Meet Marcus Chun: The CEO of Visa Network, Which Offers Passport Services and Visa Services To Fortune 500 Companies, CEOs, and Celebrities

Marcus Chun is a businessman who is the CEO of Visa Network, which offers visa and passport services to CEOs, celebrities and Fortune 500 companies to help them procure the paperwork and resources they need for their travel. 

Marcus, who is the son of immigrants, was raised in Northern California where he started off as the shy kid in school. He was quiet, but worked throughout the years to overcome his shyness. He did this by always putting himself at the forefront of what was new and trending. 

For the past three years, I have set out to learn from the best in the business and in life. Traveling was one of things that has allowed me to work on my shyness. Proactivity and hard work have also led me on a path of feeling more comfortable.” Marcus shares.

Over the years, Marcus has worked different jobs including data entry, salesman, and volunteering through church and non-profit organizations. He went into sales as an Audi Brand Specialist at both an Audi and Volkswagen dealership in 2006, where he went through four sales managers and learned finances, deal making, and structure in the auto industry. During that time, he also realized working for others was not something he wanted.

“I worked through four sales managers at the same company. There were rumors I was going to be appointed the next sales manager. I thought there was no way I’m going to be next up on the chopping board.” Marcus says.

Today, with Visa Network, Marcus offers visa and passport services to Fortune 500 companies and celebrities. Their clientele is 99 percent corporate and they offer one-on-one interaction either over the phone or in person.

“We serve the biggest industries and have built a very well known reputation. Much of our new clients come from other client’s referrals. We do all this through word of mouth” Marcus explains.

In addition to this, Marcus also offers luxury hospitality services. He started his own Luxury Airbnb service, and since then he has owned and hosted on vacation platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

Ten years ago, most Airbnb users were college students who didn’t want to pay more than a room for a couple of days in a house. Now, the market has expanded to older and younger people wanting entire homes for days, weeks or even months. It has now become the norm to rent out property to live short term and many jobs now allow for remote work creating a new mobile working class.” He adds.

Traveling and working with big brands has always been something Marcus has longed for. Because of his free spirit, he does not see himself working for a big brand, rather the other way around.

“Traveling is in my DNA. I had a friend who needed to move from California to New York. I made up an excuse to drive to New York just to pick him up and bring him back to California. I knew that somehow I had to integrate this travel lifestyle with business. Working for others, you’ll always be taken care of; however, the drawback is being tethered to something you may not believe in. In order to be successful in life, you have to know your calling. I’ve seen and felt what it’s like to work for someone, and personally working for myself suits me better” Marcus comments.

Although Marcus has come a long way and has overcome and climbed the ladder to success, that road has had obstacles, such as finding a team where everyone does their job efficiently and has the same vision.

“One thing I’ve learned is that much of the productivity and happiness in a business comes from the group. No individual cares about you as much as you do. And no one cares if the boss gets sick or wins the lottery. If you can create a culture where the business can grow people to reach their goals and support them along the way, everyone inside the group should benefit. And the business itself will grow as well.” Marcus explains.

The service Marcus offers is different from others because many of his competitors do not hold direct contact with the people working on their cases, nor do they have the relationships they have at Visa Network.

I make sure people have direct contact with me or the person working on their case. So whether it’s paperwork or general questions, clients always receive exceptional service with the agents. Listening to clients and making sure they feel appreciated is as important as giving information. This should go without saying, but sadly many businesses make this practice a special service.” Marcus states.

In the near future, Marcus is focused on building his real estate portfolio composed of new construction homes with Airbnb models. 

Marcus is also working on opening another location of the Visa Network possibly in Hawaii or Mexico, which will depend on how soon travel restrictions change in the context of COVID-19.

I think more and more people will need housing. Babies keep being born and so far there is still a shortage of housing. A lot of platforms make it easy now to rent homes for short term and long term stays. As the demand for housing increases. Rents will continue to rise. The biggest hotel brand is now Airbnb.” He says.

Learn more about Marcus and Visa Network here.