How did Bob Parsons go from the Marines to GoDaddy?

Bob Parsons. Marine rifleman who nearly failed high school, earned a degree after Vietnam, and founded Parsons Technology and GoDaddy.

In the military

Enlisted August 1968 in Baltimore; rifleman (lance corporal) with Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines (attached to 1st Marine Division) at Hill 190, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, 1969; wounded by shrapnel and medically evacuated. Combat Action Ribbon, Purple Heart, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry.

The transition

• After the Marines he worked in a steel mill, then went to the University of Baltimore and graduated magna cum laude.
• Founded Parsons Technology, sold to Intuit for $64 million.
• Founded GoDaddy in 1997 and later sold it for $2.25 billion in 2011.
• Says he ‘made it 3 times starting businesses from scratch’.

What came next

• GoDaddy sale valued at $2.25 billion (2011).
• About $50 million given to veteran-related causes through the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation.

In Parsons’ own words

“Everything I ever accomplished I owe to the United States Marine Corps. When I came out, I was a different guy.” (Military.com, March 27, 2025, on his memoir)

“I went and sat on a wall waiting to go out on an ambush, looking out over this valley and I just accepted the fact that I would die there.” (Military.com)

“Not only was I not worried in Vietnam, I wasn’t worried when I started my first business, because in my mind’s eye, I already saw it working.” (Military.com, March 27, 2025)

“People say to me, ’Well, what if this doesn’t work?’ I always would reply, ’Yeah, but what if it does?’” (Military.com, March 27, 2025)

“He told me if you do something you like, it tells you all its secrets.” (Military.com)

“The reason for that was the Marine Corps. They taught me responsibility. They taught me discipline.” (VFW Magazine, Kari Williams, Jan 17, 2019)

Lessons for your own transition

• Pick civilian work you actually like; it is what keeps you learning when it gets hard.
• The calm you built under pressure is a business skill: use it to act instead of worrying.
• Expect more than one attempt; he built businesses from scratch 3 times.

More veterans who made the leap

See them all, and practical steps for leaving after a long career: How do I transition from the military to civilian work after 30 years?.