Top 10 'Song Salutes' for Entrepreneurs

We are busy finishing preparations for our Annual Community Meeting, and one last detail we are focusing on is music. As you know, we will have a Showcase of Entrepreneurs that will feature some of the most exciting entrepreneurs and their companies from 7:30 - 9:00 am. At approximately 8:55 am, we'll get everyone moving from the Showcase of Entrepreneurs into the presentation area for the program starting at 9:00 am. But what is the right "mood music" for the presentation intro? It needs to capture the inspiration of entrepreneurs, the anticipation of the program, and the energy of progress. It also needs to be appropriate for the morning, familiar but not old, positive and upbeat, and something that most of us will like and will energize us. I am no music critic, so forgive any mistakes I might make w/r/t genre or commentary; I also haven't listened to every word, so if I missed something embarrassing, let me know! That said, here is our list of considered songs that best fit the job! 10.  "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas. Right vibe, but our event's in the morning. If we do an evening event next year and use this song, don't remind me. 9.  "You Can Get It if You Really Want" by Jimmy Cliff.  What a cheerful little ditty. 8.  "For the Love of Money" by The O'Jays. This is what it's about, after all. Good upbeat funk song (bordering on disco). Didn't make the list purely because of age. 7.  "We are the Champions" by Queen. It's such a classic, how can you not think it fits the bill? We absolutely think entrepreneurs (and their families) are champions of the world. But as a song, perhaps a little overplayed. 6.  "Heroes" by David Bowie. The best of the "heroes" songs (take that, Mariah and David Cook and everyone else!) The lyrics are a little romantic, not exactly about entrepreneurs, but you've got to love the idea.  5.  "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba. Great energy, and the lyrics are (sometimes) spot on: "I get knocked down, but I get up again." 4.  "Jump" by Van Halen. We liked this, but especially so when you imagine a group of people yelling "Start" after each time David Lee Roth says "might as well jump" or "go ahead and jump". Made us laugh out loud. 3.  "Let's Get it Started" also by Black Eyed Peas. An early favorite (of mine) but I am not quite ready for going to the club at 9:00 am. A bit jarring. 2.  "I Feel Good" by James Brown. Who doesn't feel good thinking about this song? Even though it's rated PG, it's perhaps still not quite as appropriate for a business meeting as we'd like... 1.  You'll hear it at the meeting ... See you Friday morning, starting at 7:30 am at the Knight Center in downtown Akron! Cathy Belk is the Chief Marketing Officer of JumpStart. She specializes in branding, marketing communications, and business management. She brings 16+ years of experience in a variety of marketing and business roles, but gets her energy from working daily with entrepreneurs and their growing companies.