THE PERSPECTIVE THAT FUELED SARA’S GROWTH

During her two decades in country music, Sara has racked up an impressive array of platinum albums and top-10 hits. But you won’t find the singer resting on her laurels. “You can’t be afraid to follow your dreams and try things,” Sara says of the perspective that led her to establish her own record label, Born to Fly Records.“If there’s something that you’ve been wanting to do, like open your own business, then go for it. Put yourself out there and stretch yourself because it’s always worth trying.”

Striking out on her own has made releasing her new record, Words ($14, iTunes and Amazon) all the more exhilarating. “With my own label, it’s added pressure because everything is on me,” Sara notes. “We did the photo shoot, chose all the pictures, chose the font, chose the colors—everything was completely our decision. I used to call the label and say, ‘Hey, could you send my mom a box of CDs and they’d say, ‘Sure.’ But now that I’m paying, it’s like ‘Mom, you get one CD. Don’t lose it.’ But so far it’s been absolutely wonderful. I’ve loved every minute of it.”