Today we’d like to introduce you to David Taylor.
Hi David, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in the city of St. Louis, mainly South city. I spent my younger years as a kid in North St. Louis I went to Ashland Elementary off Ashland and Newstead. I was raised by my aunt who was very religious being a Jehovah’s Witness so at a young age I developed a strong love for God. Due to a mental illness, my mother couldn’t take care of me so my aunt took me and my sister in so that we wouldn’t get lost in the system. It was very hard on my aunt I’m sure trying to raise two extra children on top of her own 5 children.
At this time in the ’90s, street gangs were very bad in North St. Louis, especially in the area where we lived in the 44 block of Clarence. One day shortly after I came home from school in the middle of our home Bible study we got a knock on the door, we had heard the ambulance really loud up the street but it was normal so we thought nothing of it. When my aunt opened the door she immediately screamed and we all ran to the door, it was her oldest son my big cousin Bobby laying on a stretcher dead. He had just been killed a couple of houses down from our house trying to make it back home but a rival gang had caught up to him before he could make it. Of course, this was devastating for all of us, especially my aunt.
I think it was after that my aunt got really strict and developed a stronger love for me but at the time and growing up it was hard to understand because she began to discipline me and my other sibling and cousins to the point where some would say it was child abuse. It wasn’t until I got a little older that I realized she only disciplined us so hard because she didn’t want to lose another child. The Bible says “The mother or father that spares the rod hates the child”. And if it wasn’t for her being so hard on me growing up I probably wouldn’t be here.
Fast forward to where I am now, at 34 I am in love with helping people. In 2013, I had an article done on me by Riverfront Times called “Hero in a moving Truck” at the time I was a mover at two men and a truck, and on the way to a job my driver began to have a seizure behind the wheel and I had to take action and save our lives. I’ve worked for almost all of the major moving companies in St, Louis like two men and a truck Fry Wagner, Mcguire’s Moving & Storage, Mayflower, Cord, and that’s just a few lol. I developed a love for moving people and I really enjoy it. I’m good at it. This is exactly why I started my own company. I’ve been in business now and Licensed with the state of Missouri since October 2020.
Even being a small business I and my team do a lot of work for some bigger businesses in the city, I’ve delivered furniture for big names like Shuberts Design, and I do a lot of staging homes for interior Design companies like “Peek Interiors” and a lot of work for one of the best Interior designers ever with “Euro Trash” Annie and Her husband Charlie Smith keep me and my guys pretty busy. On top of being a business owner and a father of 4, I am also a local artist I sing and I write music and you can catch me managing in the evenings at Chic Fil A in Florissant.
It’s a challenge but I enjoy being a Leader and someone that others can not only look up to but also be of some assistance if someone needs a job. I love to be able to put anyone around me in a position to win.
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?
Had it been a smooth road? No not at first, you always struggle when you start out in the moving business mainly because nobody knows who you are and you have to gain people’s trust. Nobody is just gonna trust you to take care of their items so you have to do a good job and do things RITE the first time and every time to really “wow” the customer and then you have to hope they leave you a good review or tell someone else, Word of mouth is EVERYTHING in this business.
Once you do a good job for one business and they like you… that’s it! You’re pretty much in the game but that same business that may have spoken highly of you could also take you OUT of the game as well!! One bad review will have everyone saying “Don’t use them they suck” or “they’ll break your stuff don’t use them” luckily for me I’ve never had this kind of review or things said about my company but I’ve read some pretty bad things about other company’s and I’ve worked for enough company’s to learn what to do and not to do so me and my team are pretty much Perfection In a moving truck when we are out there.
I train my guys the same way I was trained and we all do things the same way so there aren’t any mess ups or confusion. I would say the hardest thing, in the beginning, is just building a name for yourself, and getting people to trust my brand was the biggest struggle but now things are pretty smooth and hopefully, it stays this way.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started Riteway Moving Company LLC with a vision of being the number one moving company in the world and that is still the plan!
This is a small business but I plan to grow and eventually be in as many states as possible. We specialize in commercial moving as well as residential and we are known for staging homes all over the St. Louis area.
What sets us apart from other companies is our love for what we do! The money is good and why we all have to work to make a living but for myself and my team, I really enjoy satisfying our customers and building long-lasting relationships. You can’t buy these things with money these things are earned over time with hard work and loyalty.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of what we have accomplished so far which isn’t much because we have so much more to achieve but I am proud of the relationships I’ve built the happy customers I’ve had, the businesses I’ve served and built relationships with and the team I have created with my family and friends. I know there is really no limit to the amount of success we will have if we continue to do things the RITEWAY!!
I want the readers to know that I named my Company “RITEWAY” Moving Co because not only do we strive at doing things the right way with their furniture but we also try to live our lives the right way as well and all of my employees are my family or close friends in the family and I try my best to keep everyone on the RITE path. I’m in the field with them every day not only working but coaching these young men through everyday life challenges that they may face.
Our Company LoGo is the Wrong Way Sign, and I spray painted Wrong and spelled right with RITE.
The Whole meaning behind the logo is that all take is ONE mistake to do something wrong and that could be your last move, but there are multiple roads in life and there will be turns as well but no matter what we try our best to do things the RITEWAY. Our rates are the cheapest in the city and our movers are the best hands down. And we are always a phone call away.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
I wouldn’t really consider myself a Risk taker at all honestly. Everything I do I do in good faith that good will come from it. Before I do anything I try to have a well-thought-out plan so that I don’t feel like I’m taking any risk.
I do feel like as a business owner taking risks is a normal thing but I have adapted to doing it so much that now it has just turned into me having faith and putting my faith in God that everything that I do will work out so at this point in my life I don’t feel like anything is a risk.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Ritewaymovingcompanyllc
- Facebook: Riteway Moving Company
