Speaker Spotlight
He Lost Nearly $2 Million in 90 Days, Then Took a Custodial Job at $8.25 an Hour
Marques Ogden — Former NFL Offensive Lineman · 5x Best-Selling Author · Keynote Speaker for 80+ Fortune 500 Companies
After retiring from professional football, Marques Ogden launched a construction and contracting business at the age of 27. The company experienced rapid growth but faced a devastating setback when a single project went wrong, resulting in a loss of nearly $2 million within just 90 days. Following bankruptcy, he took on a part-time custodial job.
That humbling experience fueled his personal and professional transformation. Today he is founder and CEO of Ogden Ventures LLC, a five-time best-selling author of Sleepless Nights and The Success Cycle, a business coach, and host of the podcast Get Authentic with Marques Ogden.
He is a weekly sports contributor during NFL season on News Nation and co-hosts The Jaguars Squad Show on the Locked On Podcast Network.
The Ego Mistake
His signature keynote, The Ego Mistake: From Eight Figures to $8.25/hr, is the unvarnished version — losing millions due to his ego, hitting rock bottom, and starting over at an $8.25/hr wage. Audiences learn how to embrace failure, develop resilience, and leverage accountability, grit, and determination.
He pairs it with Self-Absorption Causes Self-Destruction, drawn from running the construction company, which shows how self-focused leadership leads to failure and offers strategies for servant leadership, empowering employees, and building a sustainable legacy.
Culture Keynotes with an NFL Spine
For culture-focused events, Marques delivers Creating a Winning Culture – Lessons from the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, on focusing on attributes over skills and integrating emotion with logic, and Recycling vs. Trashing Company Culture™, on transforming toxic energy into positive momentum. He also speaks on Thriving Through the Eye of the Storm – Lessons from the Bison.
He has delivered keynotes and workshops for over 80 Fortune 500 companies and more than 20 Fortune 100 companies, including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Intel, JPMorgan Chase, and Home Depot, and has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, and News Nation.
Book Marques Ogden
Available for keynotes on leadership, resilience, accountability, company culture, peak performance, and personal growth.