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I Stepped Down As CEO Of A Fortune 500 Company To Become An Artist

Then things got weird

Mark Starlin
6 min readJan 29, 2021

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Being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Power and money are little consolation when everyone thinks you are a joke and despises you.

Every time I went to a business conference or charity gala, I would end up ostracized by my fellow CEOs. It was always the same thing. Those high-and-mighty business executives would ask me what I did, and I would tell them I was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Their eyes would light up as they imagined companies like General Motors, or AT&T, or Boeing. That was followed by them asking me which company I was CEO of.

I told them, “You don’t understand. The name of my company is A Fortune 500 Company. And I am the CEO.”

Then their facial expression went from bewilderment to realization to disgust.

They obviously didn’t understand promotion or productivity.

What do the success gurus always say? Imagine what you want your company to be and work toward that. That’s what I did!

What do the promotional gurus always say? Present a professional image so potential customers will think you are professional. That’s what I did!

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Mark Starlin
Mark Starlin

Written by Mark Starlin

Old bones. Young heart. Uniquely arranged words.

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