I am thoroughly privileged and pleased to find myself in a career where I get to interact with and learn from such a varied cast of interesting characters.

Furniture store owners, pizza, taco, barbecue and empanada restaurant owner/operators; bulldog breeders, concert promoters, copy editors, bowling center operators, babies, green belt candidates, home-school moms, college professors, sales professionals, mortgage lenders, barbers, friends, family, vendors, musicians, panhandlers, millionaires, personal trainers, hotel staff, government employees, state representatives, marketing professionals, pilots, healthcare workers, real estate professionals, Titans fans, doughnut makers, programmers, screen printers, bankers, bakers and venue operators—my life involves a lot of talented, quality people.

What an interesting existence and variety of personalities and specializations with whom I get the opportunity to communicate, do business and visit.

I don’t always spend as much time with each of you as I would like, but I value and take away some meaning and education from nearly every little interaction.

It takes a whole array of people and skills to make the town go ’round.

Ready to launch an entrepreneurial career of your own?

Launch your own business and bring your vision, expertise and specialty to the world!

A new business owner may be excellent at providing their primary product or service, but some may need some guidance on how to design a brochure, pay payroll taxes, create a custom sales form, or how to write and execute a business plan or obtain funding.

Check out the Tennessee Small Business Development Center; that’s what they do—help small business owners get better in the necessary areas. Read more here.

Or, are you feeling led (or being forced) to leave your current employer because of their new vaccine or mask policy? Has cancel culture shut down your job or gotten you fired? Start your own business and call your own shots!

However, for those simply ready to work and in need of a job, now is a great time to get hired. Companies all over are begging for more workers and raising pay across the board during this unique time. I hear it every day from small restaurants and large manufacturing and distribution operations—“we need people!”

Most every business owner in the area seems convinced that they can do more capacity and serve more customers with more workers on their team.

Many of them are not necessarily looking for people who even know their industry or have any work experience at all—just someone who shows up! So many business owners in every corner of town are ready and willing to train newcomers in what they are good at, to show others their skills and how their business runs, and are confident that they have the potential customer base to justify onboarding new team members now.

There are few excuses why able-bodied and able-minded individuals shouldn’t be doing something productive for themselves, or for another organization that they believe in and feel some passion and interest for. What are you working on?