Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Boyer.
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I retired from Tippin’s in 2021. We had opened the new Tippin’s factory a year earlier, smack in the middle of Covid, and the last year was a wild ride, but we made it. When I announced my retirement a handful of companies reached out about some consulting and board work opportunities, and I transitioned into the ones that I found most interesting. I wish I could say I had this all planned out, but it happened both organically and quickly, and I had luck on my side. And there was very little that I would change if given the opportunity.
During my 40 year career I had the opportunity to work with several incredible mentors who poured their wisdom and guidance into me, and the opportunity to try and pay some of that back was of keen interest.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I hear someone say, “I love my job!” my bullshit meter tends to go off. I’ve said that line many times myself, but I didn’t always “love” my job, even though I was putting on a good game face. I’ve worked with and for some folks that just weren’t that much fun to be around. Or business conditions were a grind. Or the numbers weren’t what we had planned and we needed to make changes that just weren’t that much fun.
But in the totality of it all, the fun and the good significantly outweighs the other. The great things that we accomplished and the relationships that were forged will stay with me forever.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
About a dozen years into my career I was working with Ralph Stayer, who owns Johnsonville Sausage Company. Ralph had done consulting work for several Fortune 500 companies, and he encouraged me to consider consulting. While at Johnsonville we had created concepts and tools that allowed us to get separation from our competitors. That launched what turned out to be a 15 year consulting career that formed the foundation of the things in which I am finding joy in retirement. Working with and coaching business leaders and new business owners is tremendously gratifying. Seeing someone be successful, or watching them learn from their mistakes and make meaningful changes makes my day. Being proud of, and for, these folks fills my heart with joy.
Encouragement from someone like Ralph was instrumental in my development, and without him it is hard to say where I would have ended up. So paying it back, or forward, is the right thing to do.
What were you like growing up?
I was an introvert who grew up in a very modest household. I was also an overachiever at an early age, excelling in school and sports. We didn’t have much money but my mom always made sure we had sports equipment or musical instruments. And she also made sure we got to church on Sundays.
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