Meet Taylor Sorensen of Goodlettsville, North Davidson County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Sorensen.

Hi Taylor, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My backstory is not unlike many in Nashville. In 1999, I moved here to pursue music. The rest of the story is far less predictable. After graduating with a degree in Religious Studies, emphasis in Theology, and a double minor in Music Business and German (Ha! Yeah, I know), I had a short-lived record deal, recorded and toured, etc. Music did not pay the bills, and during the early post-college years, I worked various jobs in order to support musical pursuits. Due to this, my work resume is at least doubly eclectic as my college degree with a mix of construction (framing the East Nashville Kroger), mechanic (Tennessee British Motorcycles), barista (Portland Brew), and more, including working for the no-longer-in-existence ArtHouse Gardens landscaping company.

During my time with ArtHouse, I signed a sync deal with Dualtone Records that I am still glad to have to this day so that music still has some place in my life. That is also the time when I met my wife. We married and moved around the Middle-Tennessee area a bit, but now with three boys have settled in pretty well in Goodlettsville, just north of the city. In 2018, I started Blue Ox / Gold Fern (then only Blue Ox), offering only stump grinding. The business has since expanded to offer a broader array of groundworks services. However, due to the seasonality of those services, I began exploring other ways in which to keep the business moving year-round. Enter landscape design and building. While grinding stumps, I often found myself in conversations with homeowners who had plans for after the stump was gone, but just weren’t sure how to proceed. One thing led to another, and there I was a few weeks later, building a fence or planting some trees.

Not only did I find that this helped to fill in the gaps of the slower season, but to my relief and delight, it helped to provide a creative outlet that became increasingly harder to pursue in music.
Currently, I am studying for a diploma in Garden Design from the National Design Academy in Nottingham, UK, while still working to provide the same groundworks and landscaping services I have been providing through BOGF over the past three years.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Everybody’s roads are different, but nobody’s roads have been smooth. And running your own business is an invitation to hit potholes five feet deep. The main obstacles for me have mostly been the consistency of business, meaning that the landscape world is very seasonally driven; it can be very “feast-or-famine.” Waiting out those famines can be very challenging and anxious seasons. But as the business grows and the savings account gets a little heftier, it can make getting through those seasons more bearable. I’m certainly not to a level that I would call comfortable in those seasons yet, but I am very aware that things are still growing. The other challenge in this business can be finding reliable labor. But, for the most part, I have combatted that by developing a network of trustworthy subcontractors.

These are folks I have known for a long time. I know what kind of people they are. I know what kind of work they do. I know they will communicate with me (which is at least half the battle with most contractors). I don’t imagine that there will ever be seasons without some bumps, though. But, as you grow, your expectations and anticipation of those bumps develop, allowing for a response rather than a reaction. If you accept that you’re human, then the struggles are inherent, so you know you can’t avoid them. So it’s not about avoiding them; it’s about what you do when you run into them.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
There is a well-known trait about all types of contractors these days – especially throughout the Nashville area – and that is that they are horrible communicators. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from clients that they were left hanging, high, and dry by a contractor. Folks who were told a date and a time by so-and-so contractor, waited around all day, got no phone call or text, and the contractor is never to be heard from again. In this line of work, there is always a potential for things that will cause delays. A machine might break, a tree planting may be taking longer than anticipated due to unforeseen rock below the top-soil, or as we all know, there may be backed-up traffic on I-65. If and when these things happen, one of the main differences between Blue Ox Gold Fern and many others is simply this: I will communicate. I will let you know that there are delays so that you can get on with your day.

I believe that we are all created with worth, value, and dignity and therefore should be treated as such. I probably stress this more than anything else that I bring to the table. More than my creativity and ability to visualize spaces. More than my work experience. More than my ability to run certain machinery. This communication and simple desire to treat others the way I’d want to be treated is probably what I’m best known for, but only because it’s the exception in this industry when it should be the rule. Although communication sets me apart from a relational standpoint with clients, my ability to help homeowners think through the implications and effects of landscape and garden build decisions is what sets me apart professionally.

I see too many homes (especially new builds) these days with very hap-hazard landscape installations that may have great, immediate curb appeal, but ten years from now will have to be completely re-done due to lack of fore-site and poor planning. The consequences of which can be very costly. My background has given me the tools to help design spaces for homeowners that cooperate with the space rather than dominate AND at the same time will be enjoyable and useable for years to come.

What were you like growing up?
I’ve always bent towards creativity. I was (still am) a bit more of an introvert. I would have rather been at a friend’s house on a Friday night playing guitar and listening to music than at some party. Oddly enough, I was popular, but I think that was more because I was a good athlete. But, I was friends with everyone. The cool kids, the nerds, the artists, I got along with everyone.

I was involved in everything. I’ve always had an appreciation for the dynamics of life and humanity. I played sports, but I was also in all the plays and musicals. I was in a band, played guitar, but I was also in 4-H. My college degree and work history are probably a good reflection of my life as a whole. Eclectic, I’d say. At my core, though, I am an artist and always have been.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.blueoxgoldfern.com
• Instagram: @blueoxgoldfern
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueoxnashville