1-23-2017, Entrepreneur -- 

1. Focus 

“It’s been said that leadership is making important but unpopular decisions. That’s certainly a partial truth, but I think it underscores the importance of focus. To be a good leader, you cannot major in minor things, and you must be less distracted than your competition. To get the few critical things done, you must develop incredible selective ignorance. Otherwise, the trivial will drown you.”

—Tim Ferriss, bestselling author, host of The Tim Ferriss Show 

Offer: Get The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss as a free audiobook with a 30-day free trial to Audiobooks.com.

2. Confidence

“A leader instills confidence and ‘followership’ by having a clear vision, showing empathy and being a strong coach. As a female leader, to be recognized I feel I have to show up with swagger and assertiveness, yet always try to maintain my Southern upbringing, which underscores kindness and generosity. The two work well together in gaining respect.”

—Barri Rafferty, CEO, Ketchum North America

3. Transparency

“I’ve never bought into the concept of ‘wearing the mask.’ As a leader, the only way I know how to engender trust and buy-in from my team and with my colleagues is to be 100 percent authentically me—open, sometimes flawed, but always passionate about our work. It has allowed me the freedom to be fully present and consistent. They know what they’re getting at all times. No surprises.”

—Keri Potts, senior director of public relations, ESPN

4. Integrity

“Our employees are a direct reflection of the values we embody as leaders. If we’re playing from a reactive and obsolete playbook of needing to be right instead of doing what’s right, then we limit the full potential of our business and lose quality talent. If you focus on becoming authentic in all your interactions, that will rub off on your business and your culture, and the rest takes care of itself.”

—Gunnar Lovelace, co-CEO and cofounder, Thrive Market

5. Inspiration

“People always say I’m a self-made man. But there is no such thing. Leaders aren’t self-made; they are driven. I arrived in America with no money or any belongings besides my gym bag, but I can’t say I came with nothing: Others gave me great inspiration and fantastic advice, and I was fueled by my beliefs and an internal drive and passion. That’s why I’m always willing to  offer motivation—to friends or strangers on Reddit. I know the power of inspiration, and if someone can stand on my shoulders to achieve greatness, I’m more than willing to help them up.” 

—Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California

Read This: Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger | Amazon | Indigo.ca | Barnes & Noble

6. Passion

“You must love what you do. In order to be truly successful at something, you must obsess over it and let it consume you. No matter how successful your business might become, you are never satisfied and constantly push to do something bigger, better and greater. You lead by example not because you feel like it’s what you should do, but because it is your way of life.”

—Joe Perez, cofounder, Tastemade

7. Innovation

“In any system with finite resources and infinite expansion of population—like your business, or like all of humanity—innovation is essential for not only success  but also survival. The innovators are our leaders. You cannot separate the two. Whether it is by thought, technology or organization, innovation is our only hope to solve our challenges.”

—Aubrey Marcus, founder, Onnit

8. Patience

“Patience is really courage that’s meant to test your commitment to your cause. The path to great things is always tough, but the best leaders understand when to abandon the cause and when to stay the course. If your vision is bold enough, there will be hundreds of reasons why it ‘can’t be done’ and plenty of doubters. A lot of things have to come together—external markets, competition, financing, consumer demand and always a little luck—to pull off something big.”

—Dan Brian, COO, WhipClip

Read the rest of the story HERE.

8-30-2016, Entrepreneur -- When I first took the helm as executive director of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center over a year ago, I brought with me 15 years of experience in the Silicon Valley venture capital community. I’d been through tech booms and busts, economic upswings and downturns, so I was feeling an abundance of confidence: Like anyone who’s been in a profession for over a decade, I (initially) found it easy to sit back and think I'd "seen it all.”

I was mistaken; in fact, my first year of leading the Center taught me, through the experience of others as well as my own, that when it comes to starting and leading any young entrepreneurial organization, every day is filled with surprises and unexpected lessons.

The Nasdaq Entrepreneur Center, for those who don't know, is a new San Francisco-based non-profit organization designed to educate, innovate and connect aspiring and current entrepreneurs. Since the center's 2014 inception, some 2,000 entrepreneurs have gained from its classes and programs. Through interviews I conducted with the Center’s Young Executive Advisory Board members, I myself gleaned five practical lessons that can help any entrepreneur who dreams of starting something big:

• Customer problems are solved on a continuum, not with a single solution.
• Data cannot be collected retroactively.
• Patience for your company's most important problems is essential.
• Strategy time is crucial.
• Never deprioritize your team in pursuit of more working time.  

Here are the direct words of those entrepreneurs:

1. Aleda Schaffer, strategic partnerships manager, American Airlines 

'Customers are more than just a single problem they’re trying to solve.'

"Coming from venture capital, I was used to finding a single problem to solve. With the Center, I expected the single [biggest] problem to be an entrepreneur’s need to fund-raise -- and that this would drive the focus of our programming. But it quickly became clear that our customers needed a richer experience beyond just investor guidance; they responded to classes aimed at design thinking, sales and marketing, PR and media training and even organizational management. Don’t get me wrong -- they still wanted to meet investors, but it wasn’t a 'be all' solution.  

Read the rest of the story HERE.

3-7-2017, Canadian Car Stereo -- Recently [an online 12-volt publication] published an article on how millennials are keeping their used cars longer…I think this statement is untrue. I think people are keeping their used vehicles longer.

The study they are referring to states, that most younger new car buyers are not purchasing a new car until the age of 29. That means the younger generation who grew up on iPads and iPods will spend roughly 11 years in their used car. Let’s visually break this down. It’s 2017, if a millennial is now 18, he/she was born in 1999. If this “used car” was their first car, let’s say it is a 2004-2008 vehicle or if they are lucky they got a 2010-2014 vehicle.

Let’s go to the other end of the spectrum, a 65-year-old man or women, bought a new car at sixty. That would be a 2012 vehicle. Let’s pretend a young couple got married at twenty-one, and bought a new car and a house before starting their family. Fast forward today, they have a 4-year-old child. They would have bought roughly a 2013ish vehicle, they have a home and most likely are just finishing up car payments etc. Are they going to try and delay buying a new car, most likely? Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t have a crystal ball, but is your store set up to sell/cater to this demographic?

This article came out the same week Pioneer Electronics launched their “Fall in Love with Your Car Again” campaign. We can all laugh at these videos, but it does make you think.  Have you ever had your vehicle professionally detailed?  It gives you the same feeling. Most people looking to upgrade or replace their car’s radio is out of necessity not passion.  A customer has a 2008 Mazda 3 that does not have bluetooth for hands free calling or audio streaming.  But it does have a 3.5mm audio jack for a “media” input according to the extra button on their radio.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

12-7-2017, SBA -- As an independent retailer, you’ve got to use every weapon in your arsenal to get shoppers into your store this holiday season. But you may be underutilizing one marketing tool that’s right in front of your eyes: your window displays. Try some of these 9 tips to attract more customers with holiday window displays:

1. Get inspired. Look at other stores’ display windows to get your creativity flowing, or search Pinterest or Instagram for inspiration. Pay particular attention to nearby retailers, since you don’t want your window display to blend in with theirs.
2. Keep it cohesive. Your holiday window display should tie into your overall store decor as well as your business brand. A country-style Christmas tree won’t attract shoppers to a sleek, modern clothing store, for example. Using your brand colors can make your store window stand out while still staying in the holiday spirit. For example, if your logo is hot pink, how about a tree covered in hot pink ornaments?
3. Create a focal point. You may be tempted to fill your window display with everything under the kitchen sink—after all, you’ve got so many great products in stock. But if your display is too crowded, it won’t catch customers’ eyes. Plan a layout with one big focal point to draw viewers in. Proper lighting can direct viewers’ eyes where you want them to go, so take advantage of spotlights to highlight key areas of your display. Leave a couple of lights on at night, when your store is closed—you never know when someone passing by might be intrigued enough to return during business hours.
4. Consider your customers’ perspective. Make sure the focal point of your display is at eye level of customers walking by. Does your store need to attract attention from people driving by? You’ll need to think bigger to get them to notice you. If you’re located in a mall or on a pedestrian shopping street, your display won’t have to be quite so spectacular.
5. Don't block the view. Big department stores can create window displays with backdrops that block the view into the store, but as a small business, you can’t afford to do that. Set off your window display by framing it with drapery, lights or holiday ornaments—people will still get a peek at all the goodies in your store. If you need to create a backdrop to get the display effect you want, make it short enough so the average passerby can see over the top.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

9-11-2017, Entrepreneur.com -- I’m a people pleaser. It’s hard for me to say "no" to people who ask for something -- despite a reluctance inside of me. This has gotten me into trouble more than a few times in life and especially in business. Time is precious and slips by quickly but there is also no lack of things that have to get done in an entrepreneur's life.

For 12 years, I took life a day at a time. I had a dream but no goals for making it real. I just woke up each day hoping for something more. In 2011, I had had enough and began chasing my dream of starting a lifestyle business. This meant more work on top of a service business that took 60-80 hours of my week. It didn’t take long for me to realize that something had to give. I had to learn how to say no to open up room for the things that were important. Seeing how much time and energy was freed by saying no, I started looking at all the other areas of my life. Here are six things I said no to. Saying no helped me live a much better life and create the kind of business that I love.

1. Other people’s baggage.

Life is hard for all of us. Sometimes it’s easier to push your baggage onto someone else, maybe even without you realizing it. If you are trying to make changes in your life and someone reacts a certain way because of their baggage, it’s up to you to say "no". You don’t need any more drama in your life. For me, this meant ignoring some people on social media and purging negative people from my life. It meant ending the business partnerships that were not in alignment with the direction I was taking my business.

2. Situations that I knew would make me angry.

There are things in life that you know you don’t want to do. For years, I just rolled with it. I went to gatherings and hung out with people who I knew would make me angry. I got on "get-to-know-you" calls with entrepreneurs who were all talk and no action. I entered into collaborations with business owners that weren't serious. When I said enough and stopped, it felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. It freed my mind and business and helped me focus.

3. A business that I absolutely hated.

I had a service business in the vendor industry for 12 years and hated it. I felt stuck and believed that someone like me -- a high school dropout -- couldn’t do better. In 2011, I said "no" more and worked hard for four years to make my dream of being a global lifestyle entrepreneur a reality. I now wake up loving what I get to do for work and traveling the world. Saing no led to happier days.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Sound impossible? Ready to start writing furious comments? Then you’re ready to have a real conversation about our industry. Throughout social media and mobile electronics publications, we have seen dozens of retailers step up their game by creating boutique stores and installation bays utilizing all the latest installation techniques catering to automotive enthusiasts. But what about the customers who buy elsewhere? How likely are they to come in to your store? 

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past ten years, you already know online sales are growing at an alarming rate and taking money out of our brick and mortar stores. Look at Radio Shack, Circuit City and Best Buy. Radio Shack is in bankruptcy, Circuit City is gone and Best Buy had to do a major restructuring of their store’s culture and core business practices. Did you know that an article in Forbes stated that Best Buy is growing by 17 percent in Q4 this year in online sales?

Let’s take an honest look in the mirror. People don’t buy from us for only three reasons. I call this the three P’s:

1. Price: They found it somewhere at a lower price.
2. Product: They did not see or were not shown the features they were looking for.
3. Personality: They did not like your store or the salesperson.

Really take a moment to think about the three P’s. Have you ever wanted to buy something, and when you got to the store, something about it made you decide not to buy? These examples are about people who came into your store. What about the people we never see—the online shoppers?

The other factor to consider is that people are more comfortable sitting at home in their pajamas, reading reviews and purchasing in the security of their own homes than talking to a salesperson. The Ace up our sleeve in the 12-volt industry is that they need it installed and they need parts!

Remember, these customers are not your customers; they have already chosen to buy somewhere else. Why not try to get them into your store? The online shopper is already your best customer. Why? They already like car audio, they have a credit card and they need parts to install it. Another huge bonus of this customer is the possibility of an add-on sale—for example, a steering wheel adaptor, backup camera, sub boxes or any other product category in your store. How much would you pay to have a customer with these qualities in your store? 

To get online shoppers in your store, you must go where the customers are—online.  Place a banner on your website stating, “Amazon Certified Installation Center” or “EBay Certified Installation Center.” Then start using Facebook Ads. Don’t show your latest specials or installations. Instead, make sure your ad states, “Bought your electronics online? We would love to help you install it. We will test the equipment and provide any parts you need to install it yourself.” (You can word this any way you like, but you get the idea.) Only spend $20 a week on this ad, but target ages 20 to 35 (this is the biggest demographic buying online). Why not state, “We install audio products purchased online.” We don’t want to scare them off, we want to help them with their purchase. Once they are in the store, we can talk to them about installing it if they don’t feel comfortable. If you can get one person off a Facebook Ad to buy parts for a head unit installation, you will make $450 off one sale! Let’s break it down:

• Data Retention Harness                      $250
• Backup Camera                                  $100
• Steering Wheel Adaptor                       $100

These are reasonable expectations for one customer from a $20 ad. That means $80.00 a month in ads becomes $1,800 in sales with four, yes, four customers. Keep in mind, this customer already has the expectation to buy. After all, they are coming down to your store to buy their parts! For the math gurus out there, that’s $21,600 in sales in one year. We are not shooting for the moon here; this is a very obtainable goal.

If you don’t know how to do Facebook Ads, sign up for my monthly newsletter at www.canadiancarstereo.com and I will send you a video on how to do place ads designed for the 12-volt market in your area. As salespeople, we waste $20 a week on all sorts of stupid stuff. For $20 dollars a week, you can create a new category in your store. Imagine if you could get one of these customers to have their online product installed: $200 x 12 months is $2,400. That is $21,600 + $2,400 = $24,000 for $1,040 in advertising. The biggest, BIGGEST thing to remember is, your ads are running 24 hours a day even when you’re closed. That’s the cheapest salesperson you will ever hire. What if you ran ads that read, “Do you have any used mobile audio equipment? We would love to help you install it yourself.” Once again, this is not your customer; these are new customers, but the other type of customer already enjoys car audio, so let’s get them into your store. Show them the newest products, like Apple CarPlay! 

By catering to “online and used product” customers, with the goal of one customer a week from each of these new categories, the potential business is $48,000 for $2,080 in advertising. This is how we increase your 12-volt business by 15 percent in 45 days by creating a whole new category for your store. 

1-9-2017 -- Known as the largest electronics show on the planet, CES provides an opportunity for new innovation at the start of each year. This year, it did not dissapoint, providing a place for mobile electronics manufacturers to showcase new ideas to eager retailers and industry insiders.

This year's event took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and featured some potential game changers for many companies. With a packed show floor, visitors from all over the world were able to see innovations that could affect them more than they know.

Perhaps the biggest innovation that many companies are developing products for, is the concept of OEM integration with an enhancement of sound quality. Kenwood has released its XR600-6DSP (MSRP $800),  a six-channel power plant that, through partnership with Automotive Data Solutions (ADS), upgrades select factory audio systems by supplanting, rather than supplementing the factory amplifier.

Sony displayed a demo vehicle featuring its RSXGS9 hi-resolution single-DIN head unit, which was reflective of where many car audio companies are going this year. This is largely thanks to a renewed interest in high quality sound from their customers. JL Audio, which again showcased off-site at the Palms Hotel and Casino, displayed its highly publicized C7 component speakers as part of this focus on quality sound. Attendees of the company's display were able to sit in a chair in the middle of a sound room to hear the speakers close-up. The C7 project was led by CEO and Chief Engineer, Lucio Proni, with a mission to create the finest-ever JL Audio component speakers.

Back at LVCC, but away from the North Hall, was Alpine, back in the mix with a new, innovative head unit, the iLX-107, an aftermarket in-dash receiver with wireless Apple CarPlay. The device utilizes direct Wi-Fi instead ofBlutooth to connect iPhones to the receiver, making it the first to market with the concept.

On the safety side, imageNEXT has parterned with American Road Products to bring OmniDRIVE, a connected car safety product, to the aftermarket in North America. The device that integrates 360º surround view monitoring (SVM) and blind spot cameras with a 5-channel DVR with optional dash-cam or driver cam that can be connected with wi-fi to portable devices in a vehicle. The product will be available for purchase through American Road Products. Shipping is scheduled for the end of March, tentatively.  

While some years bear few significant developments, this year's CES and Las Vegas showcase proved the aftermarket is an exciting place to be, one that is finding new ways to both compete and surpass the OEM presence. 

Find out more about what happened in Las Vegas in the February issue of Mobile Electronics. 

"Find a need and fill it." Ever since I first heard this profound statement, which was spoken by 12-volt sales guru Del Ellis at my first KnowledgeFest, I found that it was also representative of the industry I'd soon come to adore.

When I was first hired by Mobile Electronics magazine I was a daisy-fresh rookie with a journalism degree who didn't know a double-DIN from a DSP. Although I'm still no expert on the technical side of 12-volt, what I have gained a strong grasp of is how the industry works. That's also what intrigues me the most about it.

In my first year, here's what I learned: car audio isn't just putting a deck and four's in a car but an entire industry filled with music lovers who also love cars. The products are vast and complicated. Installing those products takes great skill and expertise that is acquired through countless hours of trial and error, through which most are done for no money and could potentially ruin a vehicle's electrical system if done incorrectly.

My second year consisted of me basically trying to make sense of the whirlwind of things I'd learned in my first. I developed my writing, streamlined my management processes for assigning stories and kept in touch with industry representatives that would come in handy for different stories throughout the year. Mainly, I gobbled up the topic that the industry was all about: passion.

I also went from working in an office to work from home. I struggled to stay focused when the TV and video game console were a few feet away, then remembered Luke Fidler, a solo retailer who was able to stay focused despite not having a team around to motivate him. His motivation was to be passionate about the thing he was doing and keep getting better every day so his customers would notice. I didn't have customers, but what I did have was you. So I focused on doing a better job. I wrote what I felt were more engaging articles focused on the people of the industry. I listened to comments from people all around the industry, from young first-year installers to 30-year veterans. Jason Kranitz called me out when I got a company detail wrong. John Schwartz nailed me for incorrectly writing his store's name more than once (sorry about that, John). But through it all, I learned both how to be better at my job and how to be a better professional.

The fourth year was about not letting stagnation set in and staying motivated despite feeling like I'd accomplished all the goals I'd set out from previous years. So I worked on finding new ones, listened to the industry and worked to be better at things I wasn't so good at before, like product names, how a DSP works and what the future landscape of 12-volt might look like based on today's latest tech innovations. Thinking about how the outside world will continually impact 12-volt, I remembered Josh, Jeremiah and Jared Mojica of GNC Customs, a family retail operation who took a store that sold furniture and jewelry and transformed it into a powerhouse in the industry. They saw the same thing I see in the world: everything is relative.

During my tenure with the magazine I met top industry gurus like Bryan Schmitt, Del Ellis and Marcel Newell. I had fun-filled, engaging conversations with manufacturer execs like Nalaka Adikari of Orca (still waiting on those NFL tickets), Chris Kane of AudioControl (Teddy K!) and Steve Witt of American Road Products (we'll do lunch soon). 12-volt techs like Matt Schaeffer, JT Torres, Tom Miller and Chris Pate showed me the value of hard work and how you can reach your dreams by constantly being better than yesterday.

Being a judge for the Industry Awards was also an experience I'll never forget. I was asked to review videos from people I'd never met and make judgments on things I barely had any knowledge about. But thanks to the information I got from Solomon [Daniels], Chris [Cook] and the rest of the industry, it became easier to know what to look for and who ultimately deserved my vote for the top honors. I honestly believe that everyone who won deserved to win during the time I was judging the awards. I hope everyone felt the same way.

As a musician and music lover, I immediately recognized the connecting threads that I shared with all of you in 12-volt. I'm extremely grateful to have been able to take part and learn from you all and am humbled by the dedication, work ethic and passion you all continue to have despite the long hours away from family, stressful changes in the marketplace and complex nature of the job that no doubt drains each of you in ways I could never imagine.

Goodbye, 12-volt industry. Keep innovating and stay in touch. 

8-21-2016 -- Everyone wants success. But are you willing to change?

Without change, there can be no growth. And in order to get what you’ve never had, you must become someone you've never been. Before you go into the woods, you'll need a map. Rest assured others have forged the route before you. Their experiences can help guide you to your own best you.

Live forward by making a life plan.

With "Living Forward: A Proven Plan To Stop Drifting And Get The Life You Want," authors Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy help you begin to become the architect of your own life. Most of us make plans for everything -- vacations, dinner, our children's school functions. But rarely does a person make a life plan. If I asked you to summarize your life plan, could you tell me? Probably not.

If you finally want to live with more intention and purpose in your life or become an entrepreneur now and not later, then your extraordinary life is on the other side of your life-planning design process.

"Living Forward" offers solid advice in several key areas:

• Understanding why you need a plan (because as humans, we drift and get distracted).
• Learning how to create your life plan beginning with the end in mind (answering, "What legacy do you want to leave behind?").
• Making it happen (triaging your calendar and scheduling your priorities). 

Many of us see change as threatening. Some even regard it as the destroyer of what is familiar and comfortable rather than the creator of what is new and exciting. Unfortunately, comfort is the enemy of excellence.

“For the timid, change is frightening, for the comfortable, change is threatening, but for the confident, change is opportunity," motivational speaker Nido Qubein writes in "Stairway to Success: The Complete Blueprint for Personal and Professional Achievement."

Decide what you'll do with your current opportunity. In order to grow and achieve new heights in your life, you must make a commitment to change. Focus your attention on growing in areas that will add personal and professional value. Don’t let your comfort zone kill the excellence within your reach. Make your life plan today.

Read the rest of the story HERE.