Tabitha Turner
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Nashville has never been short on ambitious women — professionals who dream bigger, work harder, and open doors for those who follow.
From entrepreneurs and executives to creatives, advocates, and innovators, these women are making an impact in their industries, strengthening our community, and proving that success is even more meaningful when it’s shared. They are leaving a lasting mark on Music City — one bold decision at a time.
What was your first job, and what did it teach you that still shapes you today?
I was 16 and did telephone collections at the Newspaper Printing Corporation. We were calling all these people, and I learned the hard way to never let your bills get past due. That kind of taught me about what I was going to do in business management.
What defining steps, pivots, or roles shaped your journey along the way?
I went to college to be a journalist. Halfway through, I switched to English literature. I was going to teach college. I got married my senior year and found out I was pregnant with (country singer) Chris (Young). Three months after I had Chris, I found out I was pregnant with his sister
I decided I was going to be a stay-at-home mom. That ended poorly. I was a single parent for a long time. I took extra jobs on the side. One of the jobs I took was doing bookkeeping for a church in Murfreesboro. Then I got a job where I was doing human resources work. So, I had human resources. I dealt with insurance. I’m doing bookkeeping on the side. I worked in accounting at a brick company. I went back to school and got my degree in Music Business.
I worked for a business manager for eight years. I guess you could say I didn’t come here to leave because I opened my own company in 2008, and I’ve been doing business management ever since.
What’s a part of your story that doesn’t fit neatly into your job title?
(My husband and I) started We Are Cooking Now, which is our livestream cooking show, because I was trying to learn the income stream for social media. I had younger clients doing it, and I needed to be able to follow the income. I had a post that went viral on TikTok for Southern dressing hacks. I had people say, “That’s not even cooking.” Well, that’s cooking. That’s why we’re cooking now.
How do you define success?
I used to think success meant working for people that had a Grammy Award. I’ve done that. Now, I think success to me means that my clients are cash-based. They don’t have any debt, and if they do have debt, it’s something that they can pay off with money they have in the bank.
What do you love most about what you do, and what continues to motivate you?
I love doing things that allow people to retire happy. People are like, “Oh, you’re an accountant,” or “Oh, you do their taxes.” I’m like, “No, if it touches their money, it’s our job. And I am serious about that.
I tell everybody not all business managers are like me, and that’s OK. Not everybody wants a mother hen. Sometimes you only want Great Aunt Betsy that you see at Christmas. But Great Aunt Betsy is not going to stay on your butt about being debt-free.