ENTREPRENEURSHIP
I have been fortunate enough to have employees, generate over millions in revenue by myself, raise significant venture capital, sit on numerous boards, and partner in a pro sports venture which is cool but incredibly difficult to navigate. I’ve also failed to make payroll and had to lay people off. I’ve been sued. I’ve had my technology product crash when I got my big chance to partner with Def Jam Records on the launch of Watch The Throne. I’ve curled up in a ball and wanted to die probably 20 or more times over the last 10 years. Nothing about this is for the faint of heart.
But I wouldn’t trade any of it. The failures are inevitable. But the effort, the planning, the heart, the autonomy… these things are magic, and I think they are only accessible to the average person through entrepreneurship. That’s why I’m so passionate about it.
I also believe there is a ton of bullshit out there about entrepreneurship. Because I learned by doing as an adult, I had to figure out the hard way what was real and what wasn’t. As an investor, mentor, advisor, partner, and now content creator, my take on entrepreneurship will be consistent and authentic with good intentions even if it’s hard to swallow. The game is hard enough, you don’t need bad guidance to make it any harder.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
I have been fortunate enough to have employees, generate over $1M in revenue by myself, raise significant venture capital, sit on numerous boards, and most recently partner in a pro sports venture which is incredibly cool but also incredibly difficult to navigate. I’ve also failed to make payroll and had to lay people off. I’ve been sued. I’ve had my technology product crash when I got my big chance to partner with Def Jam records on the launch of Watch The Throne. I’ve curled up in a ball and wanted to die probably 20 or more times over the last 10 years. Nothing about this is for the faint of heart.
But I wouldn’t trade any of it. The failures are inevitable. But the effort, the planning, the heart, the autonomy… these things are magic, and I think they are only accessible to the average person through entrepreneurship. That’s why I’m so passionate about it.
I also believe there is a ton of bullshit out there about entrepreneurship. Because I learned by doing as an adult, I had to figure out the hard way what was real and what wasn’t. As an investor, mentor, advisor, partner and now content creator, my take on entrepreneurship will be consistent and authentic with good intentions even if it’s hard to swallow. The game is hard enough, you don’t need bad guidance to make it any harder.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Embrace Pain to Avoid Suffering w/ Brian Bogert
Today’s guest on #MWL is Ollie Phillips, creator of Optimist Performance. We’ll discuss building contagious behaviors, developing high-performance teams, and his podcast, “Optimist Performance.”

Fueling Your Fire – Marcus Whitney LIVE with Ollie Phillips
Today’s guest on #MWL is Ollie Phillips, creator of Optimist Performance. We’ll discuss building contagious behaviors, developing high-performance teams, and his podcast, “Optimist Performance.”

Explore Your Truth – Marcus Whitney LIVE with Christy Pruitt-Haynes
Today’s guest on #MWL is Christy Pruitt-Haynes, CEO of Our Truths. We’ll talk about her company, why it’s needed, what it is and how it will inspire, enhance, and amplify Black women by providing resources, advocacy, and opportunities.

Connecting With Creatives – Marcus Whitney LIVE with Tiffany Hardin
Today’s guest on #MWL is Tiffany Hardin, CEO of Gild Creative Group. We discuss her career in influence marketing, as well as her upcoming workshop “Conscious Hustler.” Tiffany also talks about her podcast “In Between Series.”

Design During Uncertainty – Marcus Whitney LIVE with Marquise Stillwell
Today on #MWL is Marquise Stillwell, founder of Openbox. We discuss the role of design in times of epic change, his new creation Deem Journal, and how Openbox collaborates to create better urban futures.

The State of the Market – Marcus Whitney LIVE with Charles Winfrey
This episode’s guest on #MWL is Charles Winfrey, CEO of The Rollover Company. He rejoined me on the show to talk about the post-COVID-19 Environment in the Stock Market and Business. We’ll also talk about his book, “Rollover Mistakes Retirees Make.”

Marcus Whitney On Creative Entrepreneurship – This Week’s Six Pixels of Separation Podcast
When Marcus Whitney dropped out of college and started waiting tables, it was probably hard to imagine that would end up as an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and bestselling author.

SPOS #734 – Marcus Whitney On Creative Entrepreneurship
Marcus Whitney sits down with Mitch Joel at the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast and discuss creative entrepreneurship. Marcus Whitney is a serial entrepreneur, innovator, speaker and bestselling author.

From Desperate to Mogul: Marcus Whitney Shares His Secrets on How to Rise to the Top – 207
Here’s a success story of an entrepreneur that spans such a range that I can only refer to it as cinematic. That is, if you could convince anyone to fund the picture. Most production companies would feel uncomfortable getting behind a story that reads like an entrepreneurial fairy-tale. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a gritty e-commerce journey.

5by5 – Featured Change Maker: Marcus Whitney
When Marcus Whitney dropped out of college, moved to Nashville and started waiting tables, it was probably hard to imagine a path that would end up with him as an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and bestselling author. And yet, through hard work, dedication and a little bit of luck, that is exactly where he ended up.

The Grind 67 The Fear Behind The Anger
I’m Sorry The topic of mid life crisis has come up quite a bit in my social circles over the last six or so months. I haven’t initiated discussions on the topic because I wouldn’t call what I’m currently experiencing in life as a crisis, but the topic does make me reflect on what my…

The Grind 66 Who's Setting Your Price?
I Just Don’t Have The Time. I’d like to continue the thread from my last writing about the importance of Creative Power in the new economy. As I mentioned in the last issue, we are in the very early phases of determining new ways to value human contributions to the economy. The massive shifts that…

The Grind 65 Money Value Time
This is still about business… and your independence. I’d like to share my view on where I think the economy is going, and why it’s a big factor in driving me to talk so much about well-being. The majority of you who have subscribed to The Grind signed up because of my personal brand connection…

The Grind 64 Who's Reaction Matters The Most?
You want to know how to make people mad? There is a layer of glaze in society that performs like a glue but is really a sludge. It’s the social lubricant of saying what we think people want to hear rather than using our voices in an authentic way. We have an agreement in society…

The Grind 63 The Work Behind Inner Peace
It works, but it’s work. In April 29th’s edition (released on my blog May 27th), I went into a bit on the role that gratitude plays in helping me deal with dissatisfaction and ended that email with “Have a grateful week”. If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me share quotes…

The Grind 62 Get on the Stage
We place too much focus on magic As you go through this week, try keeping an ear and an eye out for inner dialogue and conversations with others that start with “I can’t” and “I’m not good at”. As someone who is actively trying to lean into their strengths and find support around my weaknesses,…

The Grind 61 Journeys and Objectives
What was true is no longer true. I’ve been doing a lot of speaking and writing lately. Speaking and writing both trigger me to think about ‘narrative’, which leads to reflection about what has transpired in my life so far, and how I’ve been transformed by it. One major theme has come up lately in…

The Grind 60 We Are Better With A Rear View Mirror
Have we lost an understanding of freedom? I hope that you had a great three day weekend and a Happy Memorial Day. Since my oldest son recently became a Marine, I’ve developed a deeper interest in the military. Its history, its traditions and its importance. For that reason, I decided not to write this issue…

The Grind 59 The Wisdom To Know The Difference
What are we all freaking out about? In three days my youngest son will graduate from high school. I’m so happy for him and so proud of him. I can close my eyes and vividly remember when he was a baby. When he was a little boy that I carried around my neck. Today trying…

The Grind 58 Active Patience
The Trick Is Forgetting About The Goal… For those of you that find joy in Mother’s Day, I hope it was a wonderful one for you. For those that find it challenging, I wish you peace. I’ve had a week myself over here. Growing under constraints is a challenge I usually embrace, but I have…

The Grind 57: The Power of Less
Being a great entrepreneur is about responsiveness, making great decisions and execution, just like being a great athlete. The habit of accepting less bullshit in our lives is transferrable in a good way.

The Grind 56: Dealing with Dissatisfaction
We’re human, we’re not going to stop being pissed off. As we (“the societal we”) continue to understand the impact of our state of mind on our wellbeing, and subsequently our wellbeing on everything we want to accomplish in the world, we’ve put more and more focus on the kind of thoughts we need to…