Once the MLB season rolls around, Independent Sports & Entertainment Baseball CEO MARK PIEPER hardly has a moment to breathe. In addition to the 25 players he personally represents, Pieper also works in a supporting role for many of the 150 players the baseball division represents as a whole. From strategizing marketing to discussing bringing in new clients, Pieper’s plate is constantly full when he’s at his Chicago office. Pieper chatted with THE DAILY this week to discuss how he balances his days working as both an agent and CEO.
6:00am: Every day I try to be out of bed by 6:00 and go downstairs to the small gym we set up because my wife DANA is a personal trainer. Some days are better than others, but I always do something whether that’s the treadmill or elliptical or another type of workout for one hour. I’m not ready to start the sports part of my day yet, so I’ll watch an episode of “Game of Thrones” while I work out.
7:00am: I send my 14-year-old triplets -- CASEY, HAYLEY and ABBY -- off to school, get ready for the day and then jump on the train to the office usually around 7:45-8:00. I’ll grab breakfast to go on the way out of the door, something like an Ezekiel English muffin.
7:45am: During the 40-minute commute, I’ll check stats -- major leaguers, minor leaguers and sometimes college guys -- and a lot of times I’ll rewatch portions of games from the night before if it was on late and I missed it. My iPad has all the games through the MLB app. I like to not only see the box score but actually see their performance in the game myself for when I have conversations with those clients later in the morning.
9:00am: First thing I do at the office is check and respond to emails. That usually takes about an hour. Once my clients are up -- these guys don’t necessarily wake up at 8:00 -- almost every minute of my morning is spent on the phone with them. We’ll discuss how they’re feeling, how the game went, really just seeing what’s going on.
1:00pm: It’s really not until the players go to the field that I free up to do a lot of the company-wide duties I have and switch from being an agent to a CEO. If I don’t have a lunch meeting, I’ll usually walk across the street to a place called Beatrix and order a salad to bring back to the office.
2:00pm: There are calls I’m guaranteed to be on depending on the week. I have a marketing call to strategize about different ways to help brand players and connect them to certain companies. I also have two standing recruiting calls that I’m on every day to strategize about bringing in new clients and a standing call with corporate. I would also say there are some unpredictable, unplanned things that just pop up every day that could eat up a very large chunk of time.
Pieper and his family will usually hang out and play some type of game together after dinnerMARK PIEPER
6:30pm: On a very good day I can try to catch the 5:30 train, but most of the time I leave the office at 6:30. Once I get home, I try to spend some time with my kids and my wife. I’ll help with a little homework and a little driving around. For the most part the work calls don’t stop, so I deal with those as they come. I eat out a lot since I’m on the road a couple days each week, so when I’m home my wife will prepare a healthy home-cooked meal for the family.
8:15pm: After dinner we’ll always play some type of game together, whether it’s cards or an app on the phone. We’re a very lively, big personality family that likes to laugh and have fun. My son and I will also sit and watch eight baseball games at the same time with the MLB app. He knows all my clients so he’s kind of my coworker at home.
10:30pm: I might catch an episode of “The Office” or “The Goldbergs,” but right around 10:30 I’m ready to pass out if I’m not at an event. Hopefully I’m asleep by 11:00.
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