WomenandBiz.com

Dear Tayelor,

It is a great pleasure to interview you and learn more about your entrepreneurial journey and your business Absolute Style and Beauty.

Could you share your background before starting your business? What was your education and professional experience?

Tayelor Kennedy

I actually started my business on a part-time basis before I went to college.  I have an MBA and I worked in the financial and insurance industry for a while.

When did you know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Since I was 5.  At 5 I worked in my Aunt’s corner store.  I also had a lemonade stand. I come from a family of business owners.  In addition to holding down full-time careers, my parents and several of my aunts, uncles, and cousins all have businesses.  

Did you have a start-up business plan of any kind? Please tell us about it. No,

I jumped right in without any idea of what I was in for.  I made a ton of mistakes with regard to marketing, and the biggest mistake is, I didn’t document my process and my financials were a mess.

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Dear Deborah,
You have provided great tips as a guest writer of Womenandbiz.com, and now you just published your first book, congratulations!

Deborah Bailey

Could you share with us your experience prior to becoming an entrepreneur?
I spent over twenty years in the corporate world at companies such as JC Penney, Avon, AT&T, Lucent and Johnson and Johnson. I’ve changed careers a few times. When I started out I worked in the garment district in NYC, and then worked as a copywriter. I changed careers and became a computer programmer and business analyst. I’ve always been willing to make career changes when I wanted to try something new.

How did you spot the opportunity to start your business?
I’d been planning to start a business for years. In fact, I wanted to start a business after high school graduation. Unfortunately at that time being an entrepreneur was not the norm. Instead I was encouraged to either become a doctor, lawyer or get a good job and a pension. Read more