In January of 2010 a big, burly, bearded man drove his full-sized truck…

In January of 2010 a big, burly, bearded man drove his full-sized truck down the mountain from Tryon, NC to Greenville, SC.

Mark was coming to OrangeCoat to talk business. He had successfully sold sheet music on CD-ROMs to choirs for years. He finally thought his market was ready to jump online and so started a relationship with our longest-running customer. He was an inspiration in creativity, productivity, and living the good life.

Mark wrote a book a year. The protagonist was a choir director (he knew his audience) who solved murders in his spare time. He ran a successful choir music subscription site for years. He composed operas and choir music and did data entry when needed.

He did this all in what seemed to be comfort and joy in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina.

I think of Mark often when I talk to folks who have good niche businesses and are looking to go big. What’s the goal? Is raising a ton of money and building a huge business necessary for your goal?

Mark had a happy niche that he knew and served. His customers loved him and he did very well for himself.

Mark passed away two years ago this week. SJMP is still around and they put together this compilation https://lnkd.in/eqiFA7mS of some of his compositions. It sounds lovely.