Raised in a suburb of Houston, Texas, Hays was a 1995 graduate of Trinity University, where he earned Bachelor of Science degrees in both accounting and marketing.
While at SMU, Hays was the teaching assistant for the Electronic Commerce Class in 1996 while also founding his first business that same year, Hays Internet Marketing, Inc. Hays Internet Marketing is an interactive agency that provided internet marketing consulting and development for clients such as AT&T, Fujitsu, and Nextel.
The company also owns and operates several popular web properties, the most famous ones include VirtualKiss.com, WhoDoYouLove.com, DatingFun.com, and VirtualStapler.com.
[2][3] In 2004, Hays Internet Marketing stopped taking on new clients so that Marshall could serve as the Vice President of a television production company.
In 2012 Hays started up a gourmet food truck business, calling it Lucky Ducky Dogs – Fun with Meat.