11-9-2016, Forbes -- Everyone experiences disappointment at one point or another in their lives. Sometimes, it is over something as trivial as a missed business opportunity. Other times, it’s over something more meaningful, like an election. Watching Hillary Clinton’s concession speech today reminded me of of just how challenging managing feelings of disappointment can be. I can only imagine how she feels; to lose an election after a lifetime of service, hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, and a grueling nomination and campaign must be devastating. Still, despite the flood of emotion that Secretary Clinton must undoubtedly have been experiencing, she handled the situation with characteristic intelligence, class, and grace. Her example of graciousness in defeat should serve as an example to anyone forced to manage disappointment, especially entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster ride unlike any other, especially for founders. When you think about a business, there are two kinds of capital: money and emotional investment. Founders usually have the highest emotional investment of anyone in the organization. After all, the business is their baby—and for entrepreneurs, life is work and work is life. For better or worse, everything that happens to or in a business is somewhat…

Entrepreneur, 11-9-2016 -- “If I don’t win, I’ll consider this a total and complete waste of time” -- Donald Trump Love him or hate him, the Republican candidate and New Hampshire GOP victor Donald Trump can sometimes say something extremely powerful. The above quote is an example. It sums up the kind of mindset every entrepreneur needs to have: Never set out to do something with hopes of being second best. So, what else does Trump have to teach us? Politics aside, here are four lessons that every entrepreneur can learn from the controversial billionaire and his presidential run. 1. Winning is everything -- there are no 'participation' trophies in the real world. The younger generation today is being set up for failure. Its members are being taught at a very early age that participation alone is acceptable, but in fact that is so far from reality. Trump never sets out to be a participant, in anything. He’s going for the win in the election and I guarantee he never opens a Trump resort with hopes of being one of the "top" hotels in the area. I remember an incident back when my dad was the president of our local Little…

11-9-2016, Mobile Electronics -- The spring and back-to-school seasons present car audio retailers with prime times for promotions, but savvy business owners know that generating business is easiest when you have ways to attract customers any time of the year. Sound-offs, Show & Shine events, Glow-Offs, and Cruise-Ins are just some of the many ways that retailers can build a place in the community and keep folks engaged in the 12-volt world. Some retailers are also finding that working with a charitable organization to donate a portion of proceeds can add another level to an event and build a place for their company in the local or regional area. Earlier this year, GNC Customs of Goshen, Ind., hosted their 12th annual Mid-Summer Mayhem. The family event, held every August on a Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., included a bounce house, games for children, and a hot dog eating contest. It featured an SPL competition and 2x points IASCA SQ event. There were over 100 competitors, over 100 door prizes, and 50 trophies. More than 350 people came out for the annual show. It was also the first year that the retailer chose to donate proceeds to a charity,…

11-9-2016, Mobile Electronics -- Every now and then a build will come in to a shop that plants major seeds for the future. That scenario happened for Chris Hilbert and his shop, Sound Decisions, out of Racine, Wisc. After completing a stealth box build for a client, he returned with a bigger job. That client was Master Sergeant Chris Moore of the 347th Air Force recruiting squadron out of Oak Creek, Wisc.; the job was to turn a 2014 Ford Expedition into a recruiting tool for the Air Force. According to Hilbert, it's working. "Moore has trucks similar to that in Texas and had great success with that. He was really happy. He asked us for estimates and went with it," Hilbert said. "It needed to be loud, visible on the outside and have lots of lights. The truck got tons of exposure at Oshkosh. The biggest thing was to get them more recruiting. Chris gets paid commission for the more people he signs up for the Air Force. He said this has made his job incredibly easy." But the job was anything but easy for Hilbert and his team, comprised of installers Ian Glacio and Dave Northart. Due to…