You know how some theme parks make you feel like you’re in a generic corporate fever dream? Dollywood is not that. Situated in the Smoky Mountains, it’s like if your grandma’s front porch, a roller coaster, and a bluegrass festival had a baby. She named it after herself, which is the ultimate power move. Imagine naming your local laundromat “Jeff’s Suds” and then having people fly from Japan to visit it. That’s Dollywood.
She also hired thousands of locals and turned the area into a tourist hub. During the recession in 2008, when other parks were laying off employees, Dollywood expanded. She basically said, “Economic downturn? Honey, I don’t have time for that.”
The Business of Being Nice
Here’s the thing about Dolly Parton that makes you nod your head with admiration: she’s shrewd. She owns her music. She owns her image. She owns her name. And she’s never been mean about it. When a reporter once asked her about being a “businesswoman,” she laughed and said, “I’m not a businesswoman. I’m a woman in business.” That’s like saying you’re not a “singer,” you’re a “person who happens to own a couple hundred top-ten hits.”
"did dolly parton ever do nude" - Rare Historical Photos
She even started her own line of beauty products and wigs—called “Dolly Parton’s Wigs”—so that women on a budget could have the same big hair she does. It’s the equivalent of Beyoncé selling you a home haircut kit. “Here, honey, you look tired. Let me fix that.”
