Meet Shelley Laine: Entrepreneur, Singer/Songwriter, Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelley Laine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelley, why did you pursue a creative career?
From a young age I was driven to express life and emotions through music and songwriting. Telling a story through a song was my way of embracing and dealing with events, feelings, and emotions not only occurring in my life, but in others as I observed them. Once a song was written and shared, a connection is made and a bond is created between the writer and listener. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work is complex, because not only am I an entertainer, I am also the founder and owner of a local business, and a consultant providing content development, training and facilitation. The entertainment side is more of a release and allows me to connect with my creative self, which keeps me in my happy place. Equally, the business side of me that creates, builds, and manages companies satisfies my entrepreneur side. I’m extremely proud of taking what otherwise would have been considered a very negative event in my life (my son being diagnosed with cancer) and turning it into something positive – the creation of a successful business. Anything one builds takes hard work and determination. Challenges and obstacles along the way are what help us grow the business into a success. Breaking the work into smaller tasks is how I was able to realize success. Surrounding myself with talent was also a key factor. I believe people grow during the most challenging times in life. Staying focused on the goal, levying your strengths, surrounding yourself with those who have skills and talents you personally do not possess, and never giving up; all these are key to success in life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It would depend on the friend coming to town, but I’d plan breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants, a day of ziplining in the the treetops, a cookout at my home. After dinner, and depending on the time of year, hot tub, live music and craft beer in my backyard. I also would plan a girls get together to introduce my friend to my local friends with whom I enjoy spending time. Venues with great food and live music (not me singing at my place) would be on the itinerary.

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?
There are so many I’d like to thank, starting with Michael Gorton who recognized my potential from the start, Chris Thomas for taking an entrepreneurial risk and build a record label around me. Special thanks also to Ed Spacek for promoting and guiding me, to the writers who shared the songs, Byron Hill for co-authoring songs, and to all the musicians who made great music with me along the way. Without all of you, it would not have been possible.

Website: www.ShelleyLaine.com
Linkedin: Shelley Laine Group
Facebook: @ShelleyLaineSings
Youtube: Shelley Laine
Other: www.ThePetSquad.Biz

Image Credits
Musician Photos by Holly Jayroe