Mark Mettler

Background

About Mark Mettler

My story: I studied business in college. I started my corporate career in the training program of a major department store company. I spent 32 years doing the traditional ladder-climbing of corporate life. By others' measures, I became a success - I spent the last 10 of the 32 years as a senior executive for two of the largest retail companies in the world. Around the 28-year mark of that career, my younger child began opening up about their personal struggle to become their true self. Supporting their journey helped me understand that my business career had turned me into a person out of sync with my inner being and value set. I had traveled so far from the soul of who I once was, that I was in danger of being lost forever. I walked out on my career at the age of 54 and did three things- I wrote a novel that tried to explain what had happened to me, and by titling it "Hell Is The CEO", likely closed the door on working in a traditional corporate job forever- I became board chair of Greater Boston PFLAG, a non-profit unicorn that helps families and society understand how to affirm and support their LGBTQ children- I took a chance on a fellow father of a transgender child, whom I'd met through shared advocacy work. That young man had founded a company on a single product - a notebook you could erase in a microwave after using your phone to zap the notes in it to the cloud. I worked for equity, became an early employee, and left after building a revenue base and a capable sales team. That company, Rocketbook, has been acquired by BIC Corp. My current adventure is with another entrepreneur with a product line that can make the world a better place. Dynamic Green Products makes high performance lubricants and cleaners from bio-based materials here in the USA. I am helping with all aspects of building the business. I am also open to informally helping other promising startups, and board of directors work, where my unique perspective and experience can bring value.