Millions of people experience hardships each year. Some let those difficulties in life consume them, taking over their mind while holding them back from reaching their fullest potential, while others use it as fuel to their fire to overcome any situation. Mark Minard is the kind of person who has consistently refused to allow his struggles to keep him from excelling. As a young teen, he found himself locked up in jail, hoping for better days to come. However, he soon realized those days would only come if he worked hard enough for them.
Nearly a decade after his short stint in jail, Mark had a vision for a business he wanted to bring to life with his sister, Amy. The two collaborated on the idea of providing fun, educational experiences to developmentally disabled adults in a safe, welcoming environment where they would feel loved, respected, and comfortable. The goal was always to provide a way for special needs individuals to improve their way of living while retaining new skills, such as social skills and job training.
While on a mission to create something incredible for the community, Mark and his sister opened the doors to Dreamshine and have operated the business for the past 15 years, adding more programs to the schedule and offering custom-tailored solutions to special needs adults. So, how did they manage to achieve incredible goals while helping thousands of people along the way?
When asked this question, Mark Minard said, “We’ve had to overcome a lot of adversity. We all have challenges thrown in front of us. It’s not necessarily about those challenges but how you handle them in life. Going to jail wasn’t something that I’m proud of, but having that kind of wake-up call got me ready to push forward and work harder to get more out of life. I believe that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to work your way out of that bad place while setting up a life for yourself that you genuinely deserve. I’ve managed to do that and want to help others do the same.”
It appears that Mark has managed to overcome adversity while maintaining a positive mindset. Knowing that his organization is making such a difference in the lives of others also gives him something to look forward to each day. “When I see the smiling faces of our amazing clients who come in each day to learn new skills and have a good time, I know that I’ve done something right in life. It gives me that extra push to keep moving forward,” he says.
Along with running Dreamshine and continuously coming up with new ways to cater to the clients, Mark has also become the author of a best-selling book, 16 Reasons Why Your Business Sucks, and is hosting a podcast, Elevating Beyond. His book and podcast consist of firsthand, unfiltered tips, and advice on successfully running a profitable business venture that you love. If you’re an entrepreneur looking to overcome adversity, he has all the information you’re going to want to know!
