just trying to like make something and convincing you to buy it

16:49Yeah, I really want to know and learn before I even make anything. Yeah

16:54Taylor the other thing I want to ask you about today is you know

16:56Obviously, there is a ton of different softwares right now that you can use

17:00To kind of run your business and run your marketplace. Why did you choose Shopify? They are

17:07What's a behemoth? They are they're everything. Mm-hmm. They I mean they do

17:13So much and they also are so great at supporting new businesses and founders and when we started building our website and doing all the

17:20back-end work with Shopify

17:22we were connected to someone who was helping us do that and the level of responsiveness and you know care and

17:29Just the time and effort that they put into us was so great. And I think for anyone starting a business

17:37Shopify also started as a small business and look what they've built, you know

17:41I think that question is like why Shopify I mean

17:44why not because I

17:45think just all the tools that they have and how willing and ready they are to support their businesses and like the people that they

17:52Have on their platform and also connect us to others because we do drop shipping

17:56We work with other vendors being able to connect with them and like on the back-end plug-in on Shopify

18:01it just makes it a really easy and seamless process because

18:04We're a small business and some of the businesses that we're working with and that we're selling on our marketplace are also small businesses

18:11So we have just like this great team and just so much support there

18:16yeah, and I think that they're an amazing partner and

18:19There's they've been really generous and really helpful with me because we're a really small team, you know, people may think that I'm

18:27Doing some big venture thing right now and it's really not we were a team of five

18:31and it's me and four other people that work on Tate and Taylor and we run everything together and

18:37Having the support of Shopify is like having an extra team member and teammates that we can ask

18:42questions and call on if we have we're having like

18:45You know technical problems or we need customer support and they help us connect to all these other incredible people. So

18:53Shopify has been brilliant and really great and a huge support for us. Absolutely on that note real quick, you know when you're hiring

18:59Obviously, it's a small team

19:00But when you were hiring, you know people to bring on to the Tate and Taylor team

19:03What to you was kind of the telltale question that you would ask that really signaled like hey

19:08This is someone that I want to work with me. Do you like dogs?

19:12No, that's my first

19:15Do you like dogs?

19:18No, I think

19:20For me, it was kind of seeing

19:23Their past experience. Where did they come from? Do what where what was there a lot of past work?

19:29Experience like and then also are they able to sort of like wear many hats because we are a really small team and

19:37hiring people who know that who I know that they can take on yeah more than one task or

19:43You know wear different hats and you know things fall under different areas and categories. We don't have you know, a

19:51marketing team like

19:53Operations team we have one person in each sector really and they do so many different things and there's a lot of crossover

20:00So I feel like in the beginning when I'm starting to hire in in like a startup phase and like a new business phase

20:06looking for people who are flexible who you know know how to adjust and who pivot like me and are like-minded and also

20:14Creative in a sense because while they can have a really technical background, that's really great

20:18But are you creative in problem-solving and finding solutions because that's where other people and other team members need help is yeah

20:25Creative problem-solving and well, why don't we do this and how about we ask that person?

20:29I'll reach out to them and it's just not being defeated by a problem because there's a lot in the beginning. So

20:35Seeing an issue and being like, okay

20:38How can we come at this from a different angle and just think outside the box?

20:42So that was something that I also really

20:45Looked for and had a lot of support and help in finding people with you know, just you know, my team's great

20:57Well, I think that's an interesting point that you mentioned and I love talking to founders who really highlight this aspect of learning, right

21:03You might have a really good idea something but no one is perfect

21:05No one knows everything and you kind of need to learn the other parts of the business

21:08I know you've talked about this a little bit before but what was it like starting a business with limited?

21:14I'll say, you know business school traditional background

21:17I have no I have no traditional education technically in a sense

21:22Yeah, I have a GED but I you know, I went to I

21:27Went to work at 14

21:28yeah, I think I learned a lot by doing and I think a lot of my education comes from being on sets and seeing how

21:36Businesses work and function and operate

21:37Yeah

21:38and you know all of the work and all of the moving parts that it takes for a photo shoot to even happen and all

21:43The people that are on set and like it's not just about me or a photographer or a client

21:48there's so many people that need to be there that we rely on to make a photo shoot or a commercial or a fashion show happen and

21:57Sort of seeing how all those puzzle pieces fit together. I've learned a lot over, you know, 14 years

22:02a certain industry that I feel like I was able to sort of apply that to starting a business because

22:09when you first start a business, you know, someone always told me it's like a

22:14Startup or running a company is like it's a loosely functioning disaster. Oh, yeah

22:20It's not an easy thing and people think oh, I'm just gonna like start this company

22:24It's just gonna be great and it's gonna I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that and it's so chaotic

22:28There's so many moving pieces. There's so much that goes into building a business that I feel like because of

22:35My past experience. Yeah in the fashion industry being so chaotic so many moving pieces

22:41Never knowing where I'm going until the next like I could go somewhere tomorrow. Yeah, what do you mean?

22:46It's very I've just been flying by the seat of my pants for 14 years

22:51Maybe one day I'll have a normal life. No, yeah

22:57So, I think that being able to be so flexible and okay if something doesn't work like pivot on to the next move on

23:04How do I you know apply?

23:07Something that technically makes no sense and apply it into this space and figure out how to get it done

23:12So I think just like having that the fact that I don't have this traditional sense of yeah an education

23:19I think it gives me a much more a different perspective and a much more open mind when it comes to business

23:25Yeah, and entrepreneurship. So I don't know. I just kind of feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Yeah, but also

23:32Hopefully I'll just figure it out. Yeah, like maybe I will know what I'm doing. Yeah

23:36Oh my god, there's a question. Do we do any of us know what we're doing at this point?

23:42But I think that's an interesting point right like the chaos

23:45What's like the best piece of advice that you got in kind of those early stage early days that really stands out to you as

23:51Like, you know what? Maybe I should have listened to that more. I think the one piece of advice is

23:56It's an every single day thing and it's little steps every day

24:01And sometimes you have these I have big dreams and big goals

24:05Yeah, no, I have such a huge vision for Tate and Taylor. Mm-hmm, and I want it. I want to do it tomorrow

24:11Yeah, like why didn't why isn't it happening yet?

24:14But these things take time and a really great piece of advice or a way somebody phrase it to me was like keep that big

24:21Goal and like keep that big vision and think about it every day

24:25Yeah, and do those little steps that you have to do

24:28What whether it be a you know, these little tedious emails or responding or you know?

24:34This event and it's so it's small and it builds the next one like it's the little steps every day that you can do and

24:40Take that build over time to creating that really big goal in that big vision that you have in mind

24:46Yeah, but sometimes the bigger you dream the bigger of a goal you'll accomplish

24:50Yeah, but the bigger the goal the harder it's the more work you're gonna do like the harder

24:56It's gonna be to get there. But as long as you do little steps every single day, you can get there

25:02It will just take time and I think I got really frustrated in the beginning because I was like, why isn't this happening?

25:07It's like it takes time to do these things and you know getting trademarks and beginning a website and yeah

25:14It takes months and you don't realize that and you're like I why isn't this launched yet?

25:18Yes, cuz you gotta do all these things first

25:21so I

25:23think just you got to take a breath and

25:25Keep thinking keep, you know

25:27Envisioning your big picture and then everything that you can do every single little thing that little stuff you can take every day

25:33Yeah, it's all the logistical stuff right? Yeah a trademark figuring out manufacturing. So yeah, I like shipping all the vendors dropshipping

25:41Like oh my gosh all these words that I know now

25:46We kind of have hinted about this rather conversation

25:49But walk me through what you know, any similarities that you see between the modeling industry and now the pet care business

25:55I really see so many

25:57You wouldn't think it would correlate but I do I I feel like you know in the fashion industry

26:03there's

26:04people creating things and

26:07Designing stuff and you know you want

26:11For all different types of people in different career paths. There's some sort of fashion for someone

26:17yeah, and I also feel like fashion is such a great way of

26:20Expressing yourself and I do think of it as sort of an art form and that's why I love it so much. It's so creative

26:28But it's also a business and you know, these these brands and these fashion companies are businesses and they have to you know

26:35Create items that sell and they have to make product and you know

26:40Hold inventory and they do all of that stuff on the back end. Whereas like on my end. It's way more creative

26:47We're just like on a set and doing a shoot

26:49But there's a vision and a creation behind it that people want to buy it

26:54You know what I mean or people want to be a part of it and own like a bit of that that brand that idea

26:59that

27:01Piece of I don't what's what are we trying to say? Sometimes it's very hard to articulate

27:08It's just it's this feeling of being a part of something that you love

27:11Well, you love like the idea of this brand or what their creativity that they've you know

27:18Yeah presented to you. You want to be a part of it. So in that sense

27:22It's in the pet space. It's

27:25You you it's the same thing. It's like it's your dog. It's a part of you

27:29It's a pet like you love it. You want to take care of it?

27:32I it's a different thing. Whereas I feel like fashion is more like I see it as a lot more

27:38Artistic a way to express yourself through like fashion in the clothes that you wear if you love fashion

27:43If you love, you know art and all those things and then for pets

27:47It's like it's more just I feel it feel like it's a like lifestyle. It's family. It's bonding. It's caring

27:54it's having love for something taking care of someone and

27:58I think

28:00Those two things while they're different you can sort of apply them in similar ways

28:05Yeah, and I think a lot of there's a lot of similarities in you know

28:10creating something for a pet or a dog is like creating something if you were starting a fashion company like a lot of these

28:17Creative directors are creating clothes for people that they love or they have an inspiration or an or a muse in mind

28:23You know, like Jane Birkin. Yeah, she was a muse and now we have the Birkin

28:30For for pets. It's sort of just there are such a huge part of our hearts and yeah

28:35You know Tate is my muse and he's no longer with us

28:39But everything that I do I do for him and everything I would if he was still here today

28:44What I would still be doing for him. Yeah, so I do feel like there's this there's

28:50some sort of

28:51Connection and correlation between the two. Yeah, and while a business is really crazy

28:56Yeah, and there's a lot of work and there's a lot of technical things and yeah, you know logistics involved

29:02I do find that it's extremely creative. Yeah, and that's why I'm really loving it. I love that

29:07The other thing we haven't talked about yet is social media, right and to your point earlier

29:11Social media has really changed the game in the last 14 years definitely even the last five years

29:15I think you know with the emergence of tick-tock. It's really kind of taking a new lens. Oh, yeah

29:20Talk to me a little bit of what it's like and what you've seen in your own profile in terms of you know

29:24You're we'll say like the modeling fashion audience and then the pet audience

29:29What is that like even within your own kind of account? I think it's I mean

29:36Social media is a whole thing. I don't even yeah, I don't understand

29:40You know what? I mean? I get it, but I don't yeah, I

29:44it's such a useful tool and it's great and

29:48It's amazing. And I think it's kind of an incredible that I

29:53Started my Instagram when I was 16

29:55Yeah, I still have there people will come to me like I've been following you since you know way back

30:04It's it's an amazing thing to feel connected to people and just share bits of your life with people

30:10and I think in terms of things that I've seen and you know, the fashion space and the modeling space is that

30:19People who have been following me for so long

30:22they feel like they knew Tate and he was such a big part of my life and a part of my life that I shared a

30:28lot and

30:30when I

30:31You know shared that Tate

30:33Was diagnosed with lymphoma and he was in the hospital

30:37I got a lot of support from so many people like I got you know

30:41thousands of comments and messages just people reaching out and sending me support and love and it was an

30:47Incredible thing to see and I do think that even though I've been so much in the fashion industry

30:54I think there is something there's another level that I get to connect with people on when it comes to dogs or cats

31:00That's just different and hearing people's stories and hearing them

31:04You know share what they went through and they lost a dog

31:07Yeah made me feel less alone and it made me feel

31:11more more connected to the following that I have because I felt like we were kind of going through something together and I think that

31:19There is just this little like sub thread of people in my you know, little world there

31:27They're like they're like my dog people, you know and they get it so

31:32For me I've always found that there's

31:35just

31:36being able to connect and

31:39Have a human experience and an interaction with people is really important

31:42I think dogs help us do that and while everybody always, you know

31:47Maybe may think of me or see me in the fashion space

31:50I think maybe it's really

31:52They feel more connected to me having known when I went through a Tate and I feel more connected to them because of the shores

31:59Because of the because of the stories that they shared with me when I lost him. Mm-hmm. It's interesting, right?

32:06How's you know an animal something that's not human can make the humanist really come out?

32:10Yeah, and really bring that out of people. Have you noticed a difference in terms of your engagement, right?

32:15Like do your high-profile modeling, you know photo shoots get more engagement than the pet and pictures of Tate or is it the opposite?

32:22I mean, it depends. I mean if it's something, you know in terms of fashion that I'm doing

32:28That's really cool and it gets a lot of traction

32:30That's great

32:30And it's really exciting because I think that people do get excited about stuff like that when it's just like, oh my gosh

32:36I can't believe you know, maybe she finally booked that thing. I wanted to see her there

32:41So it people do get excited, but I think sometimes I get maybe even more

32:47views and more connections and responses from people when it comes to the dogs because

32:53People love their dogs. I love my dogs like I'm obsessed with them and

32:58I think that

33:01The content that I get to create is so much more so it's so different. Yeah, and sometimes

33:07not more fun, but just more I

33:10Could just get to be myself more

33:11I think because this is my business and an expression of who I am and what I love and my passion

33:18so when we're like, you know, but I'm

33:22Making content and you know posting pictures of my dogs. Yes, like that's just so me

33:27Yeah, and I think whenever people get a glimpse of seeing

33:31And being able to connect to you then it does really well and it's really exciting. Yeah, and I love that. Yes

33:37Look my dog

33:41That's how it is I guess exactly how are you balancing now your day-to-day, you know

33:45obviously as you mentioned modeling can be a very hectic career where you're jumping from one place to another and

33:49Building a business can also be the same way right like you're hopping on calls and meetings every other minute. It seems. Yep. I

33:56Would say I'm not balancing

33:59It's a very real answer I appreciate that I love that I have no format I have no advice anything

34:06I would love some how do I do this? How do I do both? It's it's a juggling act and

34:12it's a lot of work and but I I really love it like I I

34:17Feel like I kind of just like thrive in chaos. Yeah, I'm like, okay

34:23And I

34:24You know, I'm like flying all over the place and you know

34:27I was just I was in it was here in New York

34:30I'm shooting and working here and then the next day we you know, we got on a plane to

34:37Paris and I was shooting in Paris for two days and like taking a Tate and Taylor calls

34:41but also like how insane and amazing is that I'm just like

34:45You did what is my life like I'm in Paris like this is so crazy. So for me I just have

34:52It's not a balancing anything

34:55And for me, it's just like finding joy and gratitude and every single day because if you let it get overwhelming

35:01You'll you will get overwhelmed if you let stress get to you you will get stressed. I obviously feel all those emotions

35:08yeah, that's fine, but I just

35:10Take a breath and try to find the positive like try to find the optimism because I'd never want to feel like I'm in a

35:16Position of feeling ungrateful or oh, I'm tired or any of that

35:21I want to feel excited every day because I've worked so hard to get here and I'm finally here and I'm doing these things

35:29I'm not I'm not for yeah

35:32Okay

35:36Just feel like I'm trying to be I'm just trying to be so

35:40grateful and

35:41Find joy rather than being like, oh I have to do all this and balance and compartmentalize and have a schedule and be organized

35:48Yeah, so I'm like the opposite of all those things, but we make it work, you know

35:52Oh, absolutely. And I think that's a great like topic to end our conversation with because yes, it's it's busy

35:58You're going all around and sometimes you just you know want to take a break. Yeah, but thank you so much for being with us

36:05Today Taylor and yeah, thank you so much. Of course. That was fun

36:10You

Category

Transcript

Recommended