Circle Back

For Grammy-award winning songwriter Cliff Goldmacher, music is more than just entertainment; it’s a powerful force to connect the world - and to start a business. Every skill that’s needed to write a song is also a skill necessary to being an innovator, Goldmacher posits, and that’s the draw of The Reason for the Rhymes. In his sessions, Cliff channels his music business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit to help executives build skills in lateral thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, empathy, risk-taking, and idea diffusion, by writing a song.

From performing his first song, which he wrote when he was only five years old, to writing songs for fellow musician Amy Grant in 1982, to launching Rocketown in the heart of downtown Nashville, Michael W. Smith has leaned into faith and creativity to become an award-winning musician and entrepreneur that’s changing the world one person at a time.

The son of a guitar-wielding Texan preacher, musician and entrepreneur John Rich witnessed the “magic” of breathing life into a new song from scratch and performing it live. In this second episode of Circle Back mini-series A New Stage, he sits down with NFL legend Eddie George to share his journey through the highs and lows of the music industry, pursuing the perfect blended whiskey, and redefining success in music and business for the next generation.

In the first episode of Circle Back mini series A New Stage, entrepreneur and Heisman winner Eddie George sat down with Arrington Vineyards founder and musician Kix Brooks. A lifelong entrepreneur at heart, Kix traces his journey from working pipeline jobs with his father in Louisiana, to writing his first No. 1 songs with partner Ronnie Dunn to starting a first-of-its-kind vineyard in the heart of Tennessee. Along the way, he shares his journey to being joyful, his thoughts on leadership, and touching words about love and loss.

We are honored to have shared the stories of some of Nashville's most influential entrepreneurs on this season of Circle Back. In this"bridge" episode, our CEO Jane Allen is looking back on the highlights of each entrepreneur's story, how they're giving back to the entrepreneurial community, and their plans for the future!

Clint Smith may have come to Nashville for the songwriting, but he stayed for the community. By placing value on people first, he not only gave his all in founding a successful tech company, Emma, but also gave back to his community, his employees and his clients. In this episode of Circle Back, we hear about how Clint Smith found ways to build up his company and build up his community all at once -- and the lessons along the way.

Shannon Terry's gift is knowing what works. By following his gut instinct and strategic vision, Terry has founded 247 Sports, AllianceSports and more -- paving the way for digital sports news. Where others saw failure, Terry saw potential -- with an eye always to the future. In this episode of Circle Back, we hear Terry's journey to finding the place where he belonged -- and the many not-so-right places along the way.

Dan Crockett grew up playing baseball with his family of five brothers. So, when he set his sights on running a mortgage bank, he knew he had to keep his eye on the ball. Through the discipline, grit and focus of an athlete, Crockett built up Franklin American Mortgage, a company he sold for $511 million.

Beth Chase, savvy businesswoman and founder of c3/consulting has always pushed herself up to greater and greater heights. When her job at IBM became tedious, she used her computer skills to automate it. When she had perfected her sales techniques, she became a consultant. When she wanted to create more time for her twins, she started a business in her living room. But, Chase doesn't stop at building herself up. At the core of her journey has been a drive for connecting with people -- from clients, to business partners, to family.

No challenge has ever been unconquerable for CEO and founder of The Bakery Companies, Cordia Harrington. With a little bit of sass, some built-in charisma, and a lot of hard work, Harrington rose from the owner and operator of a McDonald's in Effingham, Illinois to creating a company that oversees baking for international brands like McDonald's, KFC, Trader Joes, and more.