Today we’d like to introduce you to Marku Leone.
Marku, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Ive been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. whether it was selling hats in my high school hallways, recording songs for artists, or building a digital empire I’ve always opt in to be my own boss. the dozens of jobs I did have never satisfied my ambitions and quickly became a drag. by 22 I had an opportunity to start recording social media content for Mint Prints, a local print shop in deerfield beach. the owner, Ronny became a mentor for me and after two years there I had grown my freelance gig into a small business generating 4k-5k a month. I had a hand full of clients and no idea how I could fulfill more. eventually I got an offer of a lifetime. to work for a huge YouTube influencer, Growwithjo, for around the same I was making but this time I only worked with one client. I took the offer and worked there for the next year. the studio then dissolved and it was round two for my business. this time getting clients back was much more difficult and businesses were hesitant to start. I struggled for months to make ends meet and ended up in debt for the first time in my life. so I did what any smart person would do and got a commissions only sales job lol. after applying for literally 50 marketing gigs and getting no call back I applied to 3 sales jobs and got responses from ALL of them. one of the jobs was estimated at 100k starting… but I got cut at the last round. ultimately I ended uo going with B2B sales for Verizon Business. the hunger for getting my life on track pushed me to quickly climb the ranks and I was a leader within the first month, had a business trip on the second, and started building my team by the third. I met EVERY business owner in the Deerfield Beach area and covered a lot of ground between west palm beach to Miami dade. after doing the math it was an estimate of 5000 owners I spoke to in 6 months. I hit record weeks and out performed the entire office with a 3,5k weekly check. this made me happy and disappointed at the same time. was this my limit? I decided to go back to what I knew and sell my own services instead. I pitched doors selling websites for a few days and found clients willing to learn more. this was enough for me to dive in 100%. what I didn’t know was that AI tools were around the corner and would facilitate my work 10 fold. between convos with friends, YouTube habit holes, and chatgpt test runs I started building my service packages. 6 months later I have a 5 figure a month business, an assistant, and two oversea teams that make up my business. my next employee is my sister that lives here in brasil. today jan 5th we actually went over all of her roles. in conclusion the best part about this trip to rio for NEW YEARS (it was awesome) is that being a business owner allows me to build systems that work while im away from it. its been scary but things have been working out and im excited to see what 2026 has to offer
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve rebuilt the business twice! this is the third run and only now is it working. 3 years after ups and downs profit and losses im finally finding stability. it doesn’t feel very stable though, but maybe that’s just my anxiety of losing it all again
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
DONEBYVERDE is a creative studio that believes good stories build strong businesses. We work with brands at moments of growth and transition, helping them shape a clearer identity, a stronger digital presence, and a more intentional way of showing up in the world.
Our work lives between strategy and art. We design websites, branding, and content systems that feel thoughtful, modern, and human. Every project begins with listening: to the story behind the brand, the culture it comes from, and the future it wants to grow into. From there, we create work that feels cohesive and expressive, but always grounded in real purpose.
What sets DONEBYVERDE apart is restraint and care. We’re not interested in trends for the sake of trends or noise for the sake of attention. We focus on clarity, tone, and longevity. Our aesthetic is clean, but warm; structured, but expressive.
What we’re most proud of is helping people feel confident in what they’ve built. DONEBYVERDE exists to support brands that value intention, creativity, and long-term impact.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
the worst moments made for the best comeback stories. I learned how to sell because of it and I think this has been the biggest skill leveraging my business to date.
Pricing:
- foundation – 3 months of service for 6k
- scaling – 3 months of service for 6k
- greenhouse effect – 6 months of service for 10k
- growth audit – 200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.donebyverde.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donebyverde/
Image Credits
Brian lima with groove gala, mint prints, ronny with mint prints, flawless detailing lambo, chnk painting, on set with dr Miami and woah Vicky, on set growwithjo and tara, Eddie from Hosken health
