Marcus Withers is a man who's no stranger to building successful businesses. He's been doing it since his late teens when he made his first outing in the entertainment and events industry. Since then, he's expanded his portfolio significantly. He added real estate, hospitality, and even the automotive industry to the long list of businesses he's run. His work has an altruistic streak in that he's worked on projects that benefit the community, both in real estate, culture, and hospitality.
By any measurable indicator, Marcus Withers is a successful businessman and a beacon in his community. And while the bulk of his success is down to his entrepreneurial spirit, Withers would be the first to admit that no person is an island and that he wouldn't be where he is without his family.
"Without my wife, without my three kids I wouldn't be where I'm at today," he says. "My wife has been a backbone, a supporter from when we didn't have anything."
The family has always played an important role in Withers' life. Born into a family of educators who put a high premium on exposing young Marcus to as much of the world as they could and getting him the best education they could afford.
"Growing up, I went to private schools. My mom sacrificed for me as an inner-city kid to be able to go to those institutions through eighth grade," he recalls. "When I got to ninth grade, I begged her to let me get out to public schools because the schools that I went to were very small."
His stint in private education meant that he was able to travel across the country, and Canada, too, forming a worldly view of life that eventually spread into his understanding of the business world. It wasn't an accident that Marcus started in the world of business when he was 18 years old.
Later on, after he moved away from the events industry, he started working in car dealerships, eventually becoming the financial manager in his father-in-law's dealership. It wasn't the right time for Withers to grow his roots in that industry, so instead he went full-on into real estate. He went back to automotive in 2021, this time as a well-established businessman with his family by his side.
Throughout his success, Withers never forgot the foundation his family gave him, and how much the opportunities they provided him influenced his life. He's been paying it back and forward, and continues to everyday, by helping other families have some of the stability he's had in his upbringing.
"I still want to do affordable housing projects. I have to do that. I'm called to do that. That's what I'm supposed to do, for inner city youth," Withers says. "Growing up in the inner city I feel like affordable housing, that's how I give back. That's how I create great living spaces for African Americans to have somewhere to live that is safe, supportive and provides guidance to help them achieve their potential."
At the end of the day, however, none of his successes matter as much as the ones he's had as a father and a husband. And just like his parents did to him, he's affording his kids every opportunity to get an education and travel the world—even if it means going there without him.
