Meet Anne Tabor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Tabor.

Hi Anne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2006, I was a stay-at-home mom looking for a way to earn income for our family, but I needed the flexibility to create my schedule. Our three boys were all in school, and I always wanted to be the mom to assist with the school party and chaperone on field trips. 

I am an artist and have always been creative in DIY home improvements; I just didn’t get paid to beautify my home! A friend asked if I was interested in helping her with her painting business. After one interior painting job working with her, she left to pursue a full-time career elsewhere, but I still wanted to paint. I was introduced to an Interior Designer that provided a stream of clients, and I also joined a BNI (Business Networking International) local chapter to provide a referral source. 

That was seventeen years ago this fall, and we continue to increase our yearly interior painting reach. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think any honest business owner will say it’s all been roses being an entrepreneur. One year into starting my business, the recession of 2008 hit, taking with it the discretionary income of most homeowners. Expendable income wasn’t as available when every dollar earned was used for necessities. 

In 2009 I had a health scare that put me back with months of recovery, so rebuilding a new client list took some time. 

Then in 2020, we had the pandemic, supply chain shortages, and rapid inflation with the cost of goods and increased labor costs. I’m a small family business. I’m fortunate to have had my husband join the team three years ago and two of our sons in the last two years. Being responsible for other people’s income is very humbling. I can’t imagine the emotional stress of worrying about hundreds of people and ensuring they receive a timely paycheck. 

My biggest emotional challenge is being a people pleaser. I want everyone happy, and I want people to love the service we have provided. Learning to set boundaries and recognizing that it’s ok not to be perfect as long as I correct the mistakes has been a learning curve. I try to provide a service that exceeds expectations in an industry lacking customer service. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
From the time I was a little girl until now, I have always been fascinated with color. Color in flowers, color in birds, color in fashion, and home interiors. I love the psychology of color and try to help people understand how color in their homes can drastically change their moods. 

I’m the Color Girl and love to say, “Life is too exciting to live in black and white. Live life in color.” Our color trend for the last seven years has been in the grays. I love gray, but now we see warmer tones, pink undertones, lush greens, and tranquil blues. Part of my service is providing a color consultation when they use us to paint their home. 

In addition to interior painting, we provide cabinet refinishing and carpentry upgrades like feature walls, board and batten, upgraded trim work, and wallpaper. I love helping our clients create a wish list of upgrades to various areas of the home. Color can easily be expressed in accessories, but when we use wallpaper or feature walls, Tabor and Company shine. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Being a solopreneur for the first 13 years of my business was rough. I wore all the hats, from marketing, sales, customer service, bookkeeping, and delivering the actual service of painting my client’s home. I gained confidence and camaraderie through my BNI chapter in those solo years. If you are in sales or have a business that would benefit from referrals to your company, I can’t recommend BNI enough. It’s a weekly dose of personal development and networking in your town with people you know, like, and trust. During the 2008 economic downturn, we created our little microeconomy of solid business owners and individuals dedicated to helping each other pass business with a high closing rate. 

My family is the workhorse of Tabor and Company. On March 12, 2020, my husband left a stable corporate career to work in the family business. This was the day Mike DeWine shut the state down for two weeks. Talk about panic! John has always been willing to put in the hours and learn the skills needed to provide the best product for our customers. Two sons have worked with us full-time in the last two years. Customers are always surprised when they see the four of us working side by side in their homes. Never in a million years would I have predicted we’d be doing this together. Jessica is a part-time employee with a fantastic skill set, and she’s my fearless female in this man’s world. My oldest son Drew and his wife Libby run our website and post on social media. Every company needs to feed this monster, so I appreciate their help and savvy know-how. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tabor.company
• Instagram: TaborCompany
• Facebook: TaborAndCo