In his own words: Prism founder Garrett Taylor

Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about Prism and the duties of your position.

Garrett Taylor: Prism was founded as an IT solutions provider. We’ve grown over the years and expanded our offerings to include cloud services and outsourced IT. Our goal is to continue to expand our offerings so we can be a one-stop shop for our clients’ technology needs. As the president and founder of Prism, it’s my job to make sure that our customers feel like we’re part of their team and that we’re invested as equally in their business as our own.

NNBW: What drew you to this profession?

Taylor: I love solving problems and working as a team. I’m happiest doing that when I get to employ a really creative answer.

NNBW: What’s the most important thing you have learned in your career?

Taylor: Picture how you want it (meaning anything) to turn out and then just start doing it. You’ll find that the world is pretty forgiving of mistakes, and as long as you keep your goal in mind you’ll get there.

NNBW: Did the recession change the way you do business? If so, how?

Taylor: We opened shop at the start of the recession. A good lesson I learned is that there’s no such thing as a sure thing and ALWAYS keep extra working capital around.

NNBW: What was your first job?

Taylor: Believe it or not, it was IT. I built and repaired PCs.

NNBW: Tell us about your dream job. Why aren’t you working it?

Taylor: My dream job might be cutting-edge research. I’m not sure if it’s my dream job because I’ve never done it. I might hate it. I did hate school, though. I never liked paying money to do work.

NNBW: Is your job stressful? How do you cope with daily challenges?

Taylor: Owning a business is always stressful. I’d be willing to bet that owning a company that focuses on stress-reduction would be stressful. The best way to cope with stress is just to work through problems. If you can solve a problem it can’t cause you any more stress.

NNBW: What’s the most fun you have had on the job.

Taylor: I get to work with some very talented and fun people, both customers and my co-workers. The most fun things are the little moments that just happen where you can find humor throughout the day.

NNBW: What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Taylor: Choose your customers as carefully as your employees. Having the right customers makes all the difference between success and misery.

NNBW: What are your favorite hobbies or pastimes? How do you spend your time away from work?

Taylor: I like to ski and travel. I’m a “foodie” so I like to spend a lot of time in my kitchen or combine it with travel for food excursions. I used to play bass in a band but playing in bars just doesn’t pay the bills.

NNBW: If you could live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

Taylor: Every experience, good and bad, shapes who we are, the way we do things and the way we see life. I wouldn’t want to change any of them. Maybe I would have sold my house at the peak of the real-estate market.

NNBW: What has been your biggest professional accomplishment?

Taylor: I think the biggest goal was when I hired my first employee. It set a new standard of responsibility in the way I had to conduct business.

NNBW: What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid?

Taylor: I wanted to be a scientist. (Astronauts are scientists)

NNBW: What can you do that someone else can’t?

Taylor: I can play a double hammer-on bass solo.

NNBW: If you had enough money to retire right now, would you? Why or why not?

Taylor: Not a chance. I don’t know what I’d do with that much time on my hands.

NNBW: What’s the last concert or sporting event you attended?

Taylor: I saw the Reno Philharmonic’s January concert series.

NNBW: Where’s your perfect vacation spot?

Taylor: My favorite so far has been Portland, but I have a lot of places left to go.

NNBW: Why did you choose a career in northern Nevada? What do you like most about working/living here?

Taylor: I grew up here, so this is where opportunities were easiest to find. I like that Reno is small enough that I can run in to someone almost anywhere I go.