An Unlikely Path to Internet Success

Meet Eric Marke. Eric’s a neat guy and someone who had piqued my interest for quite a while. The creator of Revamped Agent and Home Value Leads, Eric has been getting lots of attention online. In fact, many of our own customers have remarked recently not just about how pleased they were with his services, but how impressed they were by Eric, himself.

It was time to talk to this curious young gentleman.

We sat down to talk not long ago and I was fascinated as I listened to a tale that sounded more like an episode of the Amazing Race, with people moving from one locale to another and yet another, than what I might have expected from a young web entrepreneur.

Cheesy.

Growing up in Wisconsin, Eric spent his youth much like any other kid in the Midwest: he spent lots of time outdoors, lived a reasonably quiet life, and spent huge amounts of time stoking his love for the Green Bay Packers (because I’m pretty sure they kick you out of the state if you don’t**).

**It’s possible I made that up.

Then, he started to get a bit restless. Wisconsin was a quiet place and there wasn’t a ton to do in his town, so wanderlust began to wend its way into his head. One day in 2002, he went on vacation to San Diego. As is the case with lots of people who head to that idyllic  Pacific Coast city, Eric’s vacation never really seemed to end. He loved the town and all it had to offer, so he decided to stay.

Enter WordPress. 

Like lots of folks who have become expert in WordPress and making its themes and widgets dance, Eric is self-taught in the discipline. He began to get quite good at creating sites on the platform and was soon working 20-30 hours per week for his clients, all while working at his full-time “real” job. Things were going well. He enjoyed his work, his business was expanding, he was spending quality time with his girlfriend. Life was good. So, he decided to take another vacation.

This time, the road took him to Peru and Panama, where he and his girlfriend explored for 4 weeks. Upon returning from this adventure, however, the recession whose tentacles had woven their way into just about every facet of business had gripped his full-time job, too. He (and his girlfriend, too) had been laid off from his job while on vacation (note to bosses: don’t do that). So Eric’s WordPress skills were the necessity that became the mother of invention.

The next city.

Free from the shackles of his former job, Eric girded up and headed for Los Angeles, where his girlfriend’s sister was a real estate agent. He began doing WordPress work for local businesses, then went with her one evening to an Active Rain event. While he was there, he was stunned to discover how in-demand his skillset actually was.

From there, he began working with real estate agents & helping them to build custom web presences, taking them above and beyond the cookie cutter fare being offered by most brokerages at the time. It was there that the seeds for Revamped Agent & Home Value Leads were planted.

Still in LA, Eric, his girlfriend, and their dog, Bobby, spend their free time hiking, going to the beach, eating sushi (he’s a fan of the spicy tuna roll, Mr. Marke is), and taking in lots of theatre.

It’s been an unusual, crazily windy path to get here, but Eric Marke seems to have landed in the winner’s circle once and for all. Get to know him, say HI. You’ll be really glad you did. I know I am.

About the Author Happy Grasshopper

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