Mark loves reflecting on his journey as a business owner to see how far he’s come!

Mark Probst, owner of Probst Auto Body, has been in business for over two decades and has reached levels of success he once only dreamed of. From one shop he ran alone to two locations with a team of 16, he continues to reach record profits and create a name for himself. As Mark says, “we build relationships and repair vehicles to the Probst Standard. We are the leaders of the collision repair industry.”

Both of the shops are located in small, tight-knit communities in Illinois. One is in Dieterich and the other in Flora with populations of 1,000 and 5,000 respectively. Mark says, “While the two communities are slightly different, I love that they’re both communities that are here to help and support one another.” When Mark is not in the shop he can be found outdoors, whether that be competing in triathlons, playing volleyball, UTV riding, or camping. He’s even been known to participate in drag racing.

What causes Mark’s shops to stand out from the competition? Their shop culture. He puts it simply, “We are a friendly, laid-back shop with a great culture. We have true teamwork at play, everyone here has the same mission.” It’s easy to see how Mark’s own goals have spread to his employees. He initially opened his shop after working plenty of “side jobs” where he learned he enjoyed taking care of other people’s problems. Now, he gets to do this every day while building his legacy.

The most rewarding part of owning his own business is being able to see how far the shop has come. Mark used to work over 60 hours a week just to barely make ends meet. He had every role in the shop, a technician, office personnel, maintenance, marketing, bookkeeper– everything. Now, between both shops he works only 30 hours a week and does $3,000,000 in sales. He credits a portion of his success to becoming a DRIVE client. He says, “joining DRIVE has helped me speed up the process of achieving all of my goals.”

One of the most helpful techniques DRIVE has taught him is how to build and establish systems in his work. “It has paid off tenfold for myself and my family. It has given us not only financial freedom, but freedom to do other things, namely spending time with family.”

Out of all of the marketing strategies he’s tried, there’s one that has had the largest effect on his profits and reputation. It’s simply, as Mark puts it, “becoming a celebrity in your town.” When you take an active role in your community people will start to recognize you and associate your business with the good you personally do. This could be sponsoring a local sports team, donating to another local business, or simply going to events around town. When people like you, they choose your business over a stranger’s.

The last thing Mark wants to say is his biggest piece of advice: “Enjoy the journey. Make sure you take time off and go on vacations, even when you feel you can’t. But, when you come back, it’s time to put in the work. You have to put effort in to reach your goals. I’ve come a long way and it’s been a journey. I still have a lot of goals I want to achieve, but it’s amazing to look back and see how far I’ve come.”

Good luck to Mark and reaching his upcoming goals!

 

 

 

 

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Prepared by Chase Clough