Marshall Morris – Episode 34 – Getting Past FEAR: From Broke in the Desert to a $30 Million Business I must say that this interview is one of my favorite interviews to date because internet marketing ninja, Marshall Morris, kept surprising me with his down to earth, get-it-done attitude, generosity and life and business insights. Did I mention that when he started out, the only internet skill he knew was checking his email? More on that later… First let’s talk about how his career began. As the son of a hard-working, humble pastor, Marshall was taught early on the value of a hard day’s work. In fact, at a young age, his father would “loan” him out for the weekend to different farmers he did business with to help out (for very little pay). This weekend help wasn’t about making money, however, his father really just wanted to instill in him the value of working hard. And it’s with this same mentality that his dad encouraged Marshall to attend college, but also informed him that it would be his responsibility to pay his own way – as that’s the way he did it. Growing up in an impoverished family, his dad worked hard to pay for his college while attending so he’d never have to take out a loan. Not deterred by this, Marshall joined the military so his schooling could be paid for as he went. He never thought he would be deployed, but then 9/11 happened. Obviously, while deployed Marshall couldn’t attend college so instead he read a lot of books (12 hours a night for a year) so he could continue at least some type of education. Among those books, he found that those focused on business resonated with him the most, and upon returning from his deployment he took it from there. Admittedly having more of a sales mindset from the beginning, he dabbled in real estate but gradually got out of it when the market took a turn. After returning from being deployed, Marshall was presented with the opportunity to help a friend of a friend with advertising sales on an automotive site that was struggling. Knowing very little about the internet, but feeling that this business could go somewhere, he offered to partner with this person. Their goal was to just make some money, make it a success and figure out the sales and marketing along the way with “Google university.” Eventually the company started doing well, and they sold it to a bigger automotive company. It was through networking that he met his now business partner, Justin, who was in internet marketing. Having only a Facebook page, he enlisted the help of Marshall. Both found that their strengths and weaknesses balanced each other and they created the business I Heart Dogs. And the rest is history with other businesses such as I Heart Cats, I Heart Birds (and many more). Marshall and business partner, Justin, excel at building business models and then using those models anywhere. For them and their current niche, they’ve found that the more they do, the more they find opportunity (and who wouldn’t want that?). But how did they build this brand/model to be so successful in the first place? Marshall states that it comes down to authenticity. “People want something that’s authentic. We crave authenticity in a world that’s so fake.” That’s why Marshall’s business makes it a point to give back to the communities they serve. Particularly with the I Heart Dogs mission, they built a program that would help feed dogs without homes or in shelters (so far they’ve fed 8 million dogs in 24 months). They aim to be as transparent and as authentic as possible. “We see numbers, but they’re people like us with needs and desires.” Marshall attributes more of their success to the fact that people want to feel good about their purchases AND who they’re buying from. The more authentic you can be, the more you’re going to attract people. And when you do this you’re giving context to your conversation with your customer. To Marshall, it’s more than just selling a product, it’s about showing customers opportunities and