Taylor May has been recognized as a top producer in the physical security industry the last 10 years. He was recently recognized as an IFSEC Global Security Influencer for 2022 and is someone who has been known for cultivating and sustaining relationships throughout his professional career, specifically with End Users. Taylor enjoys highlighting the industry’s top professionals on relevant topics for today’s security needs as well as exemplifying his core value by putting “People before Product”.

He holds a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University and was a Former Defensive End of the 2011 Big 12 Championship Football Team. Taylor also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Dallas.

Key Moments

[00:00:30] Entrepreneur Taylor makes time for side hustle.

[00:04:00] Ten years in industry, focused on surveillance technology.

[00:09:00] Graduated from garage to office, podcast revenue. VIP Connect app possibility for full-time. Passion for side hustle turned gig.

[00:12:29] Passion for connecting people, building community.

[00:14:53] Authenticity and accountability key to success.

Find Taylor Online

https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-may-mba-55b40a84/

https://www.securityvipenterprises.com/

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Transcript (Provided by CastMagic.io)

Seth [00:00:00]:

Entrepreneurs Enigma is a podcast for the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, for the wins and the fails that we all face be entrepreneurs. How we learn from adversity. Every week I talk to a different entrepreneur with a story to tell. I’m Seth Goldstein. Come with me on the journey. This is Entrepreneurs Enigma. Let’s get started.

Taylor [00:00:24]:

You um.

Seth [00:00:30]:

Hey, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Entrepreneurs Enigma podcast. I’m, as always, Seth, and I am here with a budy of mine, Taylor May. He is the epitome of doing the entrepreneurial journey as a side hustle, at least for right now. He might spring something on me and say, well, it’s not a side hustle anymore. No, but right now, as of what I know, it’s a side hustle, but he’s made a lot of his side hustle. I don’t know when this guy sleeps, and he also has a baby on the way. So by the time this podcast comes out, he’ll have been a few months into the daddyhood and even more tired than he is now. But Taylor, welcome to the show. How’s it going, buddy?

Taylor [00:01:11]:

Seth, my man. I appreciate the invite, the opportunity, and yet you’re right. I’m going to have probably zero sleep here pretty soon with the Baby May shortly on the way. Baby May, definitely appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today.

Seth [00:01:23]:

Exactly. Got in before the baby pops.

Taylor [00:01:25]:

Yeah, exactly.

Seth [00:01:26]:

You’d be like, I’m too tired, dude. I’m too tired.

Taylor [00:01:29]:

Good timing here.

Seth [00:01:30]:

Very good timing. So Taylor and I met back when I was doing work for Zero Eyes, which is a gun detection AI video surveillance platform run by a bunch of Navy Seals. And then I went my way. He went his way. He’s not record ranker.

Taylor [00:01:49]:

Yeah. Recor.

Seth [00:01:50]:

RECO. I was never anywhere close with that.

Taylor [00:01:52]:

You’re good. Everyone says record, so you’re good.

Seth [00:01:56]:

Which is physical security. So he’s still in that vertical. And that’s kind of what he knows and kind of kind of goes into what he does for his side hustle as well because he found his niche, which is kind of one of the big things people say is find your niche. Find your niche and go for it. You also a lot of people don’t know that you can actually do this at a big school, but you also will walk on at OSU, Oklahoma State University. And not only that, you were on the winning team that year. We’ll attribute it to the fact that Taylor was on the team.

Taylor [00:02:26]:

Yeah. 2011, oklahoma State. So I walked on at OSU.

Seth [00:02:30]:

I was a defensive walked on.

Taylor [00:02:31]:

Yeah. So I was division one football man. It’s a full time job. I’m just kind of jealous now. Set that these college athletes, they get paid now. Back when I played, I didn’t get paid.

Seth [00:02:41]:

Yeah, and you walked on mean that you really didn’t get paid.

Taylor [00:02:45]:

100%, dude. Paved my own way.

Seth [00:02:47]:

Paved your own. But you know why? I mean, you did what you you had fun, you lived. It probably kept you out of somewhat of trouble, I guess, at big school.

Taylor [00:02:55]:

I know.

Seth [00:02:56]:

I mean, I was I went to Delaware, and I mean, the football players always still manage to get into trouble. We all did, but but they broke things in the dorm. I don’t know how they did it.

Taylor [00:03:03]:

But yeah, Gundy’s rule at OSU is like, you had three strikes, so it’s like you mess up once or twice, it’s like a slap on the wrist, but that third time you mess up, it’s audios, you’re out the team.

Seth [00:03:16]:

People don’t realize that coaches are also kind of parents to you guys. These football players are big. I mean, you’re a big dude and they’re big, but they’re still kids, and they’re still very much adolescent kids. Did you walk on freshman year?

Taylor [00:03:30]:

I did.

Seth [00:03:31]:

You were very much a sole teenager.

Taylor [00:03:34]:

18 year old kid coming in there.

Seth [00:03:36]:

You were completely a knucklehead at that point. Honestly, you don’t get rid of knucklehead nest until you’re 25, when the frontal lobe actually fully develops on some of us. I still think mine’s missing, but whatever.

Taylor [00:03:48]:

Just ask my wife. She’ll tell you.

Seth [00:03:50]:

So you’ve been in the security business pretty much since you got out of college, right? Like physical security and stuff like that. So what is physical security? What is your niche, especially?

Taylor [00:04:00]:

Yeah, so, I mean, I started this right out of probably 21, 22. I’m 30 now, so just close to ten years now in the industry. But I really got into this industry from my dad. My dad’s been in the industry for 20 or so years, mainly on the access control side. So door, hardware, key, Fobs, all the nine, all the fun stuff. All the fun stuff, right. But then I found a niche on the video surveillance emerging technology side, so AI, computer vision, et cetera. And that’s kind of been where my suite set has been, and it’s been in that space. And I’ve sold everything from facial recognition to obviously, weapon detection at zero wise to now kind of roadway intelligence technology at recall.

Seth [00:04:37]:

That’s wild, what you guys are doing at Recour, too, literally, events. You always wonder how the heck they pull up a Taylor Swift event or something like that. There’s got to be something around there doing something, and you guys are doing stuff. I mean, that for Taylor Swift concerts, but like, at stadiums and stuff, which is kind of neat.

Taylor [00:04:55]:

Yeah. Entertainment, casinos, retailers, dots. I mean, it’s just all software based technology, right, that works on existing camera infrastructure. So there’s a lot of things that I’ve done just mainly in that SaaS kind of software model, in addition to, obviously, my own company, security VIP. Yeah.

Seth [00:05:12]:

And then Security VIP started out with a very loud intro, I can tell you that much. Everything went on. I have to fast forward. It was also like and then I’m sure that was very pleasant for everyone listening my rendition of that. But then you did a podcast. It started out as a podcast, and then it’s Morphing, which is kind of cool.

Taylor [00:05:35]:

Yeah. I started it back in May of 2020. Started out as a podcast series. So I didn’t have this mic. I bought a $100 mic off Amazon in my garage. It does work. Yeah, it works. And I wanted to just it was back when COVID started. Right. So nothing was, what the hell are.

Seth [00:05:50]:

You going to do with yourself?

Taylor [00:05:51]:

So I created Security VIP to bring awareness to the industry around technologies, challenges, what’s working, what’s not. During COVID Obviously. Educate me more in the industry, get me more involved with people. I’ve done that now. The podcast still lives. I haven’t done a lot of episodes recently, but Security VIP now has really evolved into a consumer network the last three and a half years. Man. I’ve realized that in this industry that you’ve got manufacturers who create products, you’ve got integrators or value added resellers that distribute those products, and then you have the end consumer, the end user that just wants to make sure the product works in their environment.

Seth [00:06:26]:

This was damn from the work.

Taylor [00:06:28]:

Right. And what I found with Security of IP is these end consumers, they just want a direct relationship with those solutions providers, those manufacturers. And I’ve created this community now in Security of IP, where if you’re a retailer, a casino education, whatever vertical you may fall in, they just want to hear from other consumers on what they’re doing around these challenge sets you see happening. So that’s kind of what this community now has been built into. Security VIP and I’ve built this advisory board of consumers who network with each other. You and I were talking about it earlier before we kicked off. I’ve got this app now that I’ve been working on.

Seth [00:07:05]:

It will be out. It will be out by the time this podcast comes out, it will be out. And people can download it.

Taylor [00:07:10]:

Yes.

Seth [00:07:11]:

Apple and Android, which is good for you for doing both. That’s brave.

Taylor [00:07:15]:

Yeah. So, Google Play, Apple, App Store, both on platforms. It will be launched. But it’s strictly for consumers, strictly for end users in variety of verticals to network, cross communicate, share best practices, and kind of just be that voice in the industry versus getting that cold call or sales pitch from a vendor. Right. I just wanted to create that exclusive kind of experience for those consumers and.

Seth [00:07:37]:

Try not to alienate the vendors, but kind of alienate the vendors.

Taylor [00:07:41]:

Yeah. To the best of my ability. They just want to be able to have a safe space, essentially. Right.

Seth [00:07:47]:

Yeah. And not be pitched all the time. Not like LinkedIn. I get pitched like three or four times a day.

Taylor [00:07:53]:

I think I saw one of your posts last week.

Seth [00:07:54]:

You were moan constantly about this stuff.

Taylor [00:07:58]:

It’s those kind of pitches and it’s just daily like, hey Taylor, we’ve got this new sales tool, sales lead gen tool. I’m just like, you know how many people reach out to me for that sales lead tool? It’s just like flooded with my inbox on LinkedIn.

Seth [00:08:10]:

So I’m just like, or do they try and connect? And I’m like, if I don’t know you or have some kind of relationship, I generally don’t connect. Security VIP is your side hustle. How’s it been? I mean, now that COVID is an endemic, not a pandemic, I mean, it’s not going anywhere. Let’s just be honest. It’s here. It’s going to be like the common flu. People are going to walk around with COVID and not even know it. And that’s neither here nor there. But what’s it been like transitioning from, well, you’re at home, you’re still probably at home working remotely, but it’s different now than it was in 2020. And what’s it like having a side hustle and a full hostel and all that? Because you’re one of these people that I don’t have a lot of this perspective of. I’m still doing it, but I’m doing active side hustle.

Taylor [00:09:00]:

Yeah, well, I mean, I definitely graduated from my garage into an actual office. That’s a start right now. I think when you start a podcast, at least when I started back in 2020, it’s like, how do I generate revenue, how do I generate income to actually maybe do this full time? And a lot of it was just endorsements from people. I knew it was sponsorships and getting people’s brands on my podcast, which helped. But then I was like, if I still want to do the podcast and still want to make it a full time business and really engage this side hustle further, I’ve got to do something more. And that’s where I feel like I’m at now. And it took three years for me to figure that out. But I feel like I’m at this point now where if I can make this app that I’m releasing, which is called VIP Connect just for everyone listening, once this is officially live and I’m able to build a substantial consumer community, there might be a point, at least in my career and I hope that I’ve to do my side hustle full time. In addition to the podcast. Yeah, but I think what I always tell people is like, yes, I work full time for my employer right now, Recour, and my own business, Security VIP is my side hustle passion. And I’ve just found a lot of passion doing my own thing with Security VIP. But I feel like I’m now at that point where I can really turn this into a full time gig around things that I want to do. Build your own brand, create your own worth, et cetera.

Seth [00:10:24]:

Family too, which is 100%, because you’re going to find that you need time for family because it’s going to be exhausting.

Taylor [00:10:32]:

Yeah, but I think I love what you’re doing, Seth, on this podcast because you said it earlier. I walked on Oklahoma State, and when you’re a walk on, it’s like you’re on an island from day one. You’re isolated. You didn’t get recruited by the coaches. So you got to prove your word to the team. You got to connect with the other guys in your unit network. Yeah, essentially. So I’ve kind of transitioned that mentality into the security industry and said, hey, look, I’m 21, 22 years old. Yeah, my dad’s got experience in industry, but I want to pave Taylor May’s path in the industry and how can I do that? That’s kind of what security VIP has all been about. It’s just networking. It’s transparent. It’s accountability.

Seth [00:11:09]:

That’s why you heard that’s what Goldstein is at the end. But entrepreneurs Enigma is a way for me to get in front of people, have an excuse to talk to people.

Taylor [00:11:18]:

Right.

Seth [00:11:19]:

And then some of it, sometimes it turns into business for Goldstein Media, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it’s just good connections, friendships. And later down the road, I can say, hey, Taylor, I got something for you. Hey, Taylor, I have an idea for something. Let’s talk about this. It’s opening my network, and I like that, and I think that’s what you’re doing too, which I really like. And it’s kind of the same kind of mentality kind of thing.

Taylor [00:11:41]:

Yeah, I’m very honest, I’m very transparent, but I’m also accountable. And it’s just kind of what the industry, I think, lacks of is. There’s products and solutions that are great, but they’re not transparent, they’re not accountable. You can say you’re 100% perfect in something, but are you really 100% perfect or where the gaps? Where’s the vulnerabilities? And a lot of people don’t admit those vulnerabilities. Right. So that’s the one thing that at least consumers in the physical or just broader technology industry want to have that awareness to. Right. They want to understand those gaps.

Seth [00:12:12]:

Absolutely. So what is the best thing about, I guess, doing the hustle and the side hustle at the same time? What do you like about being an entrepreneur on the side per se and eventually becoming a full time entrepreneur? What gets you up in the morning, makes you smile?

Taylor [00:12:29]:

I think one thing, it helps that I work remotely. Right? So that obviously helps. But two, it’s just I’ve got some weird passion, man, that just connecting people to other people. And I’ve identified a gap in the security industry that I think is a game changer for our industry to really create a community and environment for those consumers. So that’s really what drives me every single morning is how can I continue that movement? How can I continue that platform, build that environment where if Seth is a VP of security at a casino, how can I put him in touch with other VP of securities in the casinos or a different vertical that Seth may be able to get awareness from or for Seth to share his content and experience with. How can I love it? How can I engage that more? That’s really what drives me all hours of the day. And I keep my wife up at night because I’m just here talking and spending ideas with her and she keeps me at ground zero.

Seth [00:13:20]:

Not yet.

Taylor [00:13:22]:

She’s God lover. She deals with all my security talk. But that’s just a passion of mine, man, that I’ve been able to identify here in the industry.

Seth [00:13:31]:

So then what keeps you up at night? What’s the scariest thing right now, especially? I mean, you have a baby on the way, full time job, major side hustle here. What keeps you up at night?

Taylor [00:13:43]:

Well, pretty soon baby may will keep me up at night.

Seth [00:13:48]:

You have no idea.

Taylor [00:13:51]:

It’s a good question. I think failure always keeps me up or doing something, putting your 110% effort in and it still doesn’t succeed and you don’t get that reassurance from what you’ve built. I want to say self worth or self satisfaction. I can’t even talk. Satisfaction can be a driving force, but I think it’s just am I doing enough? Am I creating something that is worth valuable to consumer? What is their feedback? So I think that’s what I’ve most afraid of is just putting so much time and energy and investment into this community and this environment and hopefully getting that recipient value back from those consumers, say, hey, Taylor, we really appreciate what you’re doing.

Seth [00:14:38]:

I love it.

Taylor [00:14:38]:

Yeah. So that’s probably what keeps me up most at night is the sense of not exceeding those expectations that the consumer might have.

Seth [00:14:46]:

Absolutely. What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

Taylor [00:14:53]:

Oh, man, I love this question. Just staying true to myself. I don’t try to be someone else that I’m not on social media because I think sometimes LinkedIn, some people try to be something that they’re not. But one of the founding principles of security VIP is always putting people before product, but also doing exhibiting those actions through transparency and accountability. I think too many times we don’t see transparent conversations. We don’t see those conversations where, hey, we admit something but something goes wrong. We’re not accountable for those actions. So that’s what I’ve been trying to push a lot just with my own company, but with by who I am individually, is putting those conversations at the forefront, saying, hey, look, I’m very honest and open with you. This is where we lack in experiences, where we lack in development, whatever it may be. But I’m going to be accountable and I want to build a relationship and friendship with you first before I try to pitch a product or sell a solution or anything. Because at the end of day way, yeah. Seth I’ve had clients now for literally, as long as I’ve been in the industry, I’ve sold the same client. And these are multiple clients.

Seth [00:15:58]:

Is it funny how that happens?

Taylor [00:15:59]:

Like, four or five different solutions, the same client? But the reason why is because they know I’m not bullshitting them. Because I come in and say, hey, look, this is what we do. This is where we’re good at. This is where we suck. I don’t care if you don’t buy anything from me. I just want you to get your feedback on the technology. And if it’s a fit, it’s a fit. If it’s not, cool, let me know how I can work on it then. That’s just kind of how it’s been now, through transparency and accountability, right?

Seth [00:16:23]:

Absolutely. That’s how it needs to be. I’ve done websites. I’m one of my clients. I’ve done his website five times. It’s insane. I’ve known him for 15 years, and you think my website gets revamped every five? Or should every five? He’s like, every three, but still, you do three or four times because you update it, new technologies and stuff like that. You change it to a different kind of technology, like, hey, Joe, I’m now over here. Now, this might actually be good for XYZ, where ABC was good for over there. So you’re not poaching from the other company, but you’re saying, Now, I can help you over here. Let’s chat, that kind of thing. It’s kind of neat.

Taylor [00:17:01]:

It’s the rapport, man. You build, obviously, your business off Seth Goldstein selling yourself. And I sell myself, too. Again, at the end of the day, it’s rapport. It’s friendships, it’s relationships. That’s what wins the day.

Seth [00:17:16]:

So in the end, where can people find you online? Where’s your major warning?

Taylor [00:17:19]:

Hall?

Seth [00:17:20]:

Let me guess, LinkedIn?

Taylor [00:17:22]:

LinkedIn is number one. You can find, obviously, my profile on LinkedIn. You can find security, VIP enterprises on LinkedIn. I just created a page for VIP Connect on LinkedIn, and then I’ve got a website. So securityvipenterprises.com very cool.

Seth [00:17:39]:

So this has been great, Taylor. I’m glad we got to chat. I’m glad to get you on, and we’ll see everyone next time.

Taylor [00:17:46]:

Awesome. Thank you, Seth. Appreciate it, man.

Seth [00:17:47]:

That was a great show. If you’re enjoying entrepreneurs Enigma, please view us in the podcast directory of your choice. Every review helps other podcast listeners find our show. If you’re looking for other podcasts in the marketing space, look no further than The Marketingpodcast Network@marketingpodcast.net. Goldstein hopes you have enjoyed this episode. This podcast is one of the many great shows on the MPN Marketing Podcast Network.