For John D. Marvin, success was never about flashy ambition or shortcuts. Raised in a Kansas town with fewer than 2,000 residents, he learned early on what it meant to serve. His father, a family physician, and his mother, who managed the practice, modeled a life of commitment and care. 

That ethos of service followed him through decades of business leadership, culminating in his role as President and CEO of Texas State Optical—a company that today brings in over $110 million in annual revenue.

Today, Marvin shared the milestones, mindset, and meaning behind his unconventional journey.

Early Foundations and Education

Marvin’s upbringing shaped much of his leadership style. “My graduating high school class had 48 students in it,” he said, recalling how formative the small-town culture was. He later moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to attend Oral Roberts University in the 1970s. At the time, the university was still a relatively new institution founded by televangelist Oral Roberts.

“That was a very formidable time as well,” he said of the experience. He also shared a personal anecdote from those years—going on a double date with then-student Kathie Lee Gifford, long before she became a household name.

The Research Project That Changed Everything

After college, Marvin built his career in marketing, eventually founding his own firm, Marketing Management Group. In the 1990s, Texas State Optical hired his company to conduct an extensive consumer research initiative.

“It ended up lasting two years, thousands of interviews and about 60 focus groups,” Marvin said. That deep involvement led to relationships within the organization, and eventually, the franchisees approached him to help form a franchise association. That association then asked him to lead negotiations for acquiring the franchisor. Partway through that process, Marvin was invited to become the new president, an offer he accepted in 2001.

“I looked at it like the ultimate fixer-upper,” he said. “It was giving me an opportunity to use all the knowledge I had and the skills that I had to come in and make a difference.”

Philosophy on Leadership and Growth

At the core of Marvin’s leadership style is what he calls “the inner game.” He believes effective leadership begins with a commitment to personal growth—and that begins with mindset.

“In order to be an effective leader, you have to be devoted to personal growth,” he said. “And to be devoted to personal growth, you have to have the proper mindset.”

His views are shaped by decades of study and mentorship, including figures like John C. Maxwell and Napoleon Hill. He recalled reading Maxwell’s book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth and being struck by a question: What is your personal growth plan?

“I asked myself that question when I read it, and didn’t have one,” he said. After talking to others, he found many people didn’t have one either.

Marvin attributes that lack of planning to scarcity mindsets. “An abundance mindset requires faith,” he said. “Fear is an imaginative activity. You could just as easily train your mind to conjure up something good.”

Reframing Purpose at Work

One of Marvin’s most powerful stories involved reframing how opticians at TSO saw their jobs. During a company talk, he asked employees how they described their work. After responses like “fitting contact lenses,” he offered a broader view.

“I said, let me suggest you look at it this way: You’re helping moms and dads be able to better see their children play T-ball. You’re giving that father the ability to see his daughter’s wedding when he walks her down the aisle.”

This mission-driven outlook became TSO’s guiding statement: We help people see the most important things in life.

Longevity, Resilience, and What Keeps Him Going

Despite a long and successful career, Marvin has no interest in slowing down. He credits his father’s example—who never retired and started another business after 50 years in medicine—with shaping his mindset around lifelong learning.

“He was a voracious reader, and he was always exploring,” Marvin said.

He believes resilience comes down to making conscious decisions. “Starting and quitting are both decisions,” he said. “Many people never make either decision.”

For Marvin, the real driver is finding something worth trading his life for. “It has to be something much bigger than yourself,” he said. “Mine is to help unlock potential—help people unlock their full potential, assuming they want to.”

Start Before You’re Ready

Asked what advice he wished someone had told him earlier in life, Marvin didn’t hesitate.

“Start,” he said. “Early on, I felt it was important that I become excellent at doing something before I started it. And later, I realized that the only way you become excellent at it is doing it.”

A Personal Invitation

As part of the episode, Marvin offered a 30-minute one-on-one call to one listener. “I would be more than happy—and count it a real privilege—if someone would take the time to let me get to know them,” he said. “If there’s any way I could be their friend and help them, I’d like to do so.”

Listeners can enter to win the giveaway at Unconventionallifeshow.com, where details are listed under the “Giveaway” tab.

Connect with John:

• Website: TSO.com
• LinkedIn: John D. Marvin
• Email: JDMarvin@mac.com (Include “Unconventional Life” in the subject line)