Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Brown.
Hi Jake, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My family and I moved to Lebanon, Tennessee, in 2004 from Lake City, South Carolina, when I was nine years old. It was my parents, my sister, and me. I grew up in Wilson County, went through the local school system, and graduated from Lebanon High School in 2013.
After high school, I spent ten years working for the same company, but I always knew I wanted to own my own business. I just wasn’t sure what that business would be.
Over the years, I tried several different things. I got into dropshipping, tried window tinting, made T-shirts to sell on Etsy, and explored a few other ideas along the way. Nothing ever really took off, but I kept looking for something I could build into a career.
Along the way, life was changing in other ways, too. On October 11, 2020, I married my wife, Tabitha Nicole Brown, and we started building our life together.
The idea for real estate media actually came from selling our own home in Brush Creek, Tennessee. When we listed the house, someone came out to take professional photos and drone footage. I remember thinking, “That’s actually a pretty interesting business.”
So, like most people do when they’re curious about something, I went straight to YouTube and started learning everything I could. Eventually, I bought my first drone and camera and decided to give it a shot.
I started pursuing real estate media in late 2024, initially building the business on the side while still working my full-time job. I invested in a couple of coaching programs, continued learning, and started building a client base. As the business grew, I realized it had the potential to become more than just a side hustle.
In April 2026, I officially made the jump to running JNL Creative full-time. That was a big milestone for me because owning my own business was something I’d wanted to do for years.
Just a few months later, on July 24, 2026, Tabitha and I welcomed our son, Landon Gregory Brown. Between becoming a dad and running my own business full-time, 2026 has definitely been a big year for me, both personally and professionally.
The name JNL Creative has a personal meaning behind it, too. JNL stands for Jake and Landon. Although, if we ever have another child with a name that starts with L, I guess it could stand for them, too. Haha.
Today, what started with just me, a camera, and a drone has grown into a team that includes my sister and a business partner.
We’ve also expanded beyond real estate photography and video. Along with real estate media, we now help businesses with marketing, including Meta advertising, website design, and other creative services.
For me, the goal has always been to build something of my own. It took trying several different businesses before I found something that really clicked, but every experience taught me something along the way.
Now, with a growing family and a growing business, I’m excited about what’s ahead. We’re focused on continuing to grow JNL Creative, building relationships in our community, and seeing how far we can take it together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I definitely wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road. Like any business, there have been plenty of ups and downs along the way. One of the biggest challenges early on was trying to build a business while still working a full-time job. There were a lot of long days, late nights, and weekends spent learning, editing, reaching out to potential clients, and just trying to figure everything out.
Another big challenge was getting my name out there and building relationships. Real estate media is a competitive industry, and when you’re starting from scratch, you have to give people a reason to take a chance on you. I had to learn that being good at photography and video was only part of it. Learning how to run a business, market myself, communicate with clients, and consistently bring in work was just as important.
Making the decision to leave a job I’d been at for ten years was also a pretty big leap. Having a steady paycheck is comfortable, and walking away from that to pursue something you’ve built yourself can definitely be intimidating, especially with a growing family.
I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you can’t expect everything to happen overnight. I’ve tried several businesses over the years that didn’t work out, and even with JNL Creative, there have been plenty of things I’ve had to figure out through trial and error.
I’m still learning every day. There are always new challenges, especially as we grow and take on more responsibilities, but I wouldn’t trade it. At the end of the day, I get to build something I’m passionate about, work alongside people I care about, and hopefully create something that will last for years to come.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At JNL Creative, we specialize in real estate media and business marketing. We started out primarily offering real estate photography, drone photography, and video services, but we’ve grown into doing quite a bit more than that. Today, we help real estate agents, builders, and businesses showcase what they do through professional photography, video, social media content, website design, Meta advertising, and other marketing services.
Our goal has always been to do more than just show up, take a few pictures, and leave. We want to help our clients grow their businesses, build their brands, and stand out in their markets. Whether that’s helping a real estate agent market a listing or helping a local business reach new customers, we want to be a resource they can count on.
I think what sets us apart is our focus on relationships and the experience we provide. We’re not trying to be just another photography or marketing company. We genuinely want to get to know the people we work with, understand their goals, and help them succeed. I believe that if you take care of people, deliver quality work, and do what you say you’re going to do, the rest will follow.
One thing I’m really proud of is how far we’ve come in a relatively short amount of time. In late 2024, I was just a guy with a camera and a drone trying to figure out how to turn an idea into a business. By April 2026, I was able to leave a job I’d been at for ten years and pursue JNL Creative full-time. Now, I get to work alongside my sister and a business partner as we continue building something together.
I’m also proud that we’re building the business right here in the community I grew up in. I’ve lived in Wilson County since I was nine years old, so being able to work with local agents, business owners, and entrepreneurs and play even a small part in their success means a lot to me.
At the end of the day, I don’t want JNL Creative to be known just for great photos or videos. I want us to be known as a company that’s easy to work with, genuinely cares about its clients, and consistently delivers. We’re still growing, still learning, and constantly looking for ways to improve, but I think that’s part of what makes this whole journey exciting.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I would say I’m definitely willing to take risks, but I also try to be smart about them. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset, and I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to own my own business. I think part of being an entrepreneur is understanding that there’s never going to be a perfect time to take a chance on something.
The biggest risk I’ve taken was leaving a company I’d worked at for ten years to pursue JNL Creative full-time in April 2026. Walking away from a steady paycheck, benefits, and something I’d been comfortable with for so long wasn’t an easy decision. Especially knowing my wife and I were expecting our first child just a few months later. There was definitely a lot to think about, but I also knew that if I wanted to give this business a real chance to grow, I was eventually going to have to take that leap.
I think what made that decision a little easier was that I didn’t just wake up one morning and quit my job. I spent time building JNL Creative on the side, investing in equipment, going through coaching programs, learning the industry, and building relationships with clients. I wanted to make sure I had some kind of foundation before making that jump.
I’ve also taken plenty of smaller risks over the years with different business ideas that never really worked out. Whether it was dropshipping, window tinting, or selling T-shirts, I learned something from every one of those experiences. Looking back, I don’t really see them as failures. They were all part of figuring out what I wanted to do.
My perspective on risk is pretty simple. I think there’s risk in starting a business, but there’s also risk in never going after something you really want. I don’t want to look back years from now wondering what would’ve happened if I’d just given it a shot.
Now that I’m a husband, a dad, and a business owner, I definitely think about risk a little differently. My decisions don’t just affect me anymore. I have a family and a team depending on me, so I try to balance being ambitious with making responsible decisions.
At the end of the day, I think you have to be willing to get uncomfortable if you want to grow. Not every decision is going to work out, and you’re going to make mistakes along the way. But I’d rather take a calculated risk, learn from it, and keep moving forward than never try at all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jnlcreativetn.com
- Instagram: jnlcreativetn
- Facebook: jnlcreativetn
