Why I Had to Stop Running My Own Company to Propel It | Mark Winter

Mark Winter has been in PR for 30 years. He started Identity in 1998 with a one-year-old at home, no money in the bank, and his wife's 401k funding the whole thing. The harder story came later. Mark told me he had built something real, 40 people, offices in Michigan and Tampa, a client list most agencies would envy. And he almost broke it by staying too deep inside it. Letting go of the day-to-day wasn't a decision. It was a three-year process that tested his ego, his trust, and his identity. What came out on the other side was a man who finally knew what he was actually good at. We covered in this episode: → How Mark's "give before you get" philosophy shaped Identity's entire culture from day one → What it took to step back from running his own company and why it nearly didn't work → Why vision boards aren't just a motivational tool but a system Mark has used for 15 years to build his life → How a single EO referral saved his agency during Covid, replacing over $1M in lost revenue in two weeks → What modern PR actually means, and why human relationships are still the strategy that no AI can replace There's a moment in this conversation where Mark says he didn't even know what he was good at until his team told him to stop doing everything else. That part hit me... Most of us are so deep in the work that we never stop to ask what the work is actually for. Mark, thank you for showing up with zero pretense and total honesty. You've built something worth celebrating. And watching you figure out what comes next is the best part of knowing you. Chapters 0:00 - Introduction: Coach Bob & Mark Winter 0:38 - Mark's Background and How He Found PR 2:50 - Starting Identity PR With Nothing in the Bank 3:28 - The Columbus Pitch That Defined Identity's Culture 4:44 - How Identity Got Its Name 6:01 - What PR Actually Is and How It's Changed 8:00 - Modern PR: Strategy, AI, and the Human Difference 13:08 - The Amazon Effect and Opportunity in Disruption 16:38 - Visionary Lessons: Vision Boards and Finding Your Operating System 21:16 - Learning to Say Yes and No: Protecting Your Time 25:15 - Evolutionary vs. Revolutionary Entrepreneurs 29:27 - Letting Go of the Vine: The Three-Year Process 32:52 - Life Beyond the Vine: Tampa and What's Next 34:06 - EO Detroit and the Power of Community 37:16 - The $1M Covid Loss and the EO Referral That Saved It 42:21 - Mark's Personal Style and Authenticity as a Visionary Trait 48:27 - The Power of Moments: Book Recommendation 52:44 - What Viva La Visionary Means to Mark Connect with Mark   / markawinter     / markwinter1998   https://identitypr.com/ ~~~ Connect with Coach Bob   / bob-shenefelt     / imatterrevolution     / imatterrevolution   https://x.com/iMatterCoachBob 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations with visionaries, founders, and thought leaders! Prefer to listen? Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/4iCo6LW... Apple → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Want to connect with entrepreneurial Visionaries who share your passion for making a real impact? 🌐 https://www.imatter.com