You might know him on LinkedIn wearing cool glasses, a beanie and having an extroverted/introverted personality but Quentin’s story is fascinating.

From experiencing the struggles of the bottom to experiencing a great lifestyle to losing it to now climbing his way to the top he’s just getting started. He is currently the Co-Founder of Mad Genie- a personal branding consultancy for C-suite level executives and entrepreneurs and is also the Co-Founder of Milwaukee Misfits- the group aims to foster a collaborative and build a community through hosting networking style events in different cities- primarily focused on Milwaukee currently.

In his spare time, he is building a Facebook community for doers & expanding his knowledge in various areas such as: computer science, 3D design, and futurism. He is a social media practitioner, 3D designer, advocate for tech & humanity, futurist, and a proud coffee addict.

Quentin, thank you for your time. Your LinkedIn video where you were playing the guitar was really intriguing to me, how did this start in business?

I used to be singer/song writer. When I was transitioning from high school to college my family went through a difficult period and we lost it all. I was homeless for about a month and when I went to college all I had was my guitar and a voice- for a good 3-4 months that’s how I made money. After I got a job flipping burgers in the cafeteria and I am grateful for that time. It taught me how to hustle, go get gigs and build relationships with people.

I enjoy learning about technology specifically Augmented and Virtual Reality and started Mad Genie with a focus on that. I also have a passion for social media and personal branding so I decided to create an agency to focus on these 2 components. However, I decided to focus on the social media and personal branding and turn it into a consultancy based on the advice of Mike Casavant and Kelly Ramirez.

I remember watching a video of yours where you went to pitch the Milwaukee Bucks and the executive team- talk to us about that.

The company that I was with for a brief period of time had gone to the Milwaukee Buck’s office to pitch a social media gig and discuss how we can bring together the Milwaukee Community and get people involved. I suggested that we do a basketball tournament on the Lakefront and transform the tennis courts into a basketball court. However, they did not agree to that idea due to certain issues they had.

What have you learned from being in business ? Share with us 1 lesson

I feared that I couldn’t do it alone and needed a Co-Founder. You need to be able to trust your own abilities and strategically bring a Co-Founder when it is needed and your values align with the company’s vision.

  1. Don’t be afraid to reach out and voice your concerns. If you ask for help, people are willing to help.
  2. Having Mike and Kelly with the company really helps because they compensate and bring strengths and skills to the table that I may not have and this is what will allow us to succeed and scale the company.

What is next for you ?

My 5 year plan is to scale Mad Genie to have $500,000 company and after I want to focus on scaling Milwaukee Misfits and continue pursuing my passion of collaborating with other content creators. I also want to show Milwaukee in the best light possible so it attracts tourists to come visit the city and they see a different vibe and light.

Have you experienced racism being of colour ?

I grew up in the inner city and even though there may have been those moments- I never saw it as a hindrance or a proxy to me becoming successful. To put things into perspective, I think my colour is an advantage because it makes me stand out in a crowd.

If you were to die tomorrow, what 3 pieces of advice would you give to people ?

  1. Place good people around you that you can collaborate and build each other up on the way to the top.
  2. Work on something- whether you’re a student, experienced entrepreneur or just starting in your career. Look for problems to solve.
  3. Take care of yourself and be happy. A lot of it comes down to self awareness because trust me if you’re not happy, you won’t be able to make those around you happy.

Final question: What is your legacy ? I know you’re 24, young and have lots of time but have you thought about what you want people to remember you by ?

I want to be remembered by this line: “Helping people do epic things”