Next-generation leader implements processes at SWFL family flooring business

Lauren Taylor always knew she was going to come back to the Fort Myers-based family flooring business someday. But before joining the nest, she wanted to get a taste of things on her own, to make her mark before returning to what she knew. 

“I always knew I wanted to do my own thing first and establish a name for myself,” Taylor says, “rather than just coming into the business right away.” 

Photo by Mark Wemple

So for eight years, she worked as the director of medical education for an orthopedics sales company. In 2023, in what she felt was divine timing, she decided it was the right moment to resign from that role and come on board as operations manager at Taylor Carpet One Floor & Home. That meant learning everything from scratch, and what she quickly realized was the company lacked one important thing: a standard set of procedures. As a new employee, Taylor saw firsthand how important it was to have clear guidelines, because not having them made it harder to know what to do. 

“That’s kind of really what prompted me to do it, because I wanted to learn it and have it written down,” she says. “One thing I did was I had everybody in the company write down what their job was and how they do it, step-by-step.” 

Now that she has streamlined these standard operating procedures, onboarding new employees has become a “night and day difference,” Taylor says, because people have defined expectations of their role and what it entails. 

Now as regional manager, Taylor spends most of her days going between the company’s stores in Bonita Springs, Naples and Fort Myers and running the back office, overseeing the installation department. Her days consist of near constant problem-solving — but that’s part of the beauty of her job. 

“Each day is different and each day is a challenge,” she says. “You think you got it down and then something new comes up, and then you figure out a solution and you find out how to solve it.” 

Taylor cites her parents, John and Jennifer Taylor, as core mentors in her life. “They taught me the value of working hard, even when no one is watching, and that your word and reputation matter,” she says. “I learned from them to treat people with kindness and respect, while also having the confidence to stand up for what I believe in.”