Passion, leap of faith, reward local woman with successful business

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

June 30, 2025

TWO RIVERS – When she was a junior in college, Taylor Miller said she was asked to shoot a video of a colleague’s wedding.

Little did she know that project would spark a passion that would eventually become a career path.

Lights, camera, action

Though she worked as a videographer and later a marketing assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s University Center – before her colleague’s request, Taylor said she hadn’t done anything like that.

“It didn’t feel like work – it felt more creative and fun,” she said.

Taylor said after “word got out,” that one wedding led to two the following year – though she was not yet sure this was a career path she wanted to pursue.

However, things continued to grow – two weddings turned to 11 the next year and from 11 to 37. “Each year, we kept getting more inquiries,” she said.

Taylor said that sold her on the idea of pursuing videography professionally – at least as a part-time gig. 

Not letting fear stand in her way 

Though starting a new business can be a little scary, Taylor said she didn’t let anything stand in her way or change her mind about her decision to officially launch her business – Miller Highlights.

“Whenever you start something new, it’s always going to be a little bit scary,” she said. “There are so many unknowns. And starting at a young age, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”

As a young entrepreneur, Taylor said as the business gradually grew, she grew with it.

“Taking the leap to make it full-time (instead of just) a side hustle was a little intimidating, but it was the challenge I was willing to take,” she said.

Taylor said she transitioned into the business full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said she used that time to unveil some new services – including drone footage options.

“It’s usually capturing the ceremony venue since that’s where most weddings start,” she said. “My videos are all storytelling when it comes to weddings. I like to keep things in chronological order as much as possible so the couple can relive their day from start to finish.”

Additional services added, Taylor said, included digital marketing, corporate video captures, photography, etc.

“We are really able to help anyone who has any digital needs,” she said. “COVID really didn’t have an impact on my clients or myself when it came to (work), (other than) we had to wear masks when we were capturing wedding videos.”

Taylor said several remote businesses got their start during the pandemic as well.

“It was nice to have clients (that were) just starting out to help them with their marketing needs,” she said.

Positives and negatives

Taylor said she runs her business similarly to how her boss at Whitewater’s University Center did.

“My boss had her systems down to a T, and I knew that they worked,” she said. “I always say ‘don’t reinvent a wheel that’s already working – copy it and paste it to make it your own.’”

However, Taylor said that doesn’t mean she wasn’t confronted with challenges at one time or another.

One of the biggest challenges she said she faced was figuring out where the money was going to come from during lean times. 

“When you jump all in, you are on your own to have a consistent income, and I think that was hard for me to figure out when I started,” she said.

As a young entrepreneur, Taylor said networking was a helpful tool in maneuvering that hurdle.

“I got my name out into the community more and just showed up authentically myself,” she said. “I knew that if I made the connections, I would have no issues finding the right clients that aligned with me.”

Additionally, Taylor said offering things her competitors don’t is another driving force in her success and growth.

“As a small company, I fully value communication,” she said. “We treat all of our clients like family and friends. You aren’t just another client that we work with. Also, when it comes to my video edits, I have found that my turnaround time is faster than others.” 

Currently, Taylor said Miller Highlights has the most demand with “anything on the digital marketing side.”

“Whether that’s a business promotional video, branding photos or even content creation, we are here to help with it all,” she said.

Taylor said the amount of lead time needed varies from project to project. 

“I work with my clients to figure out their deadlines on things and then work backward to create a plan,” she said. “When it comes to videos, it really depends on the project. As for marketing clients, we don’t need much lead time – we just jump right in and find out more about your business to keep your branding consistent.”

Taylor said she’ll be heading to Italy in July to cover an event there – noting she’ll go where a client’s project leads her. 

As the sole employee of Miller Highlights, Taylor said she does all of the work herself, except in rare instances.

“I currently run a lot of the marketing by myself,” she said. “I do outsource for some additional help (if needed), but it’s mostly myself. When it comes to capturing weddings, I usually have a second shooter that assists with those.”

Doing what she can to inspire and mentor the next generation, Taylor said she has a youth apprentice from Kewaunee High School who helps with all things related to digital marketing. 

Entrepreneurial foundation

When not working on client projects for Miller Highlights, Taylor said she is a Realtor® with Take Action Realty Group.

“I walked into Take Action Realty originally to become an investor and have their help,” she said. “I quickly realized that I wanted to become an agent first to learn the ins and outs of the industry. I’ve had great guidance from my broker, Monte Reyment, and I am continuing to learn the ropes each day.”

In addition to that, Taylor and her parents – Dan and Teresa – own New Era Developments, a development company that builds homes around Northeast Wisconsin, the same area in which she sells homes. 

Further strengthening her entrepreneurial foundation, Taylor said she learned from her brother, Andrew, who developed a business in the agriculture industry at a young age.

Of course, Taylor said having parents who are entrepreneurs helped motivate both their kids and allowed them to benefit from seeing self-employment and entrepreneurship up close and personal.

Branding made easy

In the beginning, Taylor said when she sits down with a client to help them figure out how to properly brand themselves and their message, she asks them specific questions in order to ascertain all the information needed to brand them in the best way possible.

This exercise, she said, inspired her to put the questions she would ask clients into a specialty workbook that anyone can purchase and use to discover.

Taylor said the Brand Strategy Workbook – which is available on Amazon – is designed to help people understand that their personal and professional brand not only helps them discover their brand but also to own their story at the same time. 

She said it is a hands-on guide designed to help uncover, define and confidently communicate an individual’s personal and professional brand.

Taylor said with everything she has on her plate professionally, and balancing that with her young family, she is often asked how she balances it all.

The simple answer, she said, is that she doesn’t, nor can she. 

“I will say there isn’t enough time in the day for everything I want to do, but you take it one day at a time,” she said. “All of my businesses kind of go hand in hand – that makes sense to me. Others might not see it, but I do, and that’s what makes it easier for me to be involved in as much as I am.”

For more information on Miller Highlights, visit millerhighlights.com.