Growing up as a small-town boy in the Midwest, Anthony Taylor didn’t even know what the Coast Guard was. When he began thinking about enlisting in the military, it was his mom who suggested the service.
“After a bit of research, I was intrigued and contacted a recruiter,” Taylor said.
The signing bonus didn’t hurt, either, so Taylor enlisted in 2007.
“When I was a kid you could find me climbing trees, jumping off cliffs into quarries or anything that got my blood pumping,” Taylor said. “There was a big world, and I had to explore it. … I’m still the same today — always forward, never looking back.”
His family includes a long lineage of military service, from his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, uncles, brothers and cousins. As he put it, listening to sea stories growing up was one thing but living it was so much more.
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“My first unit was a ship out of Florida whose main mission was counter narcotics and migrant interdiction, and we encountered a lot of both. My unit was one of the first responders to the 2010 Haiti earthquake,” he shared. “We also did a deployment to Western Africa, during which I became an Emerald Shellback, crossing the equator at the prime meridian.”
Other deployments included a yearlong stint in the Persian Gulf to support Operation Enduring Freedom. His nine nine years in the Coast Guard was far more travel of the world than he thought possible, he added.
By 2017, he was ready to explore new horizons and said goodbye to the Coast Guard. Creating businesses and earning his bachelor’s in sports medicine was his next chapter.
“My wife and I cut our teeth in the business world by opening three axe-throwing venues over three years. When she woke me up saying she had a genius idea, I started doing some research,” Taylor said. “We knew that kids’ clothing was an issue that parents were dealing with and that if we could make it easier and save people money, it was a no brainer.”
Legacy Bundles was born. As its website explains, the company is a true one-for-one clothing swap. Those who sign up can mail in gently used clothing and receive clothing back in the new sizes they need, quickly and efficiently.
“We’ve really structured it to be as beneficial to the customer as possible. We took the smallest margins so we could help as many people as we could. The mission is to take the stress out of keeping kids in clothes that fit,” he said. “People shouldn’t have to choose between putting gas in the car or purchasing clothes for their kids.”
When asked what he hoped to see in the future for the business, growth was at the top of the list.
“We truly see Legacy Bundles being a huge business; it’s just going to take some time to get there and we’re willing to work every step of the way,” Taylor shared. “We think Legacy Bundles can help millions of people save money and most importantly, time – the one thing we can’t buy. All kids need clothes but that shouldn’t be a daunting task for parents.”
Though Taylor misses the adventuring days of his Coast Guard service, he has big dreams and wakes up excited to serve others in different ways these days.
“I’m inspired by freedom. True freedom and financial freedom. If I want to take a day off, I don’t have to ask anyone for permission. Freedom from the rat race and from the 9-5,” he explained. “I no longer dread Mondays and a Friday to me is no different than Tuesday. I’m 100% in charge of my life and I get to call all the shots, but this freedom comes with a new level of responsibility. I can no longer clock out. I can no longer go home from work and not think about it. I work more now than I ever have but I’m free and I’m happier than I ever thought possible, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Visit the Bundle Swap website to learn more about Legacy Bundles.
