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Marco Barnes Jr. rebuilt his life after losing everything in the 2008 crash, working on an Alaskan fishing boat to earn startup capital, then co-founding a real estate business that grew to over 300 employees and now invests in revitalizing communities.
Resilience, community support, and self-belief are vital for overcoming adversity and achieving success. Topics like entrepreneurship, mental health, and homelessness matter because they impact personal growth, societal well-being, and economic opportunity.
Marco says concert matters: "Music takes the soul. It calms the savage beast...music is...stories that help you relate to what's going on in the world...settle you down and help you grow."
Does CONCERT matter to you?
Marco says sport matters: "Sports are important to me...physical activity calms you down mentally...when you're calmed mentally, you can focus, you find purpose."
Does SPORT matter to you?
Marco says bankruptcy does not matter: "Bankruptcy is a tool if you understand what it is and how to use it...It allows you to get back on your feet if you know how to use it."
Does BANKRUPTCY matter to you?
Marco says artificial intelligence matters: "I don't want technology to totally replace who we are...but as a society we need to embrace technology...to make us better."
Does ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE matter to you?
Marco says mental health matters: "If you need help, go talk to somebody. There's no shame in that...what you may learn...may be just what you need to get you to the next level."
Does MENTAL HEALTH matter to you?
Marco believes entrepreneurship matters: "You've got to be your own boss. We need to build our own ovens in order to bake our own pies. Stop eating everybody else's."
Does ENTREPRENEURSHIP matter to you?
Marco says homelessness matters: "A lot of people aren't looking for a handout. They're looking for a hand up...I give so much of what I make to homeless situations...I would not be where I am...if it were not for the community around me."
Does HOMELESSNESS matter to you?
Marco says real estate investing always matters: "You can revitalize dead communities...build legacy and long-term success...I love the fact to see people making money if they know how to invest correctly."
Does REAL ESTATE INVESTING matter to you?
Real estate lets me bring dead neighborhoods back to life, and that matters to me.
Most people who are homeless aren't looking for a handout — they want a hand up.
I'm into technology, but I don't want it to replace what makes us human.
What got me through wasn't luck. It was believing in myself when no one else did.
I lost everything in 2008 — family, home, money — and had to figure it out alone.
I went through real rock bottom stuff, and talking to someone helped me get to the next level.
I lost everything — family, housing, all of it — and I had to figure it out alone.
People told me I was a fool for going back to real estate. I went back anyway.
I give back to homeless causes because someone helped me up when I had nothing.
On that fishing boat in the Bering Sea, there was nowhere to go — so I stayed with it.
I want people to know it doesn't matter where you start — I'm 60 and still at it.
I believe what you're wearing or where you're at says nothing about what you're capable of.
I lost everything and the people I counted on weren't there, so I had to figure it out myself.
What gets you through is believing in yourself when other people tell you that you can't.
I'm 60 and still fighting every day. Where you start doesn't define where you finish.
I give a lot of what I make to homelessness causes because someone was there for me when I almost lost everything.
The people around me poured into me so I could turn around and pour into others.
Most people who are struggling aren't asking for a handout — they just need someone to give them a chance.
Real estate can bring a dead neighborhood back to life, and that's why I got into it.
What carried me through wasn't luck — it was just refusing to believe something could stop me.
I went through real rock bottom stuff, and talking to someone helped me get to the next level.
I lost my family, my home, everything in 2008 — and I had to figure it out alone.
When I was almost homeless, my community helped me up — not out of pity, just presence.
It doesn't matter where you start — I'm 60 and still fighting the same fight every day.
When I was on that fishing boat watching the waves, I couldn't leave — so I had to stay with it.
People told me I was a fool for going back into real estate, but I went back anyway.
I lost everything in 2008 and had to figure it out with my kids in a car.
Mental fortitude is believing in yourself enough that nothing and no one can stop you.
I lost everything, lived in my car with my kids, and had to figure it out alone.
It doesn't matter where you start — I'm 60 and still fighting for it every day.
Everyone called me a fool for going back into real estate after losing everything.
When the crash hit, the people I counted on most just weren't there.
Being Black means I knew from the start nobody was handing me anything.
I'm 60 and still fighting every day, because the naysayers never actually stop.
Most homeless people aren't looking for a handout, they just need someone to offer a hand up.
When I was almost on the street, community saved me, not family.
I don't invest to get rich — I invest because dead neighborhoods deserve to come back to life.
Bankruptcy scared me until I realized it's just a tool, like any other in the toolbox.
On that fishing boat in the Bering Sea, there was nowhere to go but through it.
I tell my story because somewhere out there someone gave up a dream they should've chased.