How Mark Wilson built his success by building up others’
He sold his first startup for $80 million, but the mission-focused CEO of Chime Solutions remains driven by people as much as by profit
Like most successful entrepreneurs, Mark Wilson, CEO of Chime Solutions, is an ambitious and savvy business person who’s driven by a strong work ethic and desire to make an impact. But when Mark founded his first company, Ryla, he was inspired by more than just the opportunity to build a business. Throughout his life, he had seen how talented people from minority communities often didn’t get the same chances as others who had more advantages. First with Ryla, which he ultimately sold for $80 million, and now with Chime Solutions, where he has a goal of creating 10,000 jobs around the U.S., he’s aiming to level the playing field. In the process, he’s showing other CEOs that there’s a wealth of untapped talent out there, and that investing in people is good for business. Mark’s story is an inspiring reminder of what it means to be mission-driven and how much more powerful and fulfilling work is when you’re guided by meaning and purpose. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Overcast and Spotify. If you love it, please leave a review!
“I’m sure it’s been instrumental in shaping me as an entrepreneur, me as a professional, me as a person.”
Mark Wilson admits that he never had a “burning desire” to be an entrepreneur. But what he has always had is an affinity for the underdog. In our interview, he shares memories of his formative years in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the varied jobs he held, from harvesting watermelons to working in a plumbing supply house. In hindsight, though, he says the one that left the biggest impression on him was shining shoes in his uncle’s barber shop. He remembers the undercurrent of bias in the business and social interactions between his Black uncle and the mostly white clientele. It’s something that shaped his view professionally, and made him determined never to feel “one down,” less than or not as talented as someone else. He didn’t want it for himself — or for anyone else either.
“It was just very inspirational for me from a mission standpoint, for what would be the mission for any company that I would start.”
After graduating from the Historically Black University (HBCU) Wilberforce University, Mark worked for Peoples Drug, which would become CVS. But his career really took off when he landed a job as a business analyst at Dun & Bradstreet. As he and his wife moved around the country with his D&B job, he had the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of business. The most pivotal move, though, came when he was assigned to run an underperforming call center in Greensboro, North Carolina. Facing a complete turnaround situation, he and his leadership team were allowed “to try just about anything, and we tried a lot of things,” he says. The most important thing, he discovered, was focusing on the people. The center was staffed primarily by Black women, and Mark made sure everyone felt he had a personal stake in their success. Greensboro ultimately shot to the top of the rankings at D&B, and the experience cemented for him that people are a leader’s most precious and valuable asset.
“The goal was to try to create the best job that anyone that ever worked for us had ever had.”
When the opportunity arose to strike out on his own, Mark launched Ryla Teleservices — named after his children, Ryan and Lauren — out of his basement, with his wife joining in the venture. In our conversation, he talks about the difference between working for an established corporation, where “everything’s figured out,” and being an entrepreneur, where “every little decision needed to be made.” It was Mark’s wife who influenced the first real decision Ryla made as a business: to provide 100% healthcare coverage for all employees. In fact, he says, all of his first key decisions were around personnel.
“It’s amazing, as I look back in hindsight, that we were able to pull that off.”
Because the call center business is a very labor-intensive business, it’s also a very cash-intensive business. Mark shares how he financed Ryla at the beginning through “complete scrappiness and bootstrapping” before eventually raising about a million dollars in seed capital from a double bottom line and impact fund. As the business proved successful, more cash came in the form of private equity and other private investments, which Mark says “really kick-started us.” Ryla went from around $16 million in revenue to over $100 million in one year. By the time he sold the business, Ryla had grown to 3,000 employees across seven locations, with over $200 million in signed business.
“All I’ve ever known in life is work, and so now, I get to continue to do that and do that with meaning and purpose. And that’s kind of the driver.”
From a private equity perspective, it was the right time to sell, but then what? Retire? Become a philanthropist? For Mark, it was all about where he could find meaning and purpose. When the right opportunity presented itself, he got the team back together and they bought a vendor management background screening company, which they ultimately evolved into a high-touch contact center solutions company, Chime.
Chime is on pace to be “exponentially better” than Ryla in terms of what it will achieve in top line revenue and value — as well as in mission. With a corporate goal of creating 10,000 jobs around the country, Mark continues to be driven by a people-first mindset, focused on leveling the playing field and leveraging the talent that often isn’t given a fair shot. In the process, he’s not only growing a successful business, he’s also helping people and communities thrive.
“There’s so much talent.”
Mark’s advice to CEOs who want to follow his model is simple: Broaden your horizons about where the talent and opportunities for your business really are. “The reason that the communities are really underserved doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the people that work there,” he points out. “The only thing that’s needed for those communities to thrive is investment.”
As we were talking about his entrepreneurial journey, Mark had a realization. Although he hadn’t made the connection before, he said he now sees that his understanding of what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur was influenced by his uncle and those early days, when he was shining shoes in a barber shop. Everything in that business was dependent on his uncle. What made the difference, Mark notes, was what he put into it. It’s a lesson and a legacy that Mark is clearly carrying forward.
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