The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Watching Donald Trump conduct his news conference Wednesday, it suddenly struck me that, underneath all those now-familiar idiosyncrasies, the president-elect is just like many successful entrepreneurs and owners of family businesses in his management style.

For them, business is personal. They are the sun around which all the stars and planets revolve, the source of all the energy and inspiration, the guiding light and the gravitational force that holds it all together.

They shape the product and the business strategy, cut the deals with suppliers and bankers, and cultivate personal relati...