ABOUT

Hi, I’m Mark Botros. I’m a Life and Business Strategist to the Fortune 500, the Ivy League, and the Government. I’m also a Sherpa (Mentor) to thousands of high achievers, like you, all around the world.

MY STORY

I grew up in Philadelphia, PA. My father was a journalist, artist, and advertising professional, who later turned Entrepreneur. My mother was a pharmacy student who later became a top producing Real Estate agent and Entrepreneur herself. Their story is amazing. From extremely humble beginnings they created a modest and generous life for our family. As parents, they gave me three priceless gifts:

  1. The opportunity to get exposed to the real world (and real work) at a young age
  2. The belief that anything is possible as long as you persist
  3. The freedom for me to fail, fall, fight, suffer, and celebrate my mistakes

Those lessons serve as the foundation for my life, career, businesses, and the content presented on this website.

When I was just 8 years old, I started working in my father’s design studio as a Photo Developer. What I learned from that formative experience would have a lifelong impact on my personal and professional life. I learned about how the professional world really works. I learned about:

  • The personal esteem that comes from earning my own money, and making my own way
  • The nature of business and economics as transactions (i.e. trading something of value (time, skill, service or product) FOR something else of value (usually money and other benefits))
  • The value of hard work, setting goals, and achievement
  • The techniques of time management and deadlines
  • The diversity of people and personalities
  • The difference between mediocrity and excellence

At 16, I started my first business. By some amazing skill, luck, or providence (or some combination of the three), when I was 21, I skyrocketed to the national speaking circuit, touring the country for about one year and giving keynote speeches at professional conferences to audiences of up 10,000 people. It was an electrifying early career.

Since that time, I’ve built a career as a consultant, coach, writer, and speaker to over 300 organizations (and growing). I’ve been the personal consultant to the C-Suites of such Fortune companies as AETNA, Lockheed, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Pep Boys, Philadelphia Inquirer, and CBS Broadcasting. I’ve also been a consultant to numerous boards of directors, and the executive councils of Ivy League universities, leading global charities, and countless Government agencies.

I’ve also built a private strategy, coaching, and mentorship practice where I’ve served thousands of clients worldwide including teenagers, couples, families, professionals, business owners, and corporate executives. I’ve helped the gamut of humanity from the homeless to Hollywood; from preachers to Rock Stars; from stay-at-home moms to special-ops teams, and everyone in between.

MY VALUES

I have adopted the following values to be the center of my thoughts, beliefs, actions, and speech:

  • Family and Friends (i.e. Close Relationships)
  • Health (i.e. Wellness, Energy, Vitality, Rest, Recovery, Longevity)
  • Impact (i.e. Learning, Teaching, Living My Potential, Transforming Lives, Meaning, Purpose, Excellence, Quality, Legacy)
  • Peace of Mind (i.e. Financial Infrastructure and Freedom, Savings, Investments, Unlimited Options, Retirement, College, Estate Planning)
  • Fun (i.e. Excitement, Variety, Adventure, Travel, Newness, Renewal, Restoration)
  • Honor (i.e. Courage, Chivalry, Respect, Etiquette, Keeping my Word and Promises)
  • Abundance (i.e. There is plenty of whatever we want in this world and in this Universe)

MY FAMILY

I have been married to my love and partner for nearly 18 years. We have two kids and make our home outside Washington, D.C. Family is central and a core element to who I am, and is my source of sanity, humor, fulfillment, and centered-ness.

MY CONTENT

Having been exposed to the world from such an early age, I’ve always been fascinated about how it works. I love to explore what makes people tick, and what makes business and its leaders successful. What I love even more is sharing what I have learned with others. I also enjoy sharing my personal mistakes and lessons learned for the benefit of all – of which I have MANY. I am also deeply passionate about giving people the clarity and courage to take action and make critical adjustments in their lives and professions. So, through this website, I decided to be more intentional about:

  • Living out my role as a thinker, strategist, coach, confidante, and encourager
  • Publishing my observations and lessons learned
  • Helping high achievers, like YOU, to win equally at work and in life.

To that end, I write about time and productivity, leadership, people, family, wisdom, personal development and the important things in life. Sometimes I do color outside the lines and write about things that don’t fit neatly into these categories, but generally, this is where I focus. Over the course of my career, I’ve developed nearly 600 professional and personal development courses and seminars, some of that content is (or will be) featured on this website.

I have always had a place in my heart for the young, and those starting out in our world, and while my content is geared toward a younger to midlife demographic, the topics I write about have application across the entire age spectrum.

This site is rated A for Anyone.

You may find my content to be personal and revealing. My hope in sharing my life with you is that it will help connect you to a lesson or thought in a very personal way. Perhaps you can relate to my mistakes and my feelings about them. I’ve always found the greatest leaders not only to be visionary but also radically transparent about who they really are. And I would be remiss if I didn’t model those great examples. My goal is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to use in your personal, educational, and professional life right NOW. If you consider yourself a high achiever—someone who wants the very BEST out of life—then this website is for you.

Because I like to focus on quantity as opposed to quality, I will typically post about once every couple of weeks, occasionally more. To make sure you don’t miss my newest posts, you can subscribe via e-mail. It’s quick, easy, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

WHAT I HAVE DONE FOR DIFFERENT CLIENTS

With corporate clients, I have focused on:

  • Leadership
  • Strategy (planning/communication/policy)
  • Change
  • Transition and transformation management
  • Business Etiquette
  • Culture enhancement
  • Crisis management and intervention
  • Organizational design and development
  • Sales and marketing
  • Corporate image
  • Political navigation
  • Recruitment and retention
  • Professional development.

I have worked with over 300 of them, so I am sure that the insights I present on this website will help your business or organization as well.

With personal clients, I have focused more on:

  • Strategy and coaching toward specific goals and dreams
  • Career planning
  • Big picture life and business planning
  • Personal image
  • Professional presence
  • Business Etiquette
  • Personal Role inventory
  • Personality assessment
  • Crisis, relationship and grief issues

I’ve helped numerous people launch successful businesses, and thousands of people realize their potential. If you allow me the opportunity, I believe we can make some lasting changes together.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

If you really take the time to engage with me and the website, you can expect thoughtful, relevant, critically filtered content that seeks to do good for you on a consistent basis. Expect a positive experience that you will want to return to again and again. Expect enriching insights and thoughts that will cause you to think, speak, and act differently. You should also expect to be asked to think, to consider, to ponder, but also to engage, to do some homework, to answer some questions, to be challenged, to take massive action, and to be energized.

MY PERSONAL WISH

My personal wish in creating this website (and this community) is that you and I will be able to achieve more, live more, and be more — together.

HOW TO CONTACT ME

We can connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn (Hint: you can use the social links at the top of the page), or you can email me. I would love to hear from you. Nice to meet you. Let’s GROW.