We recently connected with Mark Rogers and have shared our conversation below.
Mark, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Where did my optimism come from? I lived a multi decade experiment where my life went from a total disaster I barely survived to a heaven on earth. When I left home and ventured out on my own after high school, I had a terrible attitude. I thought the world was terrible, people were terrible and on top of that I believed I was unworthy. My early interactions with the world gave me proof of these beliefs. Fortunately, personal development became a hobby of mine (a necessity for my survival). Overtime I realized the world was reflecting my beliefs. As I slowly changed them, my world changed. Now things just “happen” to work out great for me more and more. This includes everything from “happening” to hire people who turn out to have skills I need a couple years later, to getting a great deal on a fairy tale house in the mountains. One of my core beliefs now is “Nothing happens to me; Everything is happening for me”. The more I believe it, the more the world reflects it back to me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My business is large enough I have a team that manages day to day operations and production. My job now is being a leader so I focus on the destination and the journey. In regards to the destination our goal is to have one of the largest selections of picture frames available on the easiest to use website. In regards to the journey I focus on the energy flowing through the company. I strive to make everything win-win and enjoyable. I want the business to be our customers favorite store, I want it to be our employees favorite job, and I want to be our vendors favorite customer. When I focus on those things, everything else tends to just work out.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming.
You may have heard the saying “stuff rolls downhill”. Well if you are the owner, your problems and issues roll down into all aspects of the business. The business is ultimately a reflection of you. If you are afraid to look at yourself, take criticism, and be opening to learning then you might as well go back to being an employee.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I was an employee for a couple decades before becoming a business owner. I used to think networking was just an excuse for salespeople to go wine and dine themselves on the company dime. After becoming a business owner, I realized business is all about the people and networking was critical for many things not just sales opportunities. One of the most critical for me was being able to find mentors. I knew how to think like an employee, but I needed to learn to think like a business owner and hanging out with other business owners can be invaluable in that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.framedestination.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/framedestination/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrameDestination/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frames/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FrameDestination
