Off the Clock with Evan Taylor Studios
Welcome to our Off the Clock series where we feature our workspace members and relevant industry titans who are paving the path in their industries. In this post, we’ve highlighted Evan Taylor Studios, a photography and videography business that has been an absolute staple in Minnesota – and far beyond – for well over a decade.
THE 101
Evan Taylor of Evan Taylor Studios is a Minnesota-based professional advertisement photographer, commercial videographer, and drone pilot. Known around the world for his undeniable expertise, Evan supports businesses with the highest quality media that they can use to transform and grow their businesses.
LET’S GET TO IT
Q: How did you get started in business? What led you to where you are today?
A: Photography and Videography have always been passions of mine since I was a child. I've always had a camera in my life, and I really can't pinpoint one specific moment as to when I got started. I knew I had a skillset, and I guess I've just sort of run with it.
Q: What piece of advice would you give to someone who is just getting started on their entrepreneurial journey?
A: Find something that you love doing and keep following it. If you can turn it into a business, I think you'll find a tremendous amount of meaning in the work that you do every day.
Q: Why did you start your business?
A: I started my business because – like I mentioned earlier – it was always a passion of mine, and it has always felt right.
In college, I walked out of a Genetics III (Pre-Med) Course I was taking, because even though I felt well-suited for the Medical-route, I realized that it was not my calling. I went straight to my advisor, dropped my science courses, and filled my curriculum with all sorts of digital media courses.
Q: What does success look like to you?
A: This answer changes every time I answer it. But now, as a father to two kids and one more on the way, success has become entirely non-fiscal for me.
Sure, it's fantastic to find purpose in your work every day, but I find myself far more successful when I get to be around to watch my kids, who are learning to walk, bike, waterski, snowboard, etc.; learn something new and yell out "Dad! Look!".
It's that word – "Dad” – that makes me feel successful. And is the thing that keeps me coming back to work every single day. I really just want to provide a life for my wife and kids.
Q: Tell us about a business or person that you look up to professionally, and share why.
A: There are so many people I look up to professionally. My wife is a rockstar nurse, my parents (my dad delivered half of the babies in this town), two of my best friends, Russell and Luke (self-employed friends with whom we discuss business on the regular), my late grandfather, who ran The Brett's Department Store in town, my clients, and my in-laws.
Honestly, I've learned that we're all out here just trying to provide a life for our families, and I find it really inspiring to see how we all manage to get it done. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by so many talented people in my personal life, professional life, and within this community.
Q: How has the Havn Co. community + space supported your business?
A: Having access to Havn Co. has been an absolute game-changer for me.
I've always worked from home (way before 2020 happened, and we all started working from home), but now that I have children, having a professional, distraction-free space only a few minutes from my house has been one of the best things for my business. In fact, I'm typing this late at night at Havn Co. because I needed to sit down and write it out without the distractions and interruptions of kids, laundry, dishes, etc., which are all waiting for me at home.
