Circle Back: Clint Smith

Clint Smith: The Heart of Nashville Business
By Jane Allen

In the early 2000s, the Nashville Business Journal hosted entrepreneurial award shows – annual events where entrepreneurs gathered together and celebrated the achievements of their peers and the employees who believed in the vision and worked so hard to make the vision a reality.  

It was a bonus for entrepreneurs to meet fellow nominees, as I did when Clint Smith reached out after one year’s awards. Clint, this lowkey, humorous guy, was a joy to meet and get to know. We’d worked with his company Emma (as many local businesses had then and have since); being able to send an email to multiple people without typing in each address was a game-changer, a product that made Emma an email marketing company that was ahead of their time.

Over the years I learned the origin story of that game-changing company: Its original name was Cold Feet Creative–which is so Clint — and Marcus Whitney, another local successful entrepreneur that helped start the company. The historic Belcourt Theatre was the first client which allowed them to prove their business model. Those first clients are so very important and are so much more than just a client. These components are all the elements of a Nashville company in the way they serve its community from day one.

Eventually Emma sold to Campaign Monitor, but Clint has not changed. He’s still lowkey, affable and happy to connect with others–helping others succeed. We are fortunate to have Clint as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) and EC board member. He is quiet, but when he speaks you want to listen. We are thrilled to share Clint’s story with you through Circle Back and hope you enjoy as much as we do.