“I’m never afraid to admit when I don’t understand something or need help.”
Taylor Cook
Founder & CEO
CAYAS
Taylor has worked in the fast-paced environments of fashion houses, top model representation, and media. Now she’s paving the way as an entrepreneur for the modern traveler with on-the-go self-care beauty products.
Looking to start up? Taylor is walking the entrepreneurial ropes!
Howard alum and former celebrity assistant, Taylor Cook, is the founder and CEO of CAYAS. After a 10-year career in model management, celebrity assisting, and digital media, Taylor is now a full-time entrepreneur. Her brand makes on-the-go self-care simple and stress-free with travel-friendly hair and body products as well as skincare towelettes that eliminate the hassle of traveling with beauty products.
What tips do you have for other women who would like to start their own businesses?
TC: CAYAS is my first entrepreneurial venture. I started the company out of genuine love for travel and adventure, but also out of frustration with the process of traveling with skincare. Korean face masks are a big trend right now, but I didn’t see any other brand focusing on the benefit of this style of packaging for travel, or transitioning other products and serums into this towelette/sachet form. The only version I’d seen is the bulky towelette packs that dry out immediately once opened. So, I decided to try and solve this issue myself.
This being my first startup, I was very naive about a lot of the process. I’ve made tons of mistakes, but I’m also never afraid to admit when I don’t understand something or need help. A lot of people who’ve failed and even those who’ve succeeded in starting a business try to deter you from jumping into entrepreneurship. The hours are long, you’re going to put a lot of your own money into it at the beginning, and there’s no guarantee you’ll succeed. But if you’re right for the job, those are the adrenaline pumping qualities that keep you going.
I’m actually still in the process of fundraising my initial pre-seed round before our official launch this fall. I realized early on that in order to scale CAYAS in the way I envision it was a necessary step for me to take. Admittedly, it’s been an interesting and humbling experience when you don’t have the wealth around you to easily tap into from friends and family, but once again this journey wouldn’t be half as fun without its challenges!
Discover CAYAS:
Website – Instagram – Facebook – LinkedIn
