“When you move, move toward something, not away from something. When you move away from something, you’re acting on its terms. You’re letting it dictate your actions. When you move toward something, you’re playing offense. You’re acting on your terms.” This was a highlight from my last call with Mark. Mark is many things: A successful entrepreneur, family man, musician, and mentor -- my mentor. Mark has taught me many lessons; he’s helped me solve problems and over time has become someone I deeply trust.
My relationship with Mark came about randomly. I went to James Madison University where I studied accounting. In one of my accounting classes, a classmate and I began to talk about the crypto currency market and the potential crypto related business ideas we had. The idea that excited my classmate the most was for a tax software company that helped crypto currency traders calculate capital gains and losses. At the time crypto currency was still a fringe asset and no crypto specific tax software existed. My classmate, encouraged by our conversation, formed a company and recruited a team to start building out the tax software. I saw this as a rare opportunity to get involved with a promising company in an emerging market. (This is the stuff that movies are made of). I convinced ten of my close friends to pool our resources and make an investment. One of the conditions of this investment was that I would receive a permanent seat on the company’s board. Two months later, the company had raised $1.4 million dollars and the board had expanded to 5 members. One of those members was Mark.
Over the next year the company grew, hiring employees and developing the tax software. For a while things were going well. Unfortunately, after about a year, it became clear that the company’s founders were to young and inexperienced to handle the responsibility of leading the company. We were burning through cash and running out of time to launch the software in time for the upcoming tax season. Mark and I spent hours on the phone discussing potential options and possible ways we could save the company. In the end, another board member was able to find someone to buy the company for pennies on the dollar.
After that, most of the board wanted nothing to with the company or the other board members. That wasn’t the case for Mark and me. Our relationship had evolved beyond just fellow board members and we continued to talk after the company had sold. Our conversations began to become personal. When I broke up with a long-time girlfriend, Mark talked me through how he’s handled his past break ups and what he does to have a successful relationship with his wife (It involves trust, communication, and her always being right). When I came to the realization that my current carrier path wasn’t the right fit, Mark helped me figure out what my strengths were and how to remain positive about my past choices. When I was burnt out from overloading my schedule, Mark gave me strategies for destressing and helped me come up with a plan for prioritizing what projects I decide to pursue. Most people would consider my investment in the Tax software company a huge loss, but because of Mark I think of it as a win.
Having Mark as my mentor has clarified a few important facts for me. First, never make assumptions about who can be your mentor. On paper, Mark and my relationship with Mark is ridiculous. He’s 60, lives in California, and is the lead singer for a band. When we met, I was 22, living in Virginia, and in middle school used my violin as a baseball bat more than as an instrument. Using this basic criteria, we were totally different people-yet because of our similarities a strong relationship was formed. The second thing I learned, doing what you love will brings you close to people with similar passions. Part of the reason that Mark and I get along so well is our passion for helping others grow businesses. We both love working to develop people and companies. Third and finally, Mark has taught me that a good mentor is priceless. Time is the most valuable asset we possess. When someone, especially someone accomplished, is willing to give you their time, treasure every minute. I believe that everyone will get the opportunity to have a mentor. When that opportunity presents itself, make sure you recognize and seize it.