About Marc Rousso

In 2008, I lost everything.

$2.5 million in debt. Business destroyed. Marriage strained. Two toddlers at home.

I sat in my business partner’s basement, staring at a demand letter from the bank. How did I let this happen? What have I done to my family?

Then came two brain surgeries. My best friend Joey passed away from cancer. My CFO Carl died from a heart attack.

That’s when I discovered where my identity was rooted: in my business, my wealth, what I’d built. When those disappeared, I felt like I had disappeared too.

Then one Saturday, my daughter Siena asked: “Dad, can we still go to the zoo together?”

That question became my compass.

In that moment, I realized the life I’d been chasing was already in front of me. The crisis didn’t destroy my dream. It clarified it. In the middle of all that loss, what I gained was a new perspective on what mattered most.

I pulled out my black notebook and wrote: “What do I want the next 10 years to look like?”

I mapped 8 areas: Family. Health. Finance. Mental Growth. Spiritual Contribution. Social Community. Career. Partnership.

This time with a new definition of success and a constellation of mentors to guide me.

Not a business plan. A life plan.

That question became my compass. It guided me from near bankruptcy to co-founding JayMarc Homes in 2010 with my college roommate Jay Mezistrano and growing the luxury homebuilding business to over $100 million in revenue with a 50 person team. In 2019, we became the first Seattle homebuilder to win the National Housing Quality Award in the competition’s 25 year history.

But the real wins?

Being present to take my kids to Taylor Swift concerts and Seahawks games. Bucket list trips. Training for a half Ironman. Opening for Fatboy Slim and Claptone in Miami after reigniting my DJ career at 49. A marriage that grew stronger through it all.

Not accomplishing for status. Accomplishing for purpose.

I didn’t rebuild alone.

My first mentor was my grandfather. He came through Ellis Island from Greece in 1915 at just 17. No money. No English. No safety net. He shined shoes until he had enough money to buy his own fruit stand at the Pike Place Market, Corner Produce, a business that thrived for over 50 years.

What I remember most: watching him still go to the market at 89, the year he died, working the fruit stands with the same discipline he had at 30. Relentless work ethic. But he never missed a family dinner. He built a business AND showed up for family.

That’s what he taught me: you don’t have to choose.

Over three decades, I’ve been guided by a constellation of world class leaders who reinforced those values:

I’m a graduate of the University of Washington, MIT’s EO Entrepreneur Masters Program, and YPO’s nine year Presidents Program at Harvard Business School.

But my greatest teachers were my lowest moments. They shaped everything.

Now I mentor a small group of accomplished entrepreneurs through The Life Business Plan Academy.

For 30+ years, I’ve been sharing this life design philosophy one on one with leaders who’ve achieved business success but want more: more presence with their kids, deeper connection in their marriage, better health, greater fulfillment.

The Life Business Plan Academy applies the same disciplined, strategic thinking entrepreneurs use in business to all 8 areas of life. Over 12 weekly sessions, participants create their 10 Year Vision Blueprint.

My approach is grounded in servant leadership, authenticity, vulnerability, and continuous growth.

I’m not a guru on a stage or an academic who’s written about the concept. I’m an entrepreneur who’s lived it: $2.5M in debt to $100M in revenue. Two brain surgeries to opening for Fatboy Slim. I’m a fellow traveler, still growing, still building.

I live in Seattle with my wife Leslie and our two children, Lee and Siena.

My mission? Guide people to find, develop, and become mentors, unlocking intentional lives through the power of meaningful connection.

That’s what a 10 Year Vision can do.