Hidden Gems: Meet Taylor Phillip of TaylorBudgets and The Elevated Life Co.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Phillip.

Hi Taylor, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In Dec 2020, I decided that I would make it my ultimate resolution to learn how to manage my finances. I was always a saver, but I was not financially mature. As a mom to a 1 yr old daughter, I knew that in order to secure a financial future not only for her, but for generations to come, I wanted to become financially literate. In Feb 2021, God laid it on my heart to document my financial journey on YouTube, to hold myself accountable, and hopefully inspire and motivate others to take control over their finances. I was a beginner, knowing little about budgeting, but I was dedicated. My channel focused on low-income budgeting, since I work part-time, and I believe that resonated with a lot of people. It truly does not matter how much you earn. You can still budget. I became passionate about changing the stigma of budgeting–that it is limiting, boring, and difficult. Sharing my journey has not only continued to motivate me, but tens of thousands of other women and men. I truly believe that budgeting is fun! There is a freedom that comes with having control over your finances. Today, my journey has led me to become an entrepreneur, where I now conduct one-on-one consultations, create personal finance tools, and much more.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Budgeting is definitely a marathon. It is not easy, but it is worth it. There are months where I have gone over budget, lost track of what I spent and where I spent it, or wanted to throw in the towel and go on a shopping spree. But constantly remembering why I decided to take control of my finances, keeps me going. Becoming debt free, creating generational wealth, and overall, adopting the mindset of financial freedom, is what keeps me going. There are also some struggles of doubt. When I decided to sell personal finance tools, insecurity creeped in. Do I know enough about budgeting? What if my shop does not do well? Through all of those internal battles, it is when I decided to do it anyway and be transparent with my supporters.

It helps to tell others about the downs just as much as the ups, because there are so many others who are going through the same things you are going through.

When I go over budget, when I skip budgeting for a month, or when I come in under budget and put a significant amount towards debt, I let my supporters know. For me, being open not only makes the road much smoother, but knowing I could help others is great, too.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
TaylorBudgets is my personal finance brand. It encompasses my YouTube channel where I document my budgeting journey, showing my real numbers (part time income and small business income). I also document my debt payoff and savings goals. Taylorbudgets.com is my website, where I currently sell savings challenge books for all incomes and budgeting apparel. My savings challenge books include 11 self-paced challenges and 1 year long challenge, that make saving money fun! I also sell cash envelopes that go along with the books, so you can store the cash that you save.

The Elevated Life Co. is a business that I started with my friend Brittany. We created the Workbook Duo: a budgeting and lifestyle companion. It is an undated, 12-month workbook that includes monthly calendars, monthly budget and paycheck budget spreads, as well as weekly spreads, that allow you to jot down important reminders, appointments, etc., and also track your spending.

All in all, my brand focuses on Making Your Money Enough. No matter your income, you have the ability to budget and take control of your finances.

How do you define success?
Success comes from within. It’s an internal feeling of peace and joy. For me, success is not about how much, but rather about your achievement of internal happiness. You can have all of the money in the world, be able to buy whatever you want whenever you want, but if you are not full of joy and peace, you have nothing. I want to get to the point in my life that if I woke up one morning, and lost everyTHING, I could still put a smile on my face, because internally, I have peace, joy, and everyONE I need. I define success as the accomplishment of your internal desires, whether that is to be free of bondage, addiction, sadness, etc.

Pricing:

• Savings Challenge Books: $35
• Laminated Savings Challenge Books: $48
• Printable Savings Challenge Books: $25
• Savings Challenge Cash Envelopes: $30
• The Elevated Life Co. Workbook Duo: $55.95

Contact Info:

• Email: taylorbudgetsllc@gmail.com
• Website: https://taylorbudgets.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorbudgets/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpa64GZuLwfGiTipCtMuHTw
• Other: https://www.theelevatedlifeco.com