We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Jane Nelson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah Jane, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As an artist, an entrepreneurial spirit is one of the most important factors in any success I’ve had. I began my career as a theater actor on Broadway, touring, and in film and television. I had an agent and was in the unions but I treated my acting career as a business with marketing, branding, and hustle to make things happen.

When I made the move to Nashville and started life as a songwriter and real estate agent, branding was on the forefront in both businesses, Each of my six records has been independently produced and every record has a fully designed brand with photos, graphics, videos, and of course the music.

With my real estate brand, www.EverybodyLovesNashville.com I cater to clients moving to Nashville from other places (often the West Coast where I moved from). My thought process with business is always to focus in on branding so that I know my target client. That’s been a good plan with all the different entrepreneurial ventures I’ve had.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I started my career as an actor after moving from my small town in Louisiana to NYC at age 17. Eventually, I did tv, film, and my ultimate dream, Broadway shows. I loved taking on a character and bringing to life the vision of the writer and director.

Acting was my passion and focus for 20 years and then life shifted and I found myself a new life as a single mom of 2 kids in Nashville. To support my kids, I got a job as a Realtor. I was doing what I had to do to survive, but I knew I needed my art and creative side to have a way to express myself and thrive. That’s where songwriting comes in.

Songwriting truly saved me. It allowed me to, for the first time, be the one telling the story, directing the videos, and sharing my heart. I worked through hard times alongside the beautiful co-writers I met here in Nashville. My guitar was my sidekick on a long road to finding myself again, and as I release my 6th full length album, I am so grateful for all that I’ve been through that has made me who I am today.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is such a good question for me! I mentioned that I’m a Realtor in Nashville and I have a website called www.EverybodyLovesNashville.com that shares my passion for all the fun things to do in this area. I absolutely love it here and I think that comes through in my articles.

So…. here are my favorite spots you need to hit in Nashville:

Walk over the Pedestrian Bridge from East Nashville to downtown and explore lower Broadway. Eat at Merchants (BEST fried green tomatoes with homemade pimento cheese!) and hear music at Robert’s Western World. Be sure to bring some cash to tip the musicians in all the honky tonks! There is no cover but those artists need some love in their tip jars! While you’re exploring downtown, don’t miss the Frist Art Museum. I love that place. Maybe finish off your whirlwind downtown day by going to The Gulch where you can grab dinner at the best BBQ in town (in my opinion) Peg Leg Porker. Get the Pulled Pork Sandwich and a fried pie with ice cream for dessert. You will have walked enough to earn those calories! If you want to hear a little more music, check out the old time bluegrass at the Station Inn. It’s fantastic.

My favorite hike in Nashville is definitely Radnor Lake. Stunning and filled with deer, chipmunks, owls, squirrels, tons of turtles, and beautiful birds (blue heron is my favorite). All that is just 15 minutes from downtown and a gorgeous walk that only takes an hour or so. A perfect way to start a day.

If you like fishing, take a guided fishing trip on Percy Priest Lake. It’s beautiful and the guides will clean the fish so they’re ready to eat!

If you’re in the Nashville area, don’t miss a drive to a waterfall hike! There are many beautiful ones but I love Rock Island the best. Amazing falls that don’t require much hiking to get to them, so they’re good for the whole family!

I could go on and on… I love Nashville.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this Shoutout to my Mama! Throughout my life and career, she has always believed in my big crazy dreams, and I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today, without her encouragement and love.

Website: www.SarahJaneNelson.com

Instagram: sarahjanenelsonofficial

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahjanenelsonmusic

Youtube: www.youtube.com/sarahjanenelson

Other: www.EverybodyLovesNashville.com

Image Credits
Kurt Ozan

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.