Jul. 9—By most definitions, an entrepreneur who takes his business idea to fruition and lasts five years is considered a success. Darryl Taylor took his idea in 2016 and has built his business B.S. City. It is estimated that only about half of small businesses last five years.

Taylor shares his story willingly, "I was a DJ for 20 years. I turned 35 in 2016. So I wanted to get my foot into something else. I had money saved. I asked my friend Jeremy, 'Do you want to do something kind of out of the box? Something different?' I had six grand in my pocket and he had no money but four grand in credit cards. We moved into a small plaza. The realtor told me, 'Nobody ever makes it there.' Our first year for what it was, it was really good. After that year, I bought my buddy out. I was at that North West Street Plaza for about another year. Then I moved to Jackson Street near Lima Senior. The first shop was 1,200 square feet. The Jackson was 5,500 square feet. I was there for a year and a half then I moved to a 16,000 square foot building which was DeHaven's."

Most entrepreneurs have a willingness to take risks. They are willing to work hard and put in constant effort to turn ideas into reality. They often start small and work toward growing the business bigger.

"I've always been that guy to go big or go home," Taylor related. "I've always wanted to excel; I never was content. There is always risk. This (moving to Northland Plaza) was a big risk. After two years at DeHaven's I just grew tired of the building. I thought, you know what? I got enough stuff here. Now I got enough business. I'm gonna be a big department store. I want to do something that a lot of little guys have not done. I want to kind of be like a big chain, but I'm not a chain; I'm just local, you know, and that's when we made this move."

Entrepreneurs assume all the risks of their business which while rewarding, can also be a lot of pressure.

"I ain't gonna lie. I was nervous. But things just fell into place. Now when I moved here, now I'm nervous. I'm not gonna lie to you. Let me do baby steps like I've been doing this whole time. A wise decision for the store? Yes. The way it's put together, the way it was compared to what it has been for the last five years — this is the best it's ever been. Customer shopping experience. Great. The way it's laid out. The signage. Yes. As far as the financial and doing the business, I don't know yet because I'm in a new location. And I don't know what's going to be," Taylor said.

There are as many different types of entrepreneurs as there are people. One of the great joys of being an entrepreneur is the ability to operate outside the box. Naming the business can be one example.

"I'll tell you the concept behind that. I wanted to call it Buy Sell City. My buddy and I discussed and decided to spice it up. People look as B.S. and think of one thing, but it really stands for Buy-Sell City. I'm going to go into this business with a serious mindset about the only B.S. found here is in the name. I've stood my ground with it ever since. Because I'm honest. I don't work people off. That's what that means. I don't rip people off. I'm honest. I'm fair and firm. I don't treat anybody different."

Darryl Taylor is usually at his business B.S. City at 100 W. Northern Avenue Lima, Ohio. Stop in. See what's there and talk to the owner.

Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409