I'm the CEO of Big Machine Records. I've worked with artists like Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts — here's a day in my life.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Scott Borchetta, the 63-year-old CEO and chairman of Big Machine Label Group, based in Nashville. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I started my career in the mailroom for my dad's promotion company and worked my way up after we moved from California to Nashville. I played bass in a country band at night, where I learned about the music industry. I used that knowledge to pursue jobs at record labels.

My first job in the industry was at MTM Records. I then spent two years working as an independent promoter before moving into promotion and artist development roles at MCA Nashville Records, DreamWorks Nashville, and Universal Music Nashville.

In 2005, I left Universal Music Nashville to start Big Machine Records. The record label I founded has grown over 20 years into the Big Machine Label Group.

BMLG artists have included Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Brantley Gilbert, Ronnie Dunn, Sugarland, and Carly Pearce, among others.

Here's what a typical day in my life looks like.

I wake up at 6:15 a.m.

The first thing I do when I wake up is work out for 90 minutes. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the workout takes place at my house with a trainer. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's held at a physical therapy center.

After my workout, I become a fireman by checking my phone and seeing what's happening in the business, because there's always something burning. I respond to urgent messages so that I can focus on the day's mission. When you have 35-plus artists, there's always a meeting, new music to be made, and the next TV show to schedule.

I eat light in the morning; I like to let the workout burn. I'm more of a green tea person, as that doesn't have too much caffeine.

I drive to the office five days a week and arrive by 9:30 a.m.

I'm in the office every business day; I'm still old school about that. I appreciate the energy of people interacting, and face-to-face interactions still yield the best results and understanding of the mission.

On Monday, I have a publicity meeting, followed by an A&R meeting. In the afternoon, we have our three different country imprint promotion calls, because Monday is our ad day, so we find out which stations added which records.

Tuesday's our leadership day. Wednesday and Thursday have standing meetings. I leave Friday open. Anyone who wants to schedule with me has to go through my executive assistant.

I usually eat lunch at 12 p.m. at my desk

Even for business lunches, it's easier to have people come and bring food. That way, we won't waste 30 to 40 minutes going back and forth.

I usually have a kale salad with salmon, or a sliced filet — definitely a protein-rich midday option. I'm not a huge eater, but those are my go-to options, and I eat sushi once a week.

The indulgence I allow myself most days is one eight-ounce can of Red Bull for a surge in the afternoon.

My afternoons are really when I can get to the stuff I have to do

I recently met with Mackenzie Carpenter about the new album she's preparing to record. The next day, I might have a Thomas Rhett strategy meeting.

I have time in the afternoon to catch up on things and ensure we're moving forward. Every day is different. I try to leave a couple of hours in the afternoon to do the actual work, rather than nonstop back-to-back meetings.

I typically don't leave the office until 7 p.m., but it could be later

The time I leave depends on what we have going on. The artists we have playing will dictate when I leave the office. The other night, I went to see Jackson Dean at the Opry at 9 p.m.

If I have an open night, it's a great opportunity for me to catch up and spend some quality time with my wife. My wife is a very good cook. Occasionally, we'll order out, so I always say, "Oh, I cooked. Look, honey."

My wife and I enjoy binge-watching shows together at night. Friday night is party night; we'll have red wine, usually a Bordeaux or Cali Cab, and there's always chocolate hidden in a cupboard.

One of my favorite series from the last year or so was The Offering, which is a series on the making of The Godfather. We've just finished Acapulco.

After watching a show with my wife, I'll typically go to bed late, wake up, and do it all over again.

When I travel, my routine is different

An example of a week of travel is being in Vegas from Wednesday through Sunday morning. Wednesday night, we saw Mötley Crüe. On Thursday night, we attended a crazy show called Absinthe, a Cirque du Soleil production.

Friday night featured Sammy Hagar, who was part of the iHeart Festival, and Saturday night was Tim McGraw, also part of the iHeart Festival. Many of the iHeart crew are dear friends and great business partners, so it's often very late nights.

I work on the weekends if something needs to be done.

Things always pop up that could derail my days

For my artists, especially, I always make time for them if they need anything. It doesn't derail my day when we have to rearrange some things. Even if something goes really wrong, I'm very good at compartmentalizing.

Just because something went wrong with this artist or manager doesn't mean the next executive or the next artist will inherit that overflow — I try to put the right energy where it belongs.

My biggest challenge is that I love the face-to-face

When I spend a lot of time having in-person conversations during the day and come back to see that I have 168 emails, I'm like, Ugh. Email is so ineffective in many ways, but it's a necessary evil. If I could do away with it, I would much rather be in person.

A lot of these artists are my friends, and they walk in, and people are like, "Oh my God, did you see that so-and-so was in the office today?" I'm always listening to new music from our artists and potential new signings. Non Big Machine artists on the playlist jump from Yungblud to Ella Langley to Sombr.

Whether it was Taylor Swift back in the day, or Reba McIntyre, or Dolly Parton, or Riley Green right now — I love working with artists who think big.

I'm proud of our NASCAR team, Big Machine Racing, and I'm proud of Borchetta Bourbon, which is off to its best year ever. There are many fun things across all our brands, and I love what I do.