Meet Taylor Stonack | Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor Stonack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had always dreamed of working for myself. After college I worked, as a server, in the restaurant industry into my early 30s and never thought I would be able to get my foot in the door to start a “big girl job”. But, as with life, in any job there’s always opportunity and I volunteered for them all and always put myself out there. Through a growing restaurant company, I was able to become part of the training team and eventually grew to start their hiring and training program which moved me to Denver. From there I worked with a large tech company and got into marketing and community management. I developed so many relationships with small business owners, entrepreneurs, influencers and volunteers. Everything that came my way was an opportunity that showed me that I am capable of offering my skillset and explosive personality on my own. Once COVID19 caused the company I was working with to temporarily shutdown, I was laid off and it was like the universe forced me to start my own business. For so long I was letting the fear of putting myself out there suffocate the reality that I could do it. So I guess it wasn’t really a thought process as much as it was a life process. A series of highs and lows creating harmony and pushing me to a place that I could no longer say no to myself and what I was capable of.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sweet Potato Social is a branding and marketing service whose purpose is to help businesses tell their story, build trust within the community and cultivate lasting and meaningful relationships with their clients. The way you tell your story online can make all the difference and with my diverse background in hiring, training, operations and marketing for a variety of companies I’m able to help businesses reach consumers in a very authentic way. We all crave connection and to be truly successful you have to generate a deeper and more meaningful connection with your clients, customers and guests. As I mentioned before, I got scrappy with every job so getting to a point where I felt confident with my skillset to go out on my own is what I’m most proud of. Was it easy? Hell no! And it’s still terrifying on a daily basis. It’s hard to put yourself out there but you have to get yourself in a mindset where you truly believe that you are capable and can do it. That’s something I have to remind myself on a daily basis. What I want the world to know about me is that just as I’m striving to create a successful business on my own, I’m also striving to create success for everyone in my community. I’m passionate, fun spirited and adaptable and I’m committed to each and every client. I keep my client base small because I want to develop the same type of relationship with my clients that I’m helping them create with theirs.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my gosh! I love this question. If you have only 48 hours in Denver I recommend you start in RiNo. The murals alone are worth getting lost down little alleys for hours. Denver Central Market is a perfect morning for a coffee from Crema Bodega and a pastry from Izzio. Spend the afternoon exploring! Head to Pony Up for Happy Hour and a French Dip then over to Death & Co. for cocktails. If you’re feeling adventurous and sober, hop on a scooter over to the Highlands and get a scoop from Littleman. Spend the early part of the day at the Denver Art Museum and then the afternoon at the Botanical Gardens. You definitely have to hit up Brass Tacks because if you haven’t stepped inside yet, prepare to swoon. Mustard yellow velvet booths, sexy design, and get this. Palomas on tap. Dare I say that they make the best Paloma in town? Yup. I’m gonna say it. If you can, plan to see a show at Red Rocks as well. There’s something so magical experiencing the magic of that place with live music. Head to Boulder for a Chautauqua Park hike and then reward yourself with afternoon cocktails downtown Boulder at Bar Taco or head to Denver Biscuit Company for a cinnamon roll before they switch over to Atomic Cowboy Pizza. Or just go late for the pizza. Either way it’s a win.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
If I had to give credit to people in my story, we’re going to lose your reader’s interest because the list is so long. Honestly, my parents have been the biggest supporters. Always believing in me before I believed in myself and challenging me to think bigger. My best friends Aly and Emma as well, Emma especially after she watched me have a slight breakdown due to the panic of losing my job. She watched me cry a lot and continued to say that I should go out on my own and that, “You can’t fire yourself!”.

Website: www.sweetpotatosocial.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetpotatosocial/?hl=en
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylormariestonack/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetpotatosocial
Other: www.taytertalks.com – personal blog

Image Credits
Nikki A. Rae Photography Yelp Las Vegas Winslow Robbins Photography Sweet Potato Social