Taylor Emery is a 26-year-old veterinarian student at Virginia Tech who has played basketball at the undergraduate level, professionally overseas, and in the WNBA. As a former professional athlete, animal lover, and small business owner, she has never been satisfied doing just one thing at a time.
Taylor faced a problem when she could not find comfortable clothes that fit her body type. The clothing she was looking for were almost non-existent in the market. Taylor decided to start a business that would focus on functional clothing with fashion. She wanted to create shorts that anyone could wear.
She started her business in April 2021, just before starting vet school. “I really wanted something that I could endorse by being myself and something I enjoy wearing myself,” said Taylor. “My motivation is to make myself and millions of other people feel comfortable. To know that I’m making a difference in other people’s lives really means the world to me.”
Taylor’s clothing line, MerakiTay, features mid-thigh cargo shorts with six functional pockets. The length is between men’s and women’s clothing, and the shorts are stretchy and comfortable. They are a perfect blend of fashion and function, making them ideal for activities such as hiking, dog walking, and the gym. Taylor invested a lot of money into “Pride” cargo shorts, which proved to be a game-changer, and her business began gaining traction in June 2021.
Despite being in a competitive market, Taylor learned how to advertise her brand and find her niche. Building her social media presence was a crucial part of her success. She leveraged her existing social media following to promote her brand and soon had a higher demand for inventory than she was able to keep up with.
Taylor felt she was at the point that her business “could either sink or swim” as she needed capital to expand. She was referred to People Incorporated for a small business loan and got involved with the agency in August of 2022, taking out a $20,000 microloan to put towards inventory. “That little chunk of money really helped propel MerakiTay forward and I couldn’t be more grateful for that,” said Taylor.
Following her loan, MerakiTay soon took off, grossing six figures within six months. Despite her success, Taylor’s plans haven’t stopped there. In addition to making plans for expanding the product line for MerakiTay, Taylor has big dreams of opening a homeless shelter and animal shelter for shelter medicine. Taylor’s mission-based belief system is the driving force behind everything she does. “I want to help change some lives; I want to help save some lives; I want to build more camaraderie,” said Taylor.
Watch Taylor’s story:
