Meet Nai Taylor

We were lucky to catch up with Nai Taylor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nai, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

For self-care, I make a real effort to separate work from personal time. I take two full days off each week where I completely disconnect — no meetings, no emails, no calls. During that time, I like to build LEGO sets and play Dungeons & Dragons with friends. Taking that time to recharge helps me come back to work more focused, creative, and effective. I’m naturally more introverted, so it’s made a big difference in keeping me balanced and avoiding burnout.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Our story really started with two passions — a love for sweet treats and a love for adventure. My partner and I have done over 200 escape rooms across the country, and along the way, we realized how much joy we found in collaboration, creativity, and solving puzzles together. That’s what inspired us to combine those two worlds and create Sweet Escapes in Paso Robles, California— a place where French pastries meet the thrill of escape rooms.

At our bakery, everything is made fresh daily, from buttery croissants to colorful macarons. We put a lot of care into making sure every bite feels special — like a little trip to a Parisian café right in Paso Robles. But we didn’t want the experience to stop there. For those who crave a bit of excitement, we offer immersive escape room adventures right on-site. Each room has its own story, theme, and puzzles that bring people together to laugh, think, and have fun.

What makes Sweet Escapes so special to me is that it’s more than just pastries or puzzles — it’s about creating a space where everyone feels welcome, where people can relax, connect, and just enjoy themselves. And we’re really excited about what’s next! We’ve been working on new seasonal pastry flavors, so there’s always something fresh and fun for our guests to discover.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, I’d say the three most impactful skills in my journey have been problem-solving, adaptability, and creativity.

Problem-solving is definitely number one — in the escape room world, things rarely go exactly as planned. You have to think on your feet and find quick solutions when challenges pop up, whether it’s a technical issue or a last-minute change. For anyone starting out, I’d recommend playing as many escape rooms as you can and, if possible, working at one before opening your own. Seeing the behind-the-scenes side helps you understand just how much goes into creating a great experience.

Adaptability has also been key. Combining a bakery and escape room isn’t exactly a traditional path, so we’ve had to stay flexible and open-minded as we figure out what works best for our customers.

And finally, creativity ties it all together. Our bakery and escape rooms complement each other in a fun way — people come for the puzzles and stay for the pastries. We’re lucky that the escape room side naturally draws in customers who then discover our baked goods, so we’ve been able to grow both sides together organically.

For anyone early in their journey, I’d say: embrace problem-solving, stay adaptable, and let your creativity lead the way — that’s where the real magic happens.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?

I’ve always believed in playing to my strengths. I think when you know what you’re good at and you focus on it, you’re able to deliver your best work and build real momentum. That said, I don’t like leaving weaknesses unaddressed — if something’s not a strength yet, I put in the effort to make sure it doesn’t hold me back.

For example, my biggest challenge has been keeping up with social media for the business. I don’t personally use it much, so it didn’t come naturally at first. Instead of avoiding it, I did a lot of research, learned what works best for our kind of content, and built a full posting schedule for the month. Now I follow that plan every day, and it’s become part of my routine.

I also encourage my employees to do the same — I try to have them play to their strengths. When people get to do what they’re naturally good at, they’re more confident and engaged, and that energy shows in the work. At the same time, I support them in improving any weaker areas so they can keep growing, just like I do.

So, I’d say I go all in on my strengths, but I also don’t let weaknesses stay weaknesses for long. I like to tackle them head-on so I can keep improving and growing the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sweetescapespaso.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetescapes.paso/