Star City 6 – Matt Taylor
Matt Taylor is the man behind several popular destinations on our local bar scene, each distinctly unique in its concept, as the owner of Tavern on the Square, The Other Room, and now of his newest venue, Inglenook.
Tell us a little about your business. – I own three bars in the Historic Haymarket. So I suppose that means we sell adult beverages, but what we really sell is experiences. I am in the business of people. We provide environments for people to converse, do business, relax, celebrate and learn from one another. We want to foster a comfortable atmosphere where people can make personal connections.
How did you get started in the business? – After college I was working in a bar where the owner (and my mentor) passed away unexpectedly. I had an idea of where I was going professionally and then all of a sudden I was unemployed. I tried several paths in an attempt to find something I could be passionate about. But nothing stuck; in fact I hated most of the stuff I tried! So I decided to build a business from the ground up. And the business I knew the best at the time was bars. I opened Tavern on the Square in 2010 with a business partner. As the business grew so did our team; most of the original hires are still with us today. In order to hold onto top tier talent I felt that we needed to show them there was upward mobility in this industry. The Other Room began in 2013 and the third venture, Inglenook, just opened in March.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – The biggest challenge has been learning how to manage my time and understanding which jobs to delegate. It is difficult and humbling to understand how to use the limited hours in a day. Luckily we have been able to find people who are great at what they do! Our businesses have gotten stronger because our team uses their individual talents. We are fortunate to have people that are much better at their jobs than I ever could have been.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Digging out of debt! Owing someone else money is scary! In the age of praising these large capital raises I think many budding entrepreneurs have lost sight of what building a business really means. Company core values should be the basis of decision making, but when it isn’t your money it can affect your short-term decision making and I think that is dangerous.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – Angel investing. I really love small businesses and learning how different kinds of them work. I would love to be involved in several different small businesses and use what I have learned to help others get their start!
What are you the most proud of? – I am most proud of our company culture. Our staff and regular customers have become a family. It has been fun to watch our staff grow in knowledge, relationships and enthusiasm! It makes it easy to come to work when you know everyone you interact with is excited to be there (customers included)!
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – My email address is matthew_t_taylor@hotmail.com, or feel free to message me via Facebook on any one of our pages for Tavern on the Square, The Other Room, or Inglenook.