Ah, yes. Nashville, Tennessee….home sweet home. I launched SoBros Network back in July of 2013. Then, it was known as the “Southern Brothers Network,” and we called it ‘SoBros’ for short because it was catchy. I wanted to bottle up the southern hospitality of Nashville and the brotherhood of the individuals that were there with me from day one, portray that kinship in my writing, and create a community where people felt welcomed…a nice break from reality.
What I didn’t see coming was all of the dudes in the boonies with Confederate flags and KKK hoods in their profile pics following the page. Yeah, I don’t think those dudes would’ve found what they were looking for on this site, and they’ve largely dissipated over the years thankfully. Nonetheless, that is why we’re the ‘SoBros’ Network.
After that, we got to work on honing our voice, building the site, and figuring out ways that a stupid little company like this could make money…the hope being that we’d eventually make enough money to sustain a living doing it.
In 2017, I officially started SoBros Network as a business, licensed and trademarked and all that. We launched our store and made our first dollar. But, now it sounds like I should’ve just waited a couple of years.
Nashville ranks 11th for best places to start a business in 2020 out of 50 other cities, according to a report.
DAMN IT.
WHAT THE FUCK!? You mean to tell me that I started my business back in 2017 for nothing?!?! I should’ve just WAITED until 2020 and then Nashville would’ve been an excellent place to start a business. Back then, who knows where Nashville ranked among places to start a business? I bet I’d be making MILLIONS right now if I started my business in 2020 instead of 2017.
My question is, “why Nashville?” I think it has to depend on what kind of business you’re opening. We see restaurants come and go so much that Eater Nashville has a monthly column about places that have opened and closed. You should probably do more research than reading this article before you open your business here. On the other hand, if you want to launch anything that caters to drunk people, then I could totally see it. Hell, Nashville would probably be #1 on that list – great places to launch a business catered to drunk people.
What they don’t tell you, though, is that Nashville is a tough place to launch a media company out of dirt with no following. Actually, I don’t think anywhere on the planet is a good place to try and start a media company out of dirt with no social following. It’s probably advisable to just not try. We’re idiots.
But, hey – at least we live in Nashville.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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