Bob Marshall '01
Marketing graduate Bob Marshall ’01 is always on the go and one to take a chance.
He began his college career at RU in 1988, then left to create an advertising company in Hawaii. “Between my junior and senior year at Radford, I decided to take a two week vacation in Hawaii, and it turned into me leaving there for 10 years. Then, I decided that I needed to complete my degree at RU,” says Marshall.
He said he came back older, at age 32, and determined not to fail. “I met James Lollar during my first day back. I spent a lot of time with him, and he told me that if ‘you put in the time, you’ll do great,’” says Marshall. His favorite class was Lollar’s professional selling course. He still rereads one of the books Lollar recommended to the class, How to Win Friends and Influence People. “The book’s premise is to treat other people how you want to be treated. I completed a report on it for class in 2000. I still carry that book with me,” says Marshall.
After graduation and creating and selling several businesses, his current business ASC (All Sports Concert) ticket company, in Gaithersburg, Md., produces $70 million in sales a year. ASC employs 20 people and is one of the largest ticket wholesale companies in the country. The company’s biggest client is the ticket distributor Stub Hub. ASC also works with sports teams and event venues.
He says he, his four partners and his employees make the company successful. “My current business partners are fantastic. You are who you hang out with. I want to surround myself with people who are better than I am at everything that I do. You should surround yourself with people with like-minded goals who are stronger than you,” says Marshall.
Marshall says that success isn’t always success at first. “If you don’t fail, you’re not doing enough. I learned about success by a lot of success, but there was failure in there too. Throughout my career, I had to adapt and to keep on grinding. You just have to out work everyone else,” says Marshall.
Some of Marshall’s acquaintances ask him how they too could make a million dollars. He tells them you can’t just make a million; you have to begin by making that first dollar. When he started, he worked 17 hours a day, seven days a week. “There are no short cuts. You have to work hard, but you also have to work smart. And if you want to succeed, you need the courage to do something about it,” says Marshall.
Looking for help and offering it is also important, says Marshall. He likes to assist young entrepreneurs start and expand their business because, he says, it is the right thing to do. I’m always willing to work with those who have great ideas, a lot of energy and the willingness to do the work to be successful. “I tell them that I’ll help them, but in 10 years they need to help someone else,” says Marshall.
Marshall enjoys visiting campus periodically to speak to classes and stay in touch with Lollar. “I like to speak with students and encourage them to have the courage to take a risk and work for success,” says Marshall. “You have to keep getting up and putting in the hard work. Adapt and make mistakes, then don’t make those mistakes again.”