Based in Bellbrook, Ohio, Mark Mitrovich possesses experience in diverse fields such as culinary arts, education, marketing, and finance. He most recently worked as a teacher and chef instructor at an Ohio school, where he taught basic and advanced culinary skills, business management, and marketing through a program in which they operated a catering business and competed in state and national competitions. Mark Mitrovich spent 15 years managing this program and was named Teacher of the Year in 2023 by the State of Ohio Restaurant Association.
Mr. Mitrovich previously worked for 10 years as a loan officer and manager at 1st Bancorp Mortgage/Union Home Mortgage. His responsibilities included generating leads, helping clients select loan products, and helping underwriters and processors close loans while adhering to local, state, and federal regulations. He earned President’s Club distinction in 2008 for being among the top 10 percent in loan production.
Mr. Mitrovich also served in management roles at multiple food service businesses, including Macaroni Grill and L&N Seafood. Complementing his experience, he earned a vocational teaching certificate from The Ohio State University and a degree in culinary arts from Johnson and Wales University.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I’m a project manager, and my typical day starts early with reading before leaving the house for 15 to 20 minutes. Most of the day is spent in the office, meeting and interacting with customers/clients.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I’m kind of a full-steam ahead and figure out the problems as I go. I am a creative person, and as soon as I get an idea, I immediately run with building out a solution to resolve my issues.
What’s one trend that excites you?
New food trends and new recipes.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I make a lot of checklists to use throughout the day. I list out my tasks to ensure I am being productive.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Hard work plus knowledge and education will always persevere and lead to success.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
If you put other people before yourself, it is a great way to walk through life.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Focus on being kind and respectful, regardless of other people’s viewpoints.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Go for a walk and clear my head
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
The best strategy in business is to surround yourself with people who know more than you and learn from their experience.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
There is no such thing as failure, because it is an opportunity to grow and learn from one’s mistakes. There’re always things that you can do differently, but without failure, you don’t learn and grow.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Contact management software is the most important software I have because it allows me to pull information from my customer, which enables me to serve them better.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The Traveler’s Gift, a historical fiction that teaches you life’s lessons, by Andy Andrews.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Shark Tank is my favorite series because it allows my entrepreneurial skills and creativity in business to be developed.
Key learnings
- Success is a result of the people that you are around.
- If you ever think that you are going to stop learning and growing, you’ll also see your success will stop.
- Focus on giving back and helping others. When you give back and help others, you are paying forward what other people have done for you.