Mark Krawczyk

Vermont

Mark Krawczyk completed a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Vermont in 2001. He then spent close to four years apprenticing with mentors throughout the United States and Europe. He has earned a Diploma of Applied Permaculture from the British Permaculture Association as well as dual Diplomas in Education and Site Design from the Permaculture Institute of North America.

In 2012, Mark and his wife Amy began putting their skills and vision into practice, building their home and homestead from the ground up in Vermont’s Champlain Valley. Along with a supportive, positive attitude, Mark brings this deep experience to the relationships he builds with clients, students, mentees and partners.

Mark is the author of the book, Coppice Agroforestry: Tending Trees for Product, Profit, and Woodland Ecology.

Mark's Summit Presentation

Like most things in life, there are a lot of ways to start a business. And for those of us who tend to march to the beat of a different drummer, there’s still much we can learn from conventional ‘best practices’. But perhaps more important than the standard business planning process that we’ll discuss in brief is the why you’re doing it in the first place.

In addition to the products and services you want to provide for your community, how do you want your life to be, how do you spend your time, who do you work with, and how does your work life compliment your personal and family life?

In this workshop, we’ll explore these questions and more through an overview of holistic management goal setting, business planning fundamentals, and a personal narrative based in the case studies of the four small businesses Mark Krawczyk has started during more than two decades of self-employment including a traditional woodworking business; an education-focused community group; a permaculture design, consulting and education company; and a small perennial family farm. While best practices offer some valuable guardrails to direct our planning, the real learning and innovation comes when we push those edges and find ways to sustain ourselves economically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.