Building the Leaders Who Are Building Middle Tennessee
Real conversations. Real businesses. Real lessons from the people doing the work.
Ignite Tennessee shares practical business ideas, leadership lessons, and stories from entrepreneurs, CEOs, small-business owners, and community leaders throughout Middle Tennessee.
Learn From People Who Are Actually Doing It
There is no shortage of business advice online. What is harder to find is advice from people who have actually built businesses, hired employees, solved problems, served customers, taken risks, and learned from mistakes.
That is what Ignite Tennessee is about. Our videos bring those conversations together in one place.
Featured Video Series
Small Business Spotlight
Middle Tennessee is filled with incredible businesses that most people never hear about. Small Business Spotlight introduces you to the owners behind those businesses, the stories behind their success, and the lessons they have learned along the way.
These are not commercials. They are conversations designed to help other business owners learn, grow, and connect.
Meet the CEO
What does it really take to lead a growing company? Meet the CEO gives you a chance to hear directly from business leaders throughout Middle Tennessee.
We talk about leadership, growth, hiring, culture, mistakes, opportunities, and the decisions that shaped their companies.
From Steve
My name is Steve Cory. Over the last 30+ years, I’ve built and sold multiple companies across a range of industries: retail, service, technology, and now digital marketing. I’ve had the wins. I’ve had the losses. I filed for bankruptcy, rebuilt from nothing, and came out the other side with the kind of clarity you can only earn the hard way.
Today, I run Cory Media Group, a digital marketing agency based in Shelbyville, Tennessee, focused on one thing: helping local businesses get found, get chosen, and grow in the age of AI search. We work with service businesses across Middle Tennessee every day, HVAC companies, contractors, attorneys, dentists, medical practices, and businesses with real roots in this community who deserve to be found by the customers already looking for them.
What I didn’t have during the hard years was a room full of people who got it. Fellow business owners who could speak honestly about the struggle, share what was actually working, and do it all with the right values at the center.
That’s exactly what Ignite is. It’s the free academy and community I wish had existed when I was starting, a place where Middle Tennessee business owners can grow together, sharpen each other, and honor God with the businesses we’ve been entrusted to build.
"Honor God with our businesses. Connect with fellow entrepreneurs. Leave better than we arrived."
Business & Leadership Insights
Some of the best business lessons do not require an hour-long interview. Our business and leadership videos focus on one useful idea at a time.
Leadership
Marketing
Sales
Hiring
Customer service
Entrepreneurship
Business growth
Local economic development
Building strong teams
Lessons from successful owners
Built for Middle Tennessee
Ignite Tennessee focuses on the people, businesses, and communities helping Middle Tennessee grow. You will hear stories from Shelbyville, Tullahoma, Lewisburg, Manchester, and communities throughout the region.
The names may be local. The lessons are universal.
Want to Be Featured?
Do you know a business owner, entrepreneur, CEO, or community leader with a story worth sharing? We are always looking for people whose experience can help others learn.