Brandon AlmsMark Steiner with Dori Grinder at The Order inside Hotel Vandivort
Purchase Photo
People
GigSalad CEO Mark Steiner on Instinct, Routine and Finding Your Gig
Mark Steiner, CEO of GigSalad, shares details about following his instincts, cherished routines and his walk-up song during a conversation at The Order inside Hotel Vandivort.
By Dori Grinder
Jul 2026
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A movie star. I wanted to be a performer. I wanted to be on stage, or I wanted to be in movies—really bad—it's all I ever thought of.
Where did your company's name, GigSalad, come from?
Our co-founder Steve Tetrault, came in one morning and said, 'I think I got it!' We provide gigs and it's a hodgepodge of various gigs.
After 20 years in business, is this what you thought the company would be when you started?
I'm the dreamer, the visionary guy. At one point before we even launched, I said, 'We'll have 20 employees someday!' GigSalad went from being a kind of booking agent, but really we're a technology company that happens to be in a certain space.
Is there a routine in your life that you cherish?
Yes, my mornings. My morning routine is time for meditation, contemplation and prayers.
Do you follow your gut instincts?
Entirely, 100%. That's all I have. My intuition is king, queen and everything in between. Everything I have done has always been instinctual. My gut has never, not once, failed me. With GigSalad, we've dodged a lot of bullets—with the partners, all of us have very strong instincts.
If business were like baseball, what would be your walk-up song?
'It's My Life' by Bon Jovi.
Tell us about the three words you'd choose to describe yourself.
Peace, love, gigs. That's what I'm trying to live by. Love of myself, and the overflow of that, and love to others, and finding your gig in life that I think that is the essence of what we're here for. I think everybody has been put on this earth for something distinct, something unique, something individual—something that only they can do. Their gig is a thing that should make you feel the most valuable, and that you're giving the most value out there. If somebody finds their gig, they've found the meaning of life and their purpose and value.
The Receipt
Mark Steiner: Pearfection NA
Dori Grinder: Smoked Old Fashioned with Buffalo Trace bourbon
