Entrepreneurs Will Make Business Great Again – so What Are You Waiting For?

November 21, 2017

WRITER

Have you thought about starting your own business? Entrepreneur and author Michael Sonnenfeldt had some encouraging advice for you on today’s show.

What 'School of Greatness' Author Lewis Howes Learned From the School of Hard Knocks

The economy is still upside-down with more businesses shuttering than new businesses starting, but every entrepreneur with a bright idea who is willing to put in the work can change that.

Founder and chair of the learning network TIGER 21, Sonnenfeldt recently published the book “Think Bigger: And 39 Other Winning Strategies from Successful Entrepreneurs.”

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

DOC: Hi there. It's Doc Thompson in for Glenn. Regularly heard on TheBlaze Radio network. More information on me by going to TheBlazeRadio.com. Throughout my morning broadcast, we have a couple running themes, and things we like to do. And one of them is to promote America and the idea of entrepreneurship, day in and day out. It's been one of the keys to America's success. And I think it's also one of the keys to returning America to some of the past glory we've had. Some of the economic success. If you've paid attention and looked at studies over the last 20, 30 years, our level of freedom has dropped. Our economic power has dropped.

Our educational standards have dropped. And they continue to. Now, we had built up so much steam in the previous couple of hundred years, that we had a long way to drop. And some of these categories, we still are competitive.

But it's going to keep dropping, unless we do something.

Dance with the one that brung you. And what brought us to where we are is freedom. Free markets. Entrepreneurship.

Something that we have boiled down to the entrepreneurial spirit, dreaming and doing.

Lots of people dream. You probably dream every day. You drive down the street and you're like, you know, I've always wanted to open that hot dog stand. I've always wanted to go and do this. I've always wanted to start that company that does this. And you don't do it.

But for some, they're actually driven, obsessed, passionate about something, where that idea grows and grows. That they just have to act on it. And they do.

Many times, failing. You know the stories of people like Milton Hershey, who start company after company after company, before they started. You know the story, Edison and the lightbulb, trying 5,000 times before he found the right filament for the incandescent lightbulb, or whatever the reason, they're just driven to do.

We need to teach that. We need to grow that. We need to understand it. So how can I help you? Well, one of the biggest challenges we face when starting a company, even if it's just a side business to supplement your business for your family, is marketing. Is promotion.

How do you get attention without having millions of dollars to advertise and cut through? Well, once you get some attention, a little bit of the word out there, you know, it can grow. Word of mouth. It's such a good idea, product, or idea or service, that it can grow.

Well, how do you start? Well, social media, great. There's a million other people trying as well.

Well, on our morning broadcast, we offer people some free airtime. Free. Just to promote their products. We call it Building America.

In fact, if you go on Twitter and look up the #buildingAmerica, you can go back and find great products and services.

Sometimes, those people have such success, they end up becoming advertisers on our program. Sometimes they don't. But we try to help them.

And along the way, our listeners get some good content. They get to hear about good products and services. They hopefully get to hear about companies and a good story about how they started.

I mean, how many movies have been made about people who started companies and -- and musicians and actors, and how they made it, and their climb and rise to fame. Well, you get a good story along the way and hopefully some inspiration.

We are just days away from Black Friday, one of the biggest capitalist days of the year in America, where everybody runs out, their retailers and start buying things. And then cyber Monday, a little under a week from now. We're at the time of year where a lot of people in the retail world make their money. It sets them up for the next year, or don't.

So this Friday, as I fill in on the Glenn Beck Program, as I've done in the last couple of years, I'm going to extend my Building America idea for my morning broadcast, and I'm going to offer you free airtime on Glenn Beck's program, as long as he doesn't stop me.

And as far as I know, he's held up in a bunker somewhere right now, roasting a turkey. As long as he doesn't stop me, I'm going to give away free commercials on this program, and all you have to do is call up Friday morning, and I'll give you 60 seconds to promote your business.

Now, if you don't get through, still use the #buildingAmerica, and tell us about your business, products, or services. And if you hear good stuff and you don't remember, look it up, #buildingAmerica. That's my commitment to you. How can I help you promote your business? How can we together grow America and again become leaders in the world of development, entrepreneurs, and just fostering good ideas?

Joining me now is Michael Sonnenfeldt, author of Think Bigger and Thirty-Nine Other Winning Strategies From Successful Entrepreneurs. He's also the founder of TIGER 21 Investment Group.

Hi, Michael, how are you, sir?

MICHAEL: Great. Thanks for having me, Doc.

DOC: I enjoyed having you so much on my morning broadcast a few months back. I'm like, I've got to get you on this week as we start talking about entrepreneurs. I don't know if you could hear me discussing just now before I -- before I went to you, the idea of entrepreneurship. And it's just so lost in America now.

MICHAEL: Yeah. You know, there's an interesting study of all-time low rates of formation between 25 and 30-year-olds of entrepreneurship. And in the last five years, we had three years where business deaths exceeded business births. And the one that's most interesting is the average new company today employs 25 percent fewer people than a new company did a decade ago. That may be because of technology, but it all leads to the crisis that we're having in creating working and middle class jobs that we so desperately want.

DOC: You know, it's funny too, we look around and see all the other problems, whether it's crime or shiplessness, or whatever it is. You know, one of the things that gets you out of that is when you have something you can feel passionate about. When you have a reason to get up in the morning. So you have this idea, and you start that cookie company or whatever it is. If you're young, I don't even think they get the joy that can come out of creating something.

MICHAEL: Yeah, it's so interesting. Because, you know, we're facing a crisis that's unique in human history. Some people believe that technology is now advancing so that for the first time, 20 percent of everybody might be able to build everything that's needed for 100 percent. What are we going to do with the other 80 percent of people?

And we have this middle class and working class problem. We have low unemployment. But we have even low rates of participation. So the low unemployment masks it. And the problem isn't China or India or Mexico. It's computerization. Automation. Artificial intelligence.

And these are really where the job stresses are. Take Amazon. Fantastic company. Puts a shopping center on everybody's desk. But 46 percent of retail jobs have disappeared in the last decade. And we have automation coming with cars and autonomous driving. And with all of these changes, the only thing that's going to save us is entrepreneurs creating new and exciting companies that employ the next generation of working and middle class folks.

DOC: Yeah. And it's not just the company. It's creating, you know -- from ideas, products or, you know, that eventually may be gobbled up by the big guys or done more efficiently. But it is about ideas.

That's one of the things that makes us human is thinking and then dreaming and then sharing.

MICHAEL: Yeah. In fact, one of the things that's most concerning for me is there's a proposal called universal income. The idea is if technology is taking all the jobs, maybe we should pay people just to do nothing. And I can't think of a worse program, precisely because of what you're talking about. People want to work. They want to be productive. And they want to have a society in which they can be productive. The last thing I want to do is give people money not to work. Use all those dollars, if they're going to be spent on creating great jobs and infrastructure in our country. But don't pay people not to work.

DOC: No, it doesn't work. Trust me, I have members of my family and some of my producers I pay, and they do nothing, and it's a failed process.

KRIS: Excuse me.

DOC: Look, they do very little.

So, Michael, how do we, first of all, inspire? I think telling stories helps. But how do we inspire? What would some of these successful entrepreneurs say?

MICHAEL: You know, first of all, successful entrepreneurs -- the title of the book Think Bigger -- comes because the great entrepreneurs just naturally constantly think bigger. They go from one falling ladder to the next. They have this grit that keeps them going.

So part of it is personality. And one of the things I just want to stress is not everybody is cut out to be an entrepreneur. You have to have a certain kind of fortitude. And if your career anchor is security, you probably shouldn't be an entrepreneur, because there's a lot of risks.

But most entrepreneurs start a business because they have an idea for a product our a service. It's not just to make money. They're passionate about making a difference, about delivering something. Doing something better.

So I think coming up with these ideas, look around, everywhere you turn, you can do something better if you think about it and envision it. And sometimes we get confused. Because you mentioned Edison, but you could have said Apple.

DOC: Yeah.

MICHAEL: These are the inventory entrepreneurs, but not all businesses are inventor entrepreneurs. Take Five Guys hamburgers, 2500 franchises.

DOC: It's incredible.

MICHAEL: They just felt that they could make a better hamburger, that was the best quality. And they didn't want to focus on anything, but the food. So the stores are red and white tile. They spent the least amount of money possible, and put everything into making the best food and the best hamburger. And in poll after poll, they're voted, you know, best hamburger in the community.

DOC: They do great, yeah, they're good.

MICHAEL: So that's just one of thousands of stories of people who have these ideas. One of the stories I like is, in the book, I feature, Robert Oranger (phonetic), who is fascinated by diabetes and helping people with diabetes do better in their lives and lead normal lives. And lo and behold, in the weird irony of life, he has two kids who end up having diabetes, and now he's able to provide a life for his kids with better products and new innovations that give them a completely normal life. And they're doing great.

DOC: It's funny because I extend the entrepreneurial spirit even to things that aren't, you know, traditionally entrepreneurs. You think entrepreneurs meaning capital, free markets, you know, for profit. Even people that have ideas for nonprofits, it's -- you know, it still takes that passion, number one, or an idea, and then number two, that you actually step off a safe ground at some point and try it.

MICHAEL: You know, you're so write. One of the pleasures of having written Think Bigger, is that a lot of social entrepreneurs, that's who you're talking about, are reading it. And we found that it exhibits many of the same challenges when you're a social entrepreneur. You're starting with nothing. One way or another, you have to raise the capital.

You have to have an idea, and you have to throw it out into the competitive landscape. And you have to have people get by.

And whether you're, you know, running a community center or you have an idea to help people make -- get healthier or running a hospital or a for-profit business, you need many of the same skills that it takes to be successful.

DOC: And you've certainly had your share of businesses as well. Tell us about TIGER 21. What is that?

MICHAEL: Sure. TIGER 21 is the premier network, I think in the world today of first-generation wealth creators that have been enormously successful. So today we have 580 of the top entrepreneurs from across North America. We just opened in London. And our first meeting in Hong Kong is coming up this month. And these members join together in groups of 12 to 15, totally confidential settings. And these are people who are so successful, they're about one in 10,000, by -- by level of success.

And the group as a whole manages tens of billions of dollars of assets. We're not a manager. Each member manages their own assets. But when you sell your business and you now become a wealth preserver, that's a completely new challenge. An entrepreneur is totally different than an investor. Entrepreneurs milk one opportunity for everything it has. It's like their child. They don't want to give it up. An investor is dispassionate and has a price for everything they want to sell. And you could be a great investor and a lousy entrepreneur, or a great entrepreneur and a mediocre investor. And this is the place where we have a personal board of directors. And each member looks around the table to peers whose only objective is to help one another. It's totally confidential. People are totally vetted. We don't want any skunks in the room.

DOC: It's a great idea.

MICHAEL: And it's just magic what people can do when they're learning from one another and teaching what they know to one another.

DOC: It's a fantastic idea. I'll tweet out a link to it. It's TIGER21.com. And that's the number 21. Not spelled out. TIGER21.com. And I'll also tweet out a link to your Twitter account. It's MWSonnenfeldt, is that right?

MICHAEL: Exactly.

DOC: All right. Michael, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

MICHAEL: Thanks for having me. Have a great day.

DOC: Michael Sonnenfeldt, author of Thinker Bigger and Thirty-Nine Other Winning Strategies From Successful Entrepreneurs and also founder of TIGER 21.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

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A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

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