Tales With Taylor

In this episode of Tales With Taylor, we discuss practical tips for standing out in business, creating high-quality print designs, attracting the right customers, and turning your ideas into reality.STAND OUTFind ways to be unique in your industry instead of offering the same things as everyone else. Listen to your clients, understand what your target audience needs, and adapt your offerings accordingly.TIPS FOR HIGH-QUALITY PRINTSPatience is key to getting the best results. AI can be useful for brainstorming and conceptualizing designs, but high-quality prints require professionally prepared artwork exported in formats such as EPS, SVG, or high-quality PDF.Designers can recreate AI-generated designs in print-ready formats, but complex designs can take considerable time to reproduce. Whenever possible, provide the original layered design file to save the print shop time when adjusting artwork to fit the final product.SCREAM WHAT YOU DOMake sure your storefront signage clearly communicates what your business does. State your services on the front of your building and display your products or services on your windows so potential customers know immediately whether you offer what they need.BUSINESS CARDSBe intentional about networking. Instead of handing out business cards to everyone, give them to people who could genuinely be a good fit to work with you.JUST STARTIf you have a business idea, trust your gut and take the leap. Start your business, build your dream, and remember that life is what you make it.ABOUT OUR GUESTAfter 20 years of selling capital equipment to large printing companies, our guest retired and purchased a small vinyl and banner sign shop in April 2018. Since then, the business has grown into a much larger custom sign and vehicle wrap company.Their signature product is handcrafted, bespoke illuminated exterior and interior signage. They also specialize in illuminated lobby logos and creative wall murals, helping launch more than 200 companies every year.

CHANGE THE WAY YOU USE AI• Be specific when prompting AI.• Give AI as much information as possible about your business so it can learn your voice and sound more like you.• Always verify information from AI. It doesn't know what's true or false and can hallucinate answers that sound convincing but aren't accurate.• Give an AI tool 6–12 months before abandoning it. It can take time to get comfortable with the tool and train it to work the way you want.THE FLOW METHOD• FLOW stands for Foundation, Leverage, Optimization, and Workflows.• Make changes in phases to help everyone adjust comfortably.• Stop wearing all the hats in your business.• Identify what can be optimized and delegated so you don't have to handle every repetitive task yourself.• Focus on your CEO tasks.ANSWER ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (AEO)• Optimize your website to appear in AI-generated answers.• FAQs are a great way to help your content show up in AI answers.• Repurpose old content. Review old blog posts and make sure they include clear questions and answers. AI can help speed up this process.THE HUMAN ELEMENT• Stay authentic and relatable. Authenticity matters when everything else is so polished and digital.• Avoid using AI-generated images of yourself in your marketing.SOFTWARE MENTIONEDClaude: https://claude.ai/NotebookLM: https://notebook.google.com/Gemini: https://gemini.google.com/Manus: https://manus.im/GUEST CONTACTCheryl JamesEmail: [email protected] CHERYL JAMESCheryl James is the Founder and Fractional COO of CL James Consulting, LLC. She helps trades and service-based business owners stop lead leakage and buy back their time by building simple, sustainable systems that keep sales and operations running smoothly. After 27 years in corporate roles supporting Fortune 100 clients, Cheryl left the burnout cycle to help entrepreneurs grow without hustle or constant firefighting.She partners with clients to streamline day-to-day operations, tighten follow-up, and connect the right tools—CRMs, automations, and workflows—so nothing slips through the cracks. From SOPs to onboarding and retention, Cheryl turns scattered processes into a clear, repeatable way of working that supports steady growth.Known for her hands-on, strategic approach, Cheryl makes backend work feel practical and doable—so owners can lead like CEOs, not live in their inbox.CL James Consulting, LLCInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcljames?stkn=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryllynnjames/Website: https://cljamesconsulting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.odomsjames

Dr. Sharise L. Erby is an award-winning Non-Profit Executive, author, speaker, and transformational leader dedicated to helping people and communities unlock their fullest potential. As Managing Director of Per Scholas Phoenix, she leads the expansion of technology workforce development across Arizona, creating pathways to high-growth careers and economic mobility.She is the founder of the Phenomenal Woman Empowerment Network, Chair of the Phoenix Women's Commission, and author of Just Do You: The Re:Boot, empowering others to embrace purpose, resilience, and reinvention. Dr. Erby is a two-time Phoenix Titan 100 Honoree, a Women We Admire Top 30 Women Leader in Arizona, a City of Phoenix Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" Awardee, and a Global Icon of Influence Top 20 honoree.Whether leading organizations, mentoring future leaders, or speaking on stages across the country, Dr. Erby's mission is simple: transform lives by helping people realize that their current circumstances are not their final destination, they are simply the starting point of their next chapter.Per Scholas PhoenixThey set you up to have a successful career in tech.They teach you the hard and soft skills you need and get you connected with people in the industry to help you get hired.They do mock interviews with people in the industry so you know exactly what tech companies are looking to hire.Having OptionsHaving options unlocks generational wealth.Stay agile and ready for different seasons of your life. There’s always going to be changes that you need to navigate.It’s okay to pivot when you need to.GrievingYou need to give yourself time to grieve.Don’t force yourself to go back to how things were. Embrace the new normal and find new meaning in your life.You don’t need to feel better by a certain date. Give yourself permission to grieve as long as you need to.Say YesDon’t be afraid to say yes to important opportunities. Believe in yourself and you can do it.Never stop growing, evolving, and becoming something new.

Changing CareersTransitioning between careers is a difficult change, but it is possible with the right planning and persistenceWork on building the skills needed for your new careerDevelop as many relationships and connections as you can within in your current position, you never know who’s going to help you in your new careerParentingLet you kids be kids, they need to be free during their childhood because it only lasts so longDon’t put immense pressure on your kids at such a young age. Let them be carefree while slowly introducing more responsibilityQualifying For A MortgageBuild your credit and have a consistent stream of income before looking for a mortgageTalk with a mortgage professional to help answer all your questionsSet GoalsIf you want something to change, then you have to changeBe intentional with all your actions. Ask yourself if it aligns with your goals before doing itFocus on little habits that build over time, not changing your life overnight. Small changes are sustainableTake time to appreciate how far you’ve come and the progress that you’ve made  When in real estate, being available is important.- If you want something to change, you have to change. Write your goals and understand them.- The Power of Intention – Wayne Dyer (Book), Atomic Habits – James Clear (Book)Bio:I am a father of two. Loan officer for the past 8 years. Former athlete and ASU grad. From Sugar Land, TexasLinks:ig @MtgMikeJones1https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-jones-338bba6b/tiktok @ThemJonessMjones.Peoplesmortgage.com

Stuart “Stu” Selbst is a community-driven technologist, entrepreneur, and the heart behind StuTech, where his mission is simple: help people feel safe, supported, and confident with their technology. With over 30 years in IT, telecom, and cybersecurity, Stu combines deep technical expertise with something far more rare — patience, relatability, and a genuine passion for helping others. What started as helping seniors in his neighborhood quickly turned into a thriving company built on trust, integrity, and real human connection. Stu is known for breaking down complicated tech into everyday language, protecting people from modern threats, and treating every client like a neighbor — because many of them are. A devoted husband, proud cat dad, lifelong Dodgers fan, and someone who believes in kindness, service, and doing the right thing, Stu shows up every day with one goal: to make technology simple, safe, and stress-free for the people who rely on.https://www.youtube.com/@stutechazIG: @stutechaz.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartselbst/https://www.linkedin.com/company/stutechazhttps://www.stutechaz.com https://www.facebook.com/stutechaz Avoiding ScamsBe careful of phishing scams and romance scamsiPhones are more secure than android phones which makes them a better fit for seniorsApple has a stricter approval process for the app store than android doesPhone call scams are some of the most prevalent scams. Medicare, social security, banks, the IRS, all the things that scammers claim to be would not reach out to you by phone asking for your personal informationAwareness is your best toolYou need to be a human firewall Personal Social MediaSet up multi-factor authentication on your accountsSet your personal social media accounts to private to reduce scamsDo not post about your location Maintaining Your ComputerKeep things clean and up to dateUpdate your firmware and hardware drivers when they need updating, not just your operating systemGetting a new computer will not solve the problem if you’re just moving everything from the old one onto the new oneBloatware is a huge issue on new computers, delete all the preinstalled programs you don’t need to help your computer run better