Nathan Zucker
There’s no shortage of success stories in Nashville, and behind many of them are the incredible women who are paving their own way and opening doors for generations to come.
Whether they’re building an idea from the ground up, crunching numbers, creating content, or working to make dreams a reality, meet one of the trailblazing women of Music City.
Tequila Johnson
Co-Founder and CEO, The Equity Alliance
THE DAILY HUSTLE
I am affectionately known as Ms. Solutionary. I combine modern tactics with revolutionary principles, doing so authentically and with integrity. I keep the culture socially, civilly, and politically engaged. As a social entrepreneur with over a decade of experience running and scaling successful cause-based companies, I am a leader with layers. I like to say I can build community from the White House to the trap house and everywhere in between. I am a creative and innovative community relations expert, a mom, and a friend.
GROWING THE BUSINESS
To grow my business and rise to my current position, I took on various roles and seized every opportunity to learn and innovate. My journey involved strategic planning, continuous learning, networking, and adapting to new challenges. I started as a therapist out of college and quickly landed several corporate consulting roles as a project manager. I worked as a campaign manager and lead strategist for over 20 political newcomers, currently holding a win record of 19 to 1.
CHALLENGES FACED
Early in my career, I faced challenges such as securing funding, building a trustworthy team, and establishing a solid market presence. We started The Equity Alliance with $250 and quickly scaled to become the state’s largest Black-led, multi-entity enterprise. One significant challenge is how lonely it can be as a founder. We transformed from a passion- driven organization into a multi-million-dollar enterprise, which could only survive by instituting strong systems and processes. It was hard, and it continues to be hard today as we navigate scaling, maintaining a competitive edge, and staying true to our mission.