Marcus Harvey is the founder of @portland and @portlandgear, a prominent social media community spanning over 400,000 followers and a growing apparel line that sells in over 35 countries. From losing a job to building a social media and branding empire, Marcus joins David Spisak to discuss his journey to achieving uncommon success.
What David and Marcus Harvey (@portland) discuss in this episode:
02:00 – Most of the time, people are merely showing off something extraordinary on their social profiles but between posts living a very mundane life. They think that showing off on social is the ticket to accomplishing extraordinary things, but Marcus shares that it has more to do with connecting with people in real life.
“I think I’m one of the most connected people in Portland, not the most important, not the, but like my phone goes from every blazer to every athlete, to senators, to stay people, to business owners, to new young high school kids, interested in business to very successful people.
And I love being in the middle of just people. And I love knowing people. I love people knowing me. I love the opportunities that come from knowing people in the connect. And that’s to me like success in what I enjoy and what brings me happiness is just like being in the middle.”
03:30 – David shares that most of the time, the day-to-day feels very ordinary. Successful people aren’t walking around thinking about how glamorous their day feels. “In most cases, what I find is the journey oftentimes feels very ordinary…but the ordinary leads to extraordinary.”
04:31 – Marcus shares the story about how he was fired from his job and how that became a valuable experience in shaping who he is today. One of his mentors from Nike exclaimed that his getting fired was a great thing to happen because it meant that he was able to focus more time on what he was meant to do. Additionally, Marcus shares the story of how that led him to create the prominent brand @portlandgear which has sales in every state and 35 countries around the world.
08:57 – David recaps the most significant element of why the @portland handle is so successful on Instagram isn’t because Marcus just saw an opportunity to self serve. He saw an opportunity to amplify the city that he loves, and in so doing, that service opened doors to bigger opportunities.
15:53 – Sometimes it’s not about leaving what you know for something entirely new. Maybe it’s about staying with what you know and what you know you love, but approaching it from a different angle.
35:07 – A key element in living an extraordinary life is honesty with yourself. The more people are willing to have those honest conversations, the more comfortable they can feel in their own skin. Having that level of confidence will amplify one’s efforts toward achieving extraordinary outcomes.
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