We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Taylor Kurtz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Taylor, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?
Growing up, I was not the most responsible person. I have had periods of time where I’ve been incredibly poor, as well. I once promised myself that if I ever got another opportunity, I would not squander it. I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity, in the form of a good job, which ended up leading me to SEO, which is now my career. I am aware that today is not tomorrow, and nothing is promised. I have an almost unreasonable fear of losing everything overnight, so I constantly work as though it’s my last chance.
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?
I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I moved to Tallahassee, Florida where I attended Florida State University while working in a criminal defense law office. One day, the firm I worked for completely disappeared from Google, prompting my boss to encourage me to learn SEO, which up until that point, I had never heard of.
My background is heavily focused on athletics, with sports being my biggest passion. As a result, I am very competitive and saw a new challenge: to compete with, and outrank, our competition in the search results. This was very exciting to me and I dove in and quickly became quite passionate about SEO.
After graduating college, I pursued my MBA while also moving from Florida to Colorado. I was fortunate enough to be a part-time professor at the local community college, as well as really diving into the world of public speaking, where I travel and speak to marketing professionals about Search Engine Optimization. I typically do 45-minute sessions but also host 3-hour masterclasses. I really enjoy speaking and spreading information about something I am passionate about, with SEO.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1- My ability to communicate: I am very fortunate that I can communicate and get along with just about anyone from any background. My ability to articulate myself and carry on meaningful conversations has taken me very far in my life.
2- My Emotional Intelligence
3- My Drive: For years, I have woken up every single day between 3am-4am. This started when I was in school, but also wanted to get 40 hours at my job so I would wake up very early to go to work so that when I went to class and was out of the office, I could still make up that time before others showed up to the office. As a result, I have been waking up at this time everyday, and I don’t even set an alarm. My body is programmed to wake up and get to work. The early-morning is my absolute favorite time to work, as it’s quiet and I can really focus. Having this drive and persistence has been priceless for me.
My top advice for anyone looking to get into SEO or, more realistically, just start your own business, is you MUST hold yourself accountable. If you have a problem with your boss telling you what to do or making you do your tasks and not procrastinate, you likely won’t be able to hold yourself to those standards. You MUST hold yourself accountable.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I would say both my parents, as well as my former boss and good friend, Don Pumphrey, Jr. My parents taught me to be a good person and gave me a very solid background and character. They are responsible for my education and many of the skills that have been honed to get me this far in life.
Don Pumphrey, Jr. is a criminal defense attorney in Tallahassee, Fl. He was my boss and has become a dear friend of mine. He is the one who once told me, after I asked what I could help with: “Take some initiative.” This changed everything for me, as it showed he trusted me to make decisions and use my judgement. From there, I never looked back. Don taught me so much about how to communicate with people, emotional intelligence, and being a business owner.
Without my parents and Don, I would absolutely not be where I am today. No chance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.crushtherankings.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-kurtz-560a35141/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealTaylorKurtz
