This week we speak with Tae’Lor Lake, Founder of Trophy Details. Tae’Lor shares her journey as a young entrepreneur and the innovative approach she brings to the mobile car wash industry. With a focus on convenience, Trophy Details provides high-quality detailing services directly to clients, freeing them from the hassle of traditional car washes. Tae’Lor discusses the inspiration behind her business, which emerged from her fascination with processes and systems and her personal experiences in the car wash sector.

Listen as we explore the importance of community support and the need for local entrepreneurship programs that help entrepreneurs succeed. 

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro 

(00:06) Meet Tae’Lor Lake

(00:36) The Convenience of Mobile Detailing

(02:27) Inspiration Behind the Business

(05:42) Overcoming Challenges and Finding Success

(11:55)  Building a Community and Support Network

(31:28) Tech Innovation: Developing the Trophy Details App

(36:23) Funding and Growth Strategies

(43:12) Tae’Lor's Vision for the Future

RESOURCES

Trophy Details: https://www.trophydetails.com/s/appointments 

CONTACT

Martin Mechtenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mechtenberg-515a648/ 

Susan Ford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-howard-ford-8446441/

Okay.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of rooted in reaching season two.

We are lucky today to have with us here in the studio Taylor Lake, the founder of Trophy Details, based here in South Bend.

Is that correct?

Based in South Bend but serving the region.

Correct.

Okay.

So, Taylor, welcome to the episode.

It's a pleasure to be here.

We are happy to have you here.

I know that even though you're relatively young, you've been an entrepreneur for a long time.

But before we get into your background, tell us, what is trophy details?

Trophy details is a mobile car wash in detail service.

What makes us different is we go to our clients, making it convenient.

We provide quality services with trained detailers, giving your car special attention to detail, and it's super creative and innovative, and it's so something to look forward to in this industry.

Yeah, yeah.

I can see why that would be valuable, because you have to squeeze it in after work, usually like, oh, I got a good congratulations.

You have to do it on Saturday morning or you're trying to squeeze it in after work or something like that, and you remove that obstacle.

Exactly, exactly.

Usually the clients that we're serving are mothers, business professionals, and these are people who are constantly on the go, that are busy.

So they really enjoyed that time that we give back to them to be able to balance their life.

Right.

So would your average customer be sort of at work while you work on their vehicle?

Correct.

So they're either working in the office.

We get a lot of people that are remote.

We get elders who, of course, you know, they may not be physically able to do that service anymore or go sit at a shop for long periods of time.

So we create that ease for them by making the process easier.

No quote necessary.

No calling anyone on the phone for those who may have anxiety.

And they're able to just get right on our website streamline process of this is what I need.

Book it.

We're on the way.

And you're on the way.

And you'll go to any location.

Correct.

You get an address, car parked outside.

Yeah.

We might beat you there.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I love it.

Yeah.

I mean, it really does seem like you're serving what was maybe a gap in the marketplace.

And so to that point, where did the idea come from?

So something about me is I'm super intrigued about processes and systems.

And I always knew this as a kid because, you know, while other kids were watching cartoons, I was watching the behind the scenes of how movies were made, and I watched how Michael Jackson created thriller.

And it always intrigued me on the process and how things came together into one production.

And that was always a skill that I had, and then I continued to.

When I worked for other places, I loved watching their process and how other companies ran.

I worked for Amazon.

I loved the logistics of it and how he was able to scale that and have different teams.

And I just kind of soaked it up as a student and transferred those skills into the carwash industry.

I did work at a carwash once before, listening to the pain points of the customers and my pain points as an employee.

So I believe that the car wash industry needed my skillset, and it just made sense.

Yeah, got it.

I'm always fascinated.

Our last guest, Kat Edmonds, was talking about how when she was a nine year old, she started a camp in her neighborhood.

And so the connection between youthful entrepreneurship to what she does today with Connect 574.

It sounds really similar for you.

Like you as a child, were interested in processes and organization.

I think that's absolutely fascinating that you were watching behind the scenes.

How was thriller made?

Right.

Where the other kids are watching?

I don't know, just some cartoon spongeBob or something.

Right.

Like.

Right.

I think it really.

I think really, all of us, it starts in your childhood, that spark.

You know, we get older, we get into our careers, and we're adults, and I think the fulfillment, we always go back to our childhood that, and we ask ourselves, what actually made me happy?

What actually gave me a spark?

And once you connect and align back with that spark, you'll be able to align with, you know, what industry or what it is that you're trying to accomplish.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's fantastic, Taylor.

So you had some experience working at a car wash years ago, and is that where the genesis of the idea came from?

You said you were hearing customers talk about some of their pain points.

Like, at what moment did you sit down and say, I know how to solve this problem.

No one else is solving it.

I'm gonna do it?

That's a really good question.

I actually know I soaked up some information from previous jobs and things that I worked at.

Really, what I learned at the car wash was that I was really good at sales.

I was one of the only women working for that car wash, and I was the top salesperson for, like, three locations.

Wow.

And I was just like, oh, I'm pretty good at.

You're natural.

Right?

So that kind of sparked, you know, a skill that I didn't know that I had that I could possibly go into sales or something like that.

But the skill of actually knowing how to detail actually sparked when I was laid off during COVID I got laid off during COVID and it kind of put me in a position of my back being against the wall.

I was fairly young, but I like to think ahead, and I was like, what am I going to do?

Like, there's a pandemic going on.

You know, I thought I would be at this job for, you know, for the next couple years of my life, and it didn't pan out for me.

So I think I just took what skill that I knew that I was really good at at that moment, and something I could start now.

Got it.

And then I.

It was just up ever since.

Yeah.

Do you look back at getting laid off and see it as the silver lining now or.

It was the best thing that's ever happened to you kind of thing.

It was divinely orchestrated.

There you go.

It was definitely a blessing in disguise, because so much has happened since then and have met so many people and so many people have impacted me.

It's almost like I couldn't even.

I can't even imagine it going any other way.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So there's an alternate timeline where you're still working.

Still working there, wherever it was.

Yeah.

Right.

Instead of being this amazing community entrepreneur.

I'm happy that I did the quantum leap.

There you go.

Yes.

Yes, indeed.

So you are a native south bend or native to the region?

Yes.

Were you born and raised here in South Bend, or.

Yes, born and raised.

Proud to be born and raised.

Like we were just speaking of previously, I graduated from clay high school.

You know, I didn't take the traditional path of going to school, so there were a lot of odds stacked up against me on starting a business due to the fact that back in those times that I was in school, we didn't have what we have now.

It was either school or sports after school, and I was like, I don't want to do either of those.

I have ideas.

I have this vision.

I'm going for that.

And I seen the route that South Bend was taking.

I could see the vision of myself, but I also could see that South Bend was being developed.

Watching Eddie street get developed, from seeing it as almost a landfill as a child to becoming a.

A bustling place of businesses and employees and students, that was inspiring in itself.

I knew that South Bend was headed somewhere, and I wanted to be a part of that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, that's remarkable, too, that, you know, as a young person, you were seeing that and connecting with the idea that South Bend is getting better.

And that you could play a role in that going forward.

Yeah, that is really remarkable.

So you're this young person.

You graduated from clay high school, right?

Right.

You're not running off to college.

You're here.

You're building a life in South Bend.

Trophy details was not your first business idea.

No.

So funny thing is, back.

I had a, like a clothing brand, and it was like a clothing brand and a podcast, and it was all of me and my friends just doing a lot of things that the young people are doing now today they're doing like, pranks and skits.

I was doing all of that, like, years ago.

And looking back at it, I'm like, that is so cool that so many people are, like, implementing that and doing that idea.

So that was my first attempt.

It was successful.

It was more so like a hobby, though.

It was a hobby.

I wasn't really doing it for income or anything of that nature.

It was just for fun, but it was successful.

Was that you or with partners?

It was myself.

And then, like, podcast wise, I would get all my friends together and they would be hosts or co hosts, and we would do things together.

Yeah, yeah.

Do you ever go back and look at some of those videos and, oh, my God, how funny were you?

I crack up every year.

Every year.

It's like I go through and see a memory.

You know how the memories pop up if you're on social media?

I'm cracking up.

I'll send it to the guys and girls.

Like, remember this?

Yeah, I love it.

So you did that a little bit as a hobby, but you were clearly showing some entrepreneurial spirit right through that work.

Right?

Yeah.

When I was selling the t shirts, we sold out in, like a day, and I was just like, we haven't even released the.

The episodes yet, so I seen that I had influence.

Yeah.

So it's like these little sparks of me kind of experimenting, saying, oh, I can do sales.

Oh, people.

Why are people buying?

You know, people are selling out my shirts in a day.

Okay, so it was kind of all leading up to something.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So it's interesting.

So you've had a series of these kind of sparks or these kind of like, aha.

Moments where you've thought to yourself, oh, wait a minute, I'm actually pretty good at this, or I didn't expect to sell out those t shirts.

Maybe I'm onto something here.

Right, right.

I think that might be one of my greatest advantages as a community entrepreneur, because right after school, I went right into these projects and experiments, taking a lot of rejection, seeing, okay, that doesn't work.

That does work.

I'm good at this.

I'm not good at this.

To be able to really, like, sharpen my toolbox and continue on into other ventures with more confidence.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I love that you are such a big proponent of South Bend in this whole region.

I love it so much, because that's what we're trying to do as an organization here at the South Bend Elkhart regional Partnership as well.

So you're a proponent of the community and a supporter of the community.

I think you've also received support from the community, for sure, going forward here, and you've had the chance to participate in some programs that have helped you hone your skills.

Do you want to tell us about a couple of those programs or those opportunities?

Well, one of the programs was with the South Bend Elkar regional Partnership, SBE Hustle.

I graduated last year, last June.

I really enjoyed SBe hustle.

You guys really helped me double down on my target, on what I was trying, who I was trying to reach, and also asking the hard questions of, where do you want your company to be in the next five years?

And just getting to the nitty gritty of things, of having some real solid structure.

So I enjoyed that.

And I also enjoyed my alumni.

They were all great people.

We all still talk and share ideas with each other.

That's great.

It's an amazing community of people to be around.

And one thing that I really loved during SBe Hustle was there was a time during class where we were just sharing our struggles, where we were like, I failed here last week, and I did this.

I had to pivot here.

And I think that was so essential, because a lot of us, as entrepreneurs, feel like we're the only people going through something.

And having that open discussion, like, lifted a weight off of me.

And I was like, oh, okay.

I'm not the only person going through this.

I'm not the only person struggling in this area.

So that was amazing.

That is.

It's so true.

Even on an earlier episode.

We interviewed Lynn Morris, who's the CEO of View Rail, which is a big multimillion dollar company based out of Goshen.

And Susan Ford, my co host, asked him, what's one thing that people don't understand about you or don't know about you?

And he said, people think I have it all figured out, and I don't.

And that's really remarkable for a guy running, like, a multimillion dollar company.

But to your point, like, we always assume the other person's got it all figured out.

And it can be such a relief to realize, like, I'm not the only one struggling.

I'm not the only one who's, you know, trying to make ends meet, trying to put these things together.

Like, we're all in this together.

Exactly.

Yeah.

So that's.

That's great that you found that sport through SBE hustle, for sure.

And I also graduated from the SBAP program with Michael Morris.

With Notre Dame.

That actually was the first program that I graduated from when I first started the business.

So it was a key factor of structuring the company itself.

I think I joined that.

I think I joined SBE about four months into starting my business.

Okay.

So it was a crucial factor in structure.

That's great.

Perfect timing, huh?

Right.

Timing.

Again, timing.

And.

And Michael Morris tucked me under his wing afterwards by introducing me to some key people in the community, which helped me build my network and build my clientele.

Yeah.

So that's a Notre Dame run program.

The South Bend entrepreneurship and adversity.

Did I say that right?

Entrepreneurship, yep.

Entrepreneurship and adversity program.

Yeah.

So that's another cohort based model, whereas you and a bunch of other aspiring or existing entrepreneurs kind of building up your skill sets.

Correct.

Got it.

Got it.

Yeah.

So, now, I have seen you at the Notre Dame Idea center as well, in recent months, years.

What's your connection there?

The idea center is really good at curating networking events and really has been a great postal piece of bridging community entrepreneurs to the idea center, into Notre Dame.

So I tried to attend their events as much as I can, and when I was at an event, I ran into a man named John Henry.

John Henry.

He's awesome.

I pitched my business to him for 30 seconds.

Somebody handed me the baton.

He was like, this is John Henry.

I was like, this is what I do.

This is where I'm trying to do.

Da da da.

And he was like, awesome.

Let's get you, you know, let's.

Let's see what the next steps are.

And from there on, I was able to build a network with him, which led me to meeting my app developer for the trophy details app that we're developing.

Awesome.

And this is just literally from effort and showing up and being prepared as an entrepreneur, sometimes you only have that 30 seconds, that 20 seconds.

And you need to know your stuff.

You need to know who you are, where you're going and what you're trying to do.

Cause, you know, those are, like, once in a lifetime opportunities that can make or break you.

And from there, I went to the McCloskey pitch competition.

Okay, so through that connection at the idea center, you learned about McCloskey.

Right.

And decided, okay, I'm ready.

Yes.

So I would say me personally, that would have.

The McClowski pitch competition was like.

It pushed me to perform at, like, my highest performance.

I love that.

I love that.

I love a challenge because the entrepreneurs that are applying and going through this pitch, they are performing at the highest level as well.

If you want to be a big fish, you gotta swim with sharks.

And I really enjoyed that process, like, down to the requirements.

The requirements make you step your game up.

You just have to have your ducks in a row.

And even if you don't go all the way, what you get out of it of just the experience and being in the atmosphere and shaking hands, you can definitely maximize on that.

And I feel like that's what happened.

I was blessed to make it to round two.

When I received the news of making it to round two, I was like, oh, my gosh, they believe in the idea.

And to have that many investors and judges looking at my idea and hearing positive feedback, I was just covering my eyes, reading the reviews, but it was positive feedback, and it was just an amazing experience.

Yeah, that's great.

Yeah.

So for the listeners who don't know McCloskey, making it to round two is a pretty big deal.

It's a big cutoff point that projects that make it past that are strong projects, almost uniformly.

That's great.

So, I mean, really, you've had the chance to take advantage of some really good programming.

So this is something you're on the wave of, something that was able to empower you in a way that you probably couldn't have found ten years ago.

Absolutely.

It's an advantage.

It's definitely an advantage that people should be taking advantage of, especially for people, for the kids who are graduating, who are just like me.

I think it's very important for someone like me to win and to pave the way of this path, because there's other kids coming behind me who need someone that comes from their background, that looks like them, who are maybe going through an unconventional path.

They need to see someone and say, oh, look at Taylor.

She's doing it.

There's no excuse.

She came from poverty.

She came from this.

I can do it, too.

Yeah.

And that's.

I mean, honestly, one of the reasons we're thrilled to have you on the podcast, because I'm hoping some young people watch this and they see themselves in you and say, yes, Taylor did it.

I'm gonna do it, too.

That's my greatest intention and mission here, is to help the youth be the best that they can be.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So let's get tactical for a minute.

So you started this business?

Yeah.

Like, what were the steps?

Like, once you decided.

Okay, I have some skills.

I'm a good.

I'm good at marketing.

I have.

I understand the detailing business well enough to get into it.

What did you have to do to get the business up and running?

Okay, well, practically create the idea, have the idea, get it written down.

Okay.

Did someone help you with that, or did you just say.

No, it was just, you know, at first I had it in a Google Doc, and then I transported into a whiteboard.

So I had the steps in front of me, and I was just like, this is what I need to do.

But one interesting thing and crucial fact I want to give you guys and those that are watching, I seen the.

Where the company is now.

I seen that in the beginning.

So it's not by coincidence that we're here right now.

Right.

I knew the type of clients I wanted.

I know I knew what type of brand I wanted trophy to be, so I just worked backwards.

How did you know?

I seen it.

But, like.

Like, was there something that happened in your.

Like, how did you.

How did you grab.

How did you grasp that?

Okay, okay.

I research.

Okay?

Research.

So I do a lot of research.

I researched the industry.

I studied other car washes in the area, such as driving shine, such as the mics.

But I just.

I don't know what to say.

I kind of just knew how I wanted it to be.

Honestly, right there.

I can't even take credit for the vision.

It came to me, and I just knew what I wanted to look, what it was going to look like.

So somebody, a mentor of mine that I met at a networking event, he said, that's called back casting when you work backwards from a vision.

Okay.

And that's how I operate.

I recommend it.

It's not for everybody, but I think it helps you keep yourself aligned with your goal and your core values, because you have to know when to turn things down if it doesn't align with your long term goals.

Yeah.

And that's literally what's kept me on.

And that is.

I mean, that's a powerful thing to learn right there what you're saying.

Sometimes saying no is the most powerful thing you can do to help your business grow.

And that's hard.

It seems ironic, right?

Yeah, it is hard to do.

But if you have a clear sense of your mission and your vision and where you want to go, that gives you the power to say no.

Right.

And I think that's something all of us can implement in our careers, in our lives, and in our companies is, you know, staying aligned with our core values is essential, because as a startup owner, you're not making a lot of money in the beginning, you're not.

So you're more susceptible to taking, accepting anything.

And that was something that I didn't want to do even on day one.

When I started, I had uniforms because I knew I wanted to run it like a corporation.

I need to however I want it to look five years from now, I need to do today.

You need to start taking those steps right away.

Exactly.

Yeah.

I mean, that's fabulous that you were able to start this thing off with that strong sense of mission and vision right out of the gate.

And I'm sure it's one of the critical reasons for your success, probably so.

Yeah, definitely.

So you did this, you knew what you wanted to do, you wrote it down.

Yes.

You started the business, and then how did you get your first customer?

Okay, so my first customer, I had a friend back in the day, and she was starting her career off as a graphic designer.

Okay.

So she was, like, in her hustle and her grind, and I was like, hey, I want to start this mobile detailing company.

Could you whip me up a flyer really fast?

That's all we had is a flyer and had my flyer.

I think the company back then was, like, blue.

A lot has changed, but it was just, like, blue or whatever.

She made this, like, blue flyer with my number on it, and I posted it on Facebook.

Okay.

And our first client slid up on my story and was like, I want my seats done, or whatever.

And I was just like, oh, my gosh.

Okay, we got.

We got, like, we got one.

And that first client, I just made sure that I went over and above and, you know, from customer service to the service.

And afterwards I left a note.

I still have a picture of that.

It was like, thank you for booking us just, like, on regular piece of paper.

And that was a win for me.

I left, and the next day, I was waking up in the morning to, like, Facebook notifications, and I was like, what's going on?

Yeah, yeah, I check it.

She actually wrote a status and a review, and it was going viral.

Oh, wow.

Cause, like, I guess from other people's standpoints, her seats were, like, in bad condition.

And, like, the before and after was crazy.

And you're like, who did that?

Who did that?

Is that.

You know, was that Taylor?

Yeah.

From that day, May 1, I believe I've been doing trophy details.

You've been doing trophy details, right?

Correct.

Wow.

So I guess that's another good lesson for our listeners and watchers, right?

Like, do it right.

Right out of the gates.

Do it and do it well.

Yeah.

And you treat your clients well.

They'll treat you well.

And the power of reviews, because I didn't even ask for.

I should have, but I was still learning, and she left that review, and that kind of kick started everything from there.

I was booked out for the rest of the summer.

So now it's just like, oh, this is serious.

I'm assuming you've gotten better at soliciting good reviews from clients.

What do you do if you get a bad review?

Do you ever get one?

I mean, there's always a hater.

Look, knock on what?

I've actually never received a bad review.

But, of course, that's inevitable.

As we scale and grow, you service more people.

I know it's coming, but I've never got a bad review.

But if good for you, if I received one, we have a service guarantee.

We're going to make it right every time.

I don't care how, you know, the smallest thing to the largest thing.

We're gonna come back and make sure that you have a good service and a good experience with us, because we care.

Yeah, we care about your service and how you feel about it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's fantastic.

Tell us about the name.

Trophy details.

I mean, I get the detailing part of it.

Where did the name come from?

So I think trophy details.

When you think about it, think about a trophy.

Someone holding up a trophy is shining.

It kind of embodies leadership.

If someone's holding a trophy, there were sacrifices made to be able to hold that trophy.

The community, the team that helped achieve that trophy, I just believe that it embodies our core values.

And also, not only does it embody my core values, it embodies the core values of the clients we serve.

Our clients we serve business owners, executives, and people who are really crucial and key factors in our community that align with our brand.

And it makes sense why they do, because they're leaders.

They have their own mission.

They have their own.

They serve their own community.

So it's almost like an ecosystem of like minded people.

Yeah.

And that makes sense.

And not to mention, that makes sense when you get your car done with us, you're shining.

You're stunning in the community.

No, no, it definitely has that connotation.

Right.

Like you said earlier, you see a trophy, it's this beautiful, shining object.

What you want your car to look like when it's done with the detail job.

Yeah.

It's a difference between a trophy, details car, and a regular cardinal.

Yeah, there you go.

Right?

There you go.

So you mentioned your team a minute ago.

Yeah.

And so I'm curious about that.

Like, how did you build your team?

Okay, so when I say team, because I still wear every hat, in a way, yeah.

But I do have contractors.

It's more of a gig work.

Yeah, similar to Uber Doordash, things of that nature.

But even our team, team members, they're hustlers.

They embody the core values.

Sometimes these guys work for me and they're doing Uber, so they're a part of the hustle, and they understand.

They love that they're able to be their own boss and control their own schedule and things of that nature.

So they're in alignment with their brand as well.

So you get a job, and if you can't do it yourself, you've got a cadre of people you can give a call and say, hey, do you have time to do this job out here?

Here.

How do you maintain quality control?

Right?

So what's cool about how we've structured that system is the people who work for us, they're actually listed on our website.

So I have my name on there.

I keep their names off to protect their identity or whatever.

Okay.

But, um.

So they can.

Someone can select me if they know me.

Say, you want a book?

You're like, I want Taylor.

Okay.

You can't select me, right?

But you can select an available detailer.

It'll route you to them.

They accept the appointment from there.

When they get on site, they have to take before and after pictures.

I also.

I'm on that.

Like, I'm watching the quality closely.

And also with the app that we are developing.

That's the main reason why we're developing the app for the quality control, the before and after pictures, where they are so we can track them.

Are they where they say they are?

Things of that nature?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's great.

And I'm glad you brought up the app again, because you mentioned it earlier, and I wanted to circle back to that.

So there's a technology piece to what you do?

Yes, we're developing it.

So there's a website that has booking capabilities.

And now are you working in an app?

How did that come about?

So back to efficiency and systems and processes.

I feel like the past four years that I was developing the company, it was very trial and error because I was trying to innovate this industry.

Right, right.

So the biggest piece was quality control for me.

And what weather can we do details in without sacrificing quality?

I had to learn that when it's too hot, when it's too cold, how long does it take me to do?

How long can I expect it to take others?

What I'll say is, I have some younger people on my team now.

I've gotten a little bit older since I started, and they're moving way faster than me, so I'm excited about that.

But, yeah, you got to keep up.

Right.

So during this whole time was me just really trial and error of what works and what doesn't work.

And that's when I was like, we need an app because with that piece of technology, we will be able to track, trace, and really keep an eye on what's going on with our clients and with the efficiency.

Yeah, yeah.

And the scalability factor with the app.

My goal is to franchise and to expand out.

I would love for, you know, trophy details to be a.

To be founded, like a real staple in the community and just expand out and just be like a historical place here, but expanding out to some warmer areas and people having that app, or whoever franchise it, franchises with us, they will be able to keep track and have that same.

No, that makes.

That makes sense.

How are you developing the app?

Did you have to hire someone to do that?

Or do you have internal.

Right.

So through John Henry, I met Ronnie.

He's from Uganda.

He is an alumni from Notre Dame.

He worked underneath John Henry, and he took on the project with me.

So we have been developing it and creating it for the past year now and literally getting down to, like, I've been a part of each step of development because I done the cars and I know what we need.

You're bringing the vision to it.

Exactly.

So he does amazing work.

He's been patient with me, and he does really good work.

So how close are you?

We should be releasing it within maybe the next month or so.

Okay.

So you're right down to the wire.

Right.

But the reason why I say maybe is because I always keep finding something new.

Yeah.

Before I want to put it out there.

So yeah, yeah, yeah.

Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good.

Right.

Yeah.

You know, it's interesting you mentioned the weather factor, and I didn't think about that before because, of course, it's a nice, hot day today, but, yeah.

How do you handle winters?

So it was brutal the first.

Probably the first year, because I had to kind of just get out there and see, like, what works and what doesn't work.

I found out under 40 degrees.

No, you're like, under 40 degrees without a closed structure.

Sure.

So if we're in a closed structure.

If you're in an apartment complex where you can.

Parking garage.

Parking garage.

Yeah, if you have a garage.

We're moving all year round.

Most of our clients fall under that car, that category.

Under 40 degrees without a clothes structure.

Nope.

I was having supplies freeze and all type of mishaps and.

Yeah, I can't.

I was not willing to kind of carry that on with the quality and having other people out and then really over 90.

So a day like this.

Yeah, I wouldn't.

I wouldn't recommend it.

I've experienced washing a car and it being too hot.

Yeah.

Quality was botchy.

And I was like, nah, can't do that.

So.

Got it.

Really?

Between probably like 40 and 80 where.

No, close.

Without a closed structure.

Without a closed structure.

So with a closed structure, colder or hotter, we're out there still workable, but you got to be in that range to be in the idea center parking lot, for example.

Right, exactly.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Let's talk about, you know, our listeners always.

People are always curious about money.

Yeah.

How did you fund the work to start?

Did you get any support from the community in terms of funding?

Have you had to borrow money?

Like, how can you help our listeners understand what it took to get the business up and off the ground?

Okay, so probably the first two years was strictly bootstrapping, really investing in everything, in the supplies myself.

The good thing about the detail industry is the supplies.

Buying in bulk.

It's fairly cheap to get into, really.

It's the labor and the skillset that we're charging for.

Were you working a different job while you started the company?

I was the first, probably the first two years I was working, probably a part time job.

And then.

That's a really good question.

I went full time, probably about year three because it took off a little bit more and, you know, you get to a fork in a road as an entrepreneur where you're still working another job in your company, at some point you got to make that leap and go full on into it.

And that was scary in itself.

So, bootstrapping, probably the first two years, I started getting some assistance through the programs.

I received some financial assistance through the SBE hustle.

I received assistance from another program.

It's been kind of very piecing things together.

Right.

I received a scholarship from the Notre Dame Idea center to help start the app.

Got it.

Paid for almost 50% of it.

Wow.

So, yeah, I've definitely received some assistance.

Okay, but you haven't had to go to a bank to borrow money at this point?

No, I have nothing.

And community support, you've been able to keep it moving, and, yeah, tell us about that scary moment where you're sitting there like, I'm gonna quit my job and do this full time.

You know, it's always that.

That fear kicks in.

Like, what if it doesn't work, you know, and also just having enough to get by, because, like I said, I do this by myself, so there's really no plan b or anyone.

No safety net there.

Right.

I, you know, push past fear.

Everything is scary.

You know, you have to pick your.

Pick your poison.

Pick your hard.

Yeah, everything is hard.

You know, some people, you know, you got to push past the peer, push past the fear, and really trust yourself.

You.

You wouldn't have received the vision if it wasn't for you.

And if it doesn't work out, pivot.

Right.

And, you know, and that is a hard lesson to learn.

But a lot of entrepreneurs, it's usually their success comes after a couple of failures, but they had that grit to keep going and to persevere and to try something new and to pivot if necessary.

Absolutely.

I think most entrepreneurs have, like, three or four businesses that they start.

And that's the name of the game.

That's the name of the game.

Yeah, it definitely is.

So you're a big supporter of the region.

You're a big supporter of South Bend.

You're running this company.

You're thriving.

What else is going on in your life?

Oh, man.

What else are you doing to.

We try to say this every time, like, to make South Bend or make the region a better place to live, work, and play.

Okay.

Yeah.

Like you said, I love South Bend.

So I'm usually out in the community either supporting other entrepreneurs.

I try to go visit them, and if they have brick and mortar or meeting with them and just doing coffee, I'm pretty plugged in with events that go on, like first Fridays, things that happen in Mishawaka.

I love those events.

So I'm usually out and about.

I do volunteer work.

I've done volunteer work at St.

Margaret's place, food pantry, various places.

So I just try to maximize where I can maximize.

Try to keep a balance.

Don't get burnt out just doing your business 24/7 you have to have a balance of work and play.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Do you have some favorite restaurants, favorite small businesses that you like to patronize?

For sure.

I'm in love with Barnaby's pizza.

Okay.

I really don't eat any other pizza besides Barnaby's.

That's a huge plug.

And then Cinco, five amazing tacos right downtown.

Yep.

Trying to think of another.

I love the South Bend chocolate cafe.

I do a lot of my meetings there, or just going there to read.

Grab a cup of coffee, the white hot chocolate.

They already know when they see me.

So it's a good community space.

Right downtown.

Yeah.

Right.

That's usually where I frequent.

You might be driving somewhere downtown and see me in this wave.

Yeah.

There you are in the window.

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's great.

Well, I tell you what.

We are lucky to have you.

And I'm sort of happy that you didn't run off to college and then move off to Chicago or Houston, Texas, or wherever else it might be.

Because keeping people like you in South Bend and then starting a new business, that's employing yourself but also supporting other people and supporting the community, I feel blessed.

That's a huge win.

I feel blessed to be here, and I appreciate you guys and what you guys have curated here in this space and the opportunities and the resources.

Especially for a kid like me, coming from where I come from, I don't know what we would have done, what I would have done without the resources.

So, yeah, so we were kind of wrapping up here, but I forgot that I did want to circle back on that point.

I mean, when we were outside, you were talking about, you know, on paper, you had a lot stacked against you.

Right, right.

And you just talked about being young, being black, being a female.

Right, right.

Like, not the typical maybe person you think of to start up a detailing business.

Right.

Like, just really briefly before you go, can you help us understand?

Like, how did you push through that?

You know, I'm a big believer of self concept.

And also, you know, I have faith.

I have faith in Jesus Christ.

I believe that's where my visions come from.

And it was written in the stars.

It was already written for this to be.

You know, I believe in destiny.

I believe that there's no coincidence that me and you are here today.

But also, again, self concept.

You have to learn how to validate yourself and your own ideas.

And if you can do that, then there's really nothing anyone can tell you.

I love it.

Yeah.

Thank you, Taylor.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

Thank you for having me.