Richard Basler has been on your side of the counter since 1992.
He was 22 when Sound Installations hired him in 1992 to sell and learn the business. Five years later, he was the owner. He ran the shop for eight years — then came the retail chains, and eleven years at the Mobile Electronics Association answering the software calls of more than 750 12-volt dealers.
He knows the counter from both sides: as the owner betting on it, and as the one shops called when the software fought back.
The road from 1992, at a glance
Hired at 22
Hired to sell and learn the business at Sound Installations.
Shop owner
Buys the shop, runs it for eight years — until a forced relocation closes it in 2005.
Tweeter
Sales floor to general manager in fifteen months at the AV chain.
The retail years
Store leadership at Paul's TV, then home audio/video at Best Buy, into 2013.
MEA / InstallerNet
Eleven years answering the software calls of more than 750 12-volt dealers.
Basler Consulting
Launches in March — the same problem-solver, no longer limited to one company's answer.
The MEA decade, up close
Daily support for 750+ TSS dealers. Every day, for eleven years, shop owners' software problems came to Richard's phone.
50 to 75 retailers personally activated — sold the system, set it up, got them running on it.
The bridge to the developers. Bugs logged, fixes pushed, feature requests gathered, every update tested before it shipped.
KnowledgeFest. All 30 shows since Dallas 2013 — and after 2020, the education program across all three of KnowledgeFest's training tracks was his design.
The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards. Asked twice to judge, then handed the entire process.
Who this is for
Small shops, multi-store retailers, and everything in between — anywhere in the country, on site when the job calls for it. The specialty is 12-volt, and the door is open to the whole automotive aftermarket, because the same software walls show up in every shop that sells parts and turns wrenches.
What the company runs on
Service. Serving others is the highest calling.
Integrity. A man's word is his bond — say what you'll do, do what you say.
Commitment. The systems, processes, and guidance you need to reach your goals — professional and personal.
Joy. Happiness depends on circumstances; joy doesn't — bringing it back into your business is part of what you're hiring.
Where those come from, in Richard's own words: "My faith and belief in God and the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior is the foundational cornerstone of my life and who I am."
You've read the story. Now let's talk about your shop.
Thirty minutes, free, with the person you just read about.
Book the Free 30-Minute Call