Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Taylor.
Hi Taylor, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey to 5 Tool Training wasn’t necessarily something I planned—it grew out of a major turning point in my life.
After a successful playing career at Seton Hall University and professionally in the NPF, I spent 2006–2014 coaching Division I softball. I loved college athletics and fully expected coaching to continue to be my career.
That changed in 2013 when my father was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. I knew I wanted and needed to be there for him in Delaware, so softball and my career suddenly took a back seat. After he passed away in November 2014, I found myself at a crossroads. I wasn’t sure what was next. Would I take a year away and eventually return to college coaching, or was it time to do something completely different?
While I was trying to figure that out, I started training young athletes in the Nocatee area. What began as simply an opportunity to continue coaching quickly became something I loved. College coaching had always been about developing athletes, but working with younger players gave me the opportunity to impact them much earlier in their journey—to teach fundamentals, build confidence and help them develop the habits that would serve them both on and off the field.
In 2015, we founded Florida Stealth, our travel softball organization, and that became a springboard for something even bigger. I began to see the need for a place where athletes could consistently train, where quality coaches could develop players, and where families could feel like they were part of a community.
That vision eventually became 5 Tool Training on Philips Highway, just north of Nocatee Parkway.
Over the past eight years, we have worked to create an exceptional training environment for softball and baseball players throughout Northeast Florida. What I’m especially proud of, though, is that 5 Tool has grown into much more than just a place to hit or practice. We have been able to create a home where athletes of all ages can train, compete and develop, while also providing other coaches and small businesses with a place to grow.
Our facility has been home to adult soccer leagues, independent soccer trainers, a soccer academy serving middle and high school student-athletes, and other sports programs and businesses that needed a facility and an opportunity to build something of their own.
When I look back, it’s interesting to think that 5 Tool Training came from one of the most difficult periods of my life. At the time, I thought I was trying to figure out what I was going to do next. I didn’t realize I was beginning to build something that would allow me to take everything I had learned as an athlete and Division I coach and use it to impact the next generation.
Today, that is still what drives me. We want 5 Tool Training to be a place where athletes get better, coaches make a difference, small businesses have an opportunity to grow, and our community has a place that feels like home.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I think that is true of almost every small business.
Opening 5 Tool gave me an opportunity to bring together two very different parts of my background. I have an undergraduate degree in Finance as well as my MBA, so for the first time I was really able to tap into what I had gone to school for and marry that business and financial background with my lifelong love of softball and coaching. I understood numbers, budgeting and business principles, but there is still a huge difference between learning those things in school and being the person ultimately responsible for every decision.
Opening our facility was a huge leap of faith. We went from training athletes and building Florida Stealth to taking on the financial responsibility of a large facility and believing that if we created the right environment, the community would support it. There were plenty of moments when that was scary—especially knowing that the decisions I made affected not only my own family, but eventually employees, coaches, other small businesses and the families we serve.
Then, relatively early in the life of the facility, COVID happened. Like so many small businesses, we suddenly had to figure out how to survive circumstances completely outside of our control. It reinforced something that has become incredibly important to me as a business owner: you have to be willing to adapt. What worked yesterday isn’t guaranteed to work tomorrow.
Growth itself has presented an entirely different set of challenges. As we’ve gotten bigger, I’ve had to learn how to transition from being the person who does everything to building a team, creating systems and trusting other people to carry out the vision. I think that’s one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship. In the beginning, you can have your hands in everything. Eventually, if you want the business to continue growing, you have to learn to lead instead of simply doing.
There have absolutely been financial pressures, difficult decisions, mistakes and plenty of lessons learned along the way. But I also think those challenges are what have made me a better business owner.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that I have been able to take my education in finance and business, combine it with everything I learned through a lifetime of playing and coaching softball, and build a career and a business around something I genuinely love.
Eight years later, we’re still here, still growing and still finding new ways to serve our athletes and our community. I don’t think success in small business is about having a smooth road. It’s about continuing to learn, adapt and move forward when the road isn’t smooth.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
5 Tool Training is much more than a place to rent a batting cage. We have worked hard to build a training environment where athletes can develop, families can find quality programming, coaches can build careers, and other sports-related businesses can grow alongside us.
At our core, we specialize in baseball and softball training. We offer private instruction, small-group training, camps, clinics, team training and facility rentals for athletes ranging from beginners picking up a bat for the first time to high-level players preparing for college softball. Because of my background as a Division I and professional softball player and a Division I coach, player development has always been at the heart of what we do.
I think one of the things that sets 5 Tool apart is that we aren’t interested in simply keeping kids busy—we want to teach them. There is a purpose behind our training. We focus on fundamentals, routines, attention to detail and helping athletes understand the game rather than simply going through drills. Our goal is to develop better athletes, but we also recognize that sports provide an incredible opportunity to develop confident, disciplined and resilient young people.
We have also intentionally built 5 Tool to serve families beyond traditional baseball and softball training. We offer summer and school-break camps, birthday parties, team rentals and other programming that allows kids to be active, compete, have fun and develop a love for sports. Our facility has also become home to programs outside of baseball and softball, including soccer trainers, soccer academies and adult leagues. I’m proud that the space we created has helped other coaches and small-business owners build their own programs and serve the community.
From a brand perspective, what I’m most proud of is the trust we have built. We have families who first came through our doors when their children were very young and have continued with us for years. We have watched athletes grow up in our facility, progress through travel softball and high school athletics, go on to play in college and, in some cases, come back and work with the next generation of athletes. That’s incredibly rewarding.
I’m also proud that we’ve never tried to make 5 Tool something it isn’t. We are a locally owned small business, and we genuinely care about the experience people have when they walk through our doors. We know our athletes. We know their families. We celebrate their successes, and we care about helping them through the difficult parts of their athletic journeys as well.
Ultimately, I want people to know that 5 Tool Training is about development, opportunity and community. Whether you’re an athlete who wants to reach the next level, a seven-year-old trying a sport for the first time, a team looking for a place to train, or another coach or small business looking for a place to grow, we want there to be an opportunity for you at 5 Tool.
Eight years into having our facility, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built—but I’m probably even more excited about what it can become next.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I have been incredibly fortunate that some of the most influential mentors in my life actually came into it as parents of softball players I coached. Those relationships developed organically over time, and I think there is an important lesson in that.
My advice when it comes to networking is not to approach every relationship thinking about what someone can do for you. Be genuinely invested in people. Show up for them, care about what matters to them, and look for ways you can add value to their lives. I’ve found that when you make that kind of investment in people, they often want to make the same investment in you.
Some of my mentors have expertise and experience in areas where I don’t, and I’ve learned to be comfortable asking questions, listening to their advice and learning from their experiences. At the same time, those relationships aren’t one-sided. I value being able to support them and their families in the areas where I can contribute as well.
For me, the best networking has never really felt like “networking.” It has been about building genuine relationships, being willing to learn from people around me and surrounding myself with people who want to see each other succeed.
Pricing:
- Private Baseball & Softball Lessons: Individual instruction available for athletes of all ages and skill levels.
- Facility/Cage Rentals: Affordable options for individuals, families and teams, with equipment available for use.
- Summer & School-Break Camps: Flexible registration options, including single-day and full-week opportunities.
- Birthday Parties: Packages starting at $325.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.5tooltraining.com
- Instagram: 5 Tool Training
- Facebook: 5 Tool Training
