This week's Soldier of Fortune is a Marine who says he owes everything he has to the Corps.
From failing grades to Parris Island
Bob Parsons grew up in Baltimore and, by his own account, was failing his senior year of high school when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1968 (bobparsons.com). He served in Vietnam in 1969 as an 0311 rifleman with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, in Quang Nam Province. About a month after arriving, he walked through a tripwire and was wounded by shrapnel. He received the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry (VFW; Leatherneck).
Two companies built from scratch
After the Marine Corps, Parsons earned an accounting degree from the University of Baltimore and became a CPA. He taught himself to program and in 1984 started Parsons Technology, selling financial software he wrote himself. He sold it to Intuit in 1994 for $64 million. In 1997 he founded GoDaddy, which grew into the world's largest domain name registrar. In 2011 he sold a majority of the company to private equity investors (bobparsons.com; Leatherneck).
Today he runs YAM Worldwide, a group of companies in golf, motorcycles, real estate, and marketing, including Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG).
Paying it forward
Parsons has spoken openly about his own struggles after Vietnam and about helping others overcome PTSD (Sports Illustrated). Through The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation he has given heavily to veteran causes. VFW reported in 2019 that he had donated nearly $50 million to veteran-related causes, and PXG has offered veterans a discount on its products (VFW).
What I take from it
Parsons wasn't an early bloomer, and he's said so himself. What changed was the discipline and accountability he learned as a Marine rifleman. If you're a veteran thinking about starting something, his story is a good reminder that where you start doesn't decide where you finish.
Sources: bobparsons.com · Marine Corps Association / Leatherneck · VFW
