Staying in the fight
Tweet · Sep 05, 2025
If there’s anyone that represents the moto of “staying in the fight”, it’s @marshal
Marshall Haas sold his company for $52M.
But that win took 20 years.
20 or more projects.
TONS of failures.
Even losing $700K on one deal.
Here’s the full story of what it really takes to stay in the game
🧵
📌 Ps, I did this research for me because I want to understand how successful people “did it”. But this was valuable enough to share with you.
At 15, he tried drop shipping car parts.
- Failed, but learned.
Next: a rendering firm for architects.
- Hired a team overseas.
Then: poured savings into iPhone app ideas.
- Raised $100K, dropped out of college, even moved to South America to keep costs low.
==He tried everything==:
Oil paintings from China with your face on them
A “never make your bed again” bedding startup
Project management software
Productivity tools
Short term rentals
Even a media site of affiliate links
Some made a little money. Most didn’t.
==One small win saved him==:
Halloween 2014, he made emoji masks.
They went viral. Tons of press.
In 60 days: $50K revenue.
That cash saved his bedding company from going under.
*phew 😮💨
==The next big hit was Peel==.
This was the original super thin iPhone case.
They ran it for 10 years, added wireless chargers, wallets, notebooks, and more.
From there:
Tried 40Hosts (dead)
Bought an ecom biz (lost $700K 😬)
Built a VA startup before AI (shut down)
==Finally, win #20: Shepherd==.
A service helping small businesses hire amazing remote staff from the Philippines, Latin America, and South Africa.
In 4 years:
150+ employees
Highly profitable
Sold majority stake at a $52M valuation 😳
Entrepreneurship is NOT:
One idea, one shot, one exit.
It’s:
20 years of experiments
Dozens of failures
leveraging every tiny win into the next… and then the next
The game only pays off if you stay in the fight.
=Marshall’s story is proof=:
Success isn’t about being right once.
It’s about REFUSING to quit long enough for one of your ideas to break through.
Stay in the game.
Your $52M idea may be around the corner.