occasional musings on all the things...

No Elevator to Everest - The Story of Will Acuff

One founder’s climb from music and ministry to building opportunity, one neighbor at a time.

Nov 4 • 

mark montgomery

2

2

October 2025

A Musician for Musicians: The Story of Chris McMurtry

From metadata to money, without the middlemen.

Oct 14 • 

mark montgomery

2

2

Hold My Beer: The Story of Tom Truitt

From cold calls to sold-out rooms: the “ask without flinching” playbook

Oct 7 • 

mark montgomery

2

September 2025

Songs as Wells: How Scott Parker Built Hearts Bluff Music

Inside the quiet craft: relationships, rigor, and the long game of rights.

Sep 9 • 

mark montgomery

5

One Hundred Percent of Zero Is Zero

What a working musician learned about ownership and leverage—and why he now teaches teenagers the rules of money.

Sep 2 • 

mark montgomery

4

August 2025

Threefer and a Special Event : The Story of Gooding, K2 and Funding the Future

plus, what the heck is AMIR + the Smitty Band Challenge at WO Smith

Aug 5 • 

mark montgomery

1

1

July 2025

a few final words about the last 10 years.

a life rebuilt, a reflection on the past and intentions going forward.

Jul 29 • 

mark montgomery

24

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You Want to Sell What on the Where?

In the late ’90s, The Floating Men turned down the record deal dream and made something more durable. Long before Patreon or Kickstarter, they found…

Jul 18 • 

mark montgomery

2

From Tour Buses to Boardrooms: How Three Musicians Turned Soundstripe Into a Creative Force

Micah Sannan, Trevor Hinesley, and Travis Terrell on backflips, betting the house, and why creativity promises an interesting life — but not a living.

Jul 8 • 

mark montgomery

3

Beth Chase: The Architect of Quiet Power

Inside the journey of an underestimated founder who learned to trust her gut, build cultures that last, and walk away stronger.

Jul 1 • 

mark montgomery

8

6

June 2025

Betting on Ears and Instinct: Tracy Gershon's Unscripted Path Through Music

Tracy didn’t grow up dreaming of the music business. It didn’t even seem like a real job.

Jun 19 • 

mark montgomery

7

Tell the Truth: Darrell Scott’s Life in Songs

He walked into the room guitar in hand, gave a small nod, and opened with a song. No preamble, no positioning. Just the music.

Jun 10 • 

mark montgomery

7