Barbara is the co-founder of Allan Taylor, a boutique M&A firm located in Northwest Arkansas. She began her entrepreneurial journey after moving from Seattle to Northwest Arkansas with her family in 2003. Seeing a need for a decent cup of coffee, she and her husband started the first drive-thru espresso business in the state of Arkansas. They successfully built the business into a popular micro-chain, and eventually sold it to an outside buyer. In her role as a business broker, Barbara combines her first-hand experience as a selling owner with her extensive knowledge of the selling process to help business owners cash out and move on.
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Barbara spent over a decade in the wireless telecommunications industry where she held roles in product marketing, brand management and marketing communications. She was also instrumental in the launch of two venture-backed companies in Seattle during the dot-com boom of the 1990’s.
Barbara is a regular contributor to the New York Times’ online feature “You’re the Boss – the Art of Running a Small Business.” Her blog, Transaction, ran for three years and demystified the process of buying, selling, and valuing privately-held companies. Her work has also appeared in Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post and AOL Small Business. She was listed as one of “7 People Every Entrepreneur Should Follow on Twitter” on CBS MoneyWatch.
Barbara received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Seattle Pacific University with a minor in Journalism, and an MBA from Seattle University with an emphasis on Marketing and Business Law.