From crown to consultant: Miss North Carolina launches new business – Salisbury Post

Susan Singh Turner

Salisbury Post

When Taylor Lloyd was 13, she had to shop in the plus-size section of the girls' clothing department, where she admits her options were significantly smaller.

Still, she continued to compete in pageants even with her braces on.

““I wasn't as much of an outsider as I thought I was,” says Lloyd, who turns 23 next month.

Over the next decade, Lloyd won a number of prestigious titles, including Miss North Carolina 2023. At the Miss America competition, Lloyd placed in the top 10 and earned a reserve talent award, something that a North Carolina contestant had failed to achieve in 17 and 13 years, respectively.

Since relinquishing her crown, Lloyd has been using her knowledge to help other young women, launching Taylor Lloyd Consulting (TLC) on July 5. She's already working with clients, receiving nearly 20 enquiries in the first five days since the site launched.

““I learned too much not to share,” Lloyd says. “If I don't share it, it's not going to be used. Not sharing what I've learned would be like throwing away a file cabinet of trade secrets. I've worked too hard for that.”

Lloyd said the majority of her clients are young women aged 12 and 13 who want to enter pageants.

““It's a misconception that you have to look or act a certain way to compete,” she says. “It's not just about winning. It's about getting good grades, having fun, earning scholarships and making friends.”

It's about learning how to interview, how to introduce yourself, how to walk into a room.

““The idea is to help girls and young women develop self-confidence and love themselves,” Lloyd says. “Be your best self. It sounds cliché, but it's so true.”

She continues, “It's about creating your own personal file cabinet full of information about yourself. You need to be able to answer questions, but you also need to allow the judges to know something about you. Whatever the question, you need to have something to share about yourself.”

Her other titles include Miss Statesville 2023, Miss North Carolina Rhododendron Queen 2021, Miss Charlotte Teen 2019, Miss Carolina Foothills Teen 2018 and Miss Rowan County Teen 2017.

Lloyd says she wasn't “the skinniest girl on stage” when she won the Miss Rhododendron swimsuit competition.

“My confidence has to be that of a Victoria's Secret model. It's not about perfection, it's about cultivating confidence. With confidence, you glow.”

Lloyd is the daughter of Ashton and Cinnamon Lloyd of Mooresville. The two met when her mother was Miss Fayetteville Dogwood 1997 and her father was her chaperone. Cinnamon Lloyd was also named Mrs. North Carolina in 1999. Lloyd has an older brother, Preston, who is 19 years old.

““My parents fell in love with it along the way,” Lloyd says, “and it introduced me to it as a community and changed the way I viewed pageants.”

Lloyd is the great-niece of Sammy Hinshaw of Salisbury and the late Wayne Hinshaw, a longtime photojournalist for the Salisbury Post.

““Taylor has always worked hard to achieve the goals she set for herself,” her great-aunt said. “When she decided she wanted to sing opera, she worked with many teachers to help her excel in this art form. When she decided to compete in competitions, she met with people who helped her perform at her best every step of the way. Once she knew what she had to do, she worked hard to make it happen.”

Becoming Miss North Carolina was a lifelong dream, Lloyd admits, “I had a good idea of ​​what the job entailed, and I had prepared for it, but you never know what it means until you do it.”

Her year of service was filled with “fun and joy.”

She made over 200 appearances and drove over 50,000 miles in sponsored cars.

““That doesn't include the miles my family has traveled on road trips,” she added. “It's probably another 10,000 miles or so.”

Lloyd made as many appearances as he could while also preparing for the national tournament.

Janet Ward Black, of Kannapolis, was crowned Miss North Carolina in 1980. She is president of the Greensboro law firm of Ward Black, the largest woman-owned law firm in the state.

““For a contestant, having a coach like Taylor is invaluable,” Black said. “There are so many different sides to the competition, and to have a coach who has had success all the way to making the top 10 at Miss America is a gift.”

“This was in training for the Olympics and last year'“Let's bring in a gold medalist as our coach.”

Black, whose company has presented scholarships to the program for the past 10 years, attended the recent Miss North Carolina Scholarship Awards Breakfast at High Point Country Club.

“More than $35,000 in scholarships were awarded to about 20 people that morning, but the money was not given to contestants for looks or talent, but to those who have already contributed to their communities.'Looking at their faces, they are incredible young women who give me great hope for the future.

“Miss America remains the largest scholarship provider to women in the United States.. These scholarships enabled me to graduate from Davidson College and Duke Law School.”

Lloyd graduated from North Carolina Virtual Public Schools in 2019. In December, she will graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a double major in music with a concentration in classical voice and psychology.

““I definitely see this business being something I'll be doing long term,” she says, “I'll always have room to help young women feel more confident. With my entrepreneurial side, it would be hard to quit.”

Contact Taylor Lloyd tinyurl.com/taylorloydnewclient.

Freelance writer Susan Singh Turner lives in Raleigh.