When Mark Taylor, vice president of public sales and marketing at Taylor Made Sales Agency, looks back over the past 40 years, many remarkable memories stand out.
Among them: raising a Triple Crown winner in American Pharoah, marketing and selling Horse Of The Year Havre De Grace for $10 million, seeing the late, great stallion Saint Ballado climb the ranks to become the No. 1 stallion in North America under Taylor Made management, and most recently, winning the Dubai World Cup with California Chrome.
“That was surreal. I’m still pinching myself,” Taylor said.
But Taylor, the youngest of the four brothers in the business together, holds more than just memories of great business ventures. The Taylor Made story, while filled with business success, is also synonymous with the legacy of the company’s founder, Joe Taylor.
“Our dad was an innovative horseman. He was a man who spent his life trying to help other people fulfill their dreams,” said Mark. “What he discovered is that the process of helping others naturally brings more good things back to you.”
Although Joe Taylor passed away in 2003, the brothers, surrounded by a group of loyal team members, have made it their mission to stay true to his ideals. That has meant sticking together and adhering to the most authentic definition of family business.
“We view our team members as an extension of the Taylor Family,” said Mark. “We want Taylor Made to be a vehicle for helping people fulfill their dreams and have abundant lives.”
Part of that includes a Christian program called “His Way At Work,” which encourages everyone at Taylor Made to help one another and fosters a family culture that attracts more good people to the company.
Of course there are both benefits and challenges to operating a family business. From the beginning, sticking together has been the key.
“Our parents always told us, ‘You will accomplish a lot more if you stick together!’” Mark recalled. “I think our recipe has worked thus far because we all appreciate each other’s contributions and there is mutual respect.”
The partners now include Mark as vice president of public sales and marketing; Frank, vice president of boarding operations; Ben, vice president of Taylor Made stallions; Duncan, president and CEO; and Pat Payne, vice president of sales.
“Pat Payne was like another brother, so when he became a partner it just expanded the family,” said Mark.
Together with their entire team they have built what Mark described as “a strong culture of putting the customer first and doing business in an honest and fair manner.”
“Our dad never accepted the status quo,” said Mark. “He was always searching for a better way to raise horses. We focus on keeping this commitment to horsemanship and innovation everyday.”
And clearly it’s working. Taylor Made has two new stallions coming in the pipeline, including California Chrome and Mshawish. They are also currently working on a Vision Project for 2020 that they hope will continue to create benefits for customers.
“More than anything else, when I feel like we have helped a customer fulfill their dreams it gives me a deep satisfaction that keeps me going,” said Mark.
Taylor Made continues to draw on past successes, including California Chrome, which involved every member of the family and team. It began with Duncan, who first fell in love with the horse’s bloodlines, which some people in the business thought were his weakness. Once Taylor Made partnered with Perry and Denise Martin and Chrome arrived at the farm, Frank fell in love with the horse.
“Frank has really done a great job managing his comeback and getting him to perform so well this year,” explained Mark.
Ben Taylor, who runs Taylor Made’s stallion division, puts the deals together and takes care of the shareholders.
“It took perfect timing and perfect teamwork for California Chrome to end up with us at Taylor Made,” said Mark.
This is just one example of how the family bond felt by the entire team works to the benefit of the business, even when faced with challenges.
“We don’t waste time worrying about whether we are getting a fair shake,” said Mark.
“We still have confrontations, disagreements and frustrations like almost every other company. But during the most heated debates and difficult disagreements we have always had the discipline to take a step back, gain perspective and move on.”
Mark said the other family members, including spouses and kids, also understand the difficulty of keeping a family business together and do what they can to help.
“They have made a lot of sacrifices over the years while we put in the time and effort needed to succeed,” he said.
Now the next generation of Taylors and Paynes are poised to take the reins.
“There are six members of the next generation working full time with us now,” said Mark. “The timing is right for new blood to begin taking meaningful roles. Our mix of youth and experience makes me very optimistic about the future.”