Marc Pitts stands as a testament to the raw power of self-made hustle. At 36, the co-founder of Discount Vape Pen is doing much more than just slinging cartridges and coils. Launched in 2014 after a modest eBay listing, his venture has ballooned into a go-to destination for vapers nationwide. With a team of 10 die-hards and three original founders still knee-deep in the daily grind, Pitts’s story is about spotting potential, validating it, and scaling through sheer determination.
I sat down with Marc over a virtual coffee (he swears by his morning black, no additives), his office humming busily in the blurred background.
Picture this: a kid in rural New Jersey, no PC in sight until high school’s diploma hits the mail. That’s Marc Pitts, circa 2006, eyes wide at the digital world’s edge. “I was that guy borrowing library computers just to check email,” he laughs, leaning back in his chair.
College called next — marketing major, class of 2010-ish — but it didn’t go to plan. Pitts crashed hard. “Third year in, and we’re debating print ads like the internet’s a fad. I bailed because real marketing was happening online, and no syllabus had a clue.”
Self-teaching kicked in like a lifeline. He learned the ropes thanks to a dog-eared HTML book from Barnes & Noble. He learned how to write code and cut his marketing teeth with affiliate sites. Things took off thanks to vaping. Not the flashy disposables of today, but a thumb-drive-sized Ego CE-4 that screamed discretion.
“My partners and I saw it on a forum. Folks were just getting into vaping and were looking for something portable and under-the-radar. We didn’t have seed money, so eBay it was. One listing, $20 investment. The orders started piling in.”
Sales from those initial vaporizers bankrolled their HQ, a brick-and-mortar heartbeat for the online beast. Today, Discount Vape Pen ships same-day from their warehouse in NJ, waves free shipping over $40, and wraps everything discreet as a whisper.
“We grew by listening,” Marc says. “Reddit threads, going to expos, customer gripes became our roadmap. Wax pens? Added based on customer feedback. Kratom? Same thing.
Vaping’s got a bad rap, but Marc’s flipping the script. They’ve made over 100 Rumble videos demystifying safety, tech tweaks, and reg rundowns. They’re active on Reddit too, fielding queries on everything from flower vapes to flavor bans.
“We teach because informed users stick around. I really think that’s why we’ve got so many five-star reviews.
As with any business, it’s not been plain sailing. Regulations change, flavors get banned, state-by-state changes. “It sharpens you. As long as folks chase alternatives, we’re here evolving.”
Connect with Marc on LinkedIn.
