Today we’d like to introduce you to Quentin Watts.
Hi Quentin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Early stages:
– 2009-2010 – I knew a little about Photoshop and designed my own album art for the music I’d create and release. With limited design experience, a friend and I launched into business in Orlando, FL
– 2011 – That business failed; I decided, “If I am going to grow a business and have people working under me, I want to have a degree and more experience. So I enrolled in college.
– 2014 – I graduated Salutatorian from Full Sail University with a degree in Graphic Design
Career stages:
– 2014 – I get a job three weeks after graduation as a “Marketing Designer” designing emails for my job. However, I was too curious to stay from solving the Web problems we’d experience. That curiosity led to…
– 2015-2018 – working as a contracted Front-End Web Developer. Along the way, I built several relationships and started to become the subject matter expert for many
– 2018-2022 – I grew as a human. That growth turned my business from cost-based to value-based. I began exploring JavaScript and other languages in far more depth in order to offer better solutions to my clients and place of employment.
Today:
– 2022 – In February, I had an “encounter” of sorts, where God reminded me of who I am and what he promised me way back (in 2013 to be exact): that I “would be employed in ministry.” So, I applied to work at my church…
– 2022-NOW – I continued to grow in the idea that “I’m not ***the*** expert in the room.” With that, I’ve exposed myself to far more growth than I could’ve dreamed – growing in management, strategy, development (new systems and languages), business, and more.
– Above all, I’ve grown as a human being.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not.
Early stages:
– 2010 – I almost lost my life. While pursuing a secular music career, we opened at a nightclub. A fight broke out and shooting started.
– 2011 – (age 21) my first business venture failed and I was sleeping on a friend’s living room floor, broke, with no path forward; hopeless.
– 2013 – I learned FASFA wouldn’t cover my last semester of college (and faced not being able to finish)
Career stages:
– 2015 – my first corporate job cut the entire marketing department. At the time, I was married with a child. Bills lapsed, services were cut off, eventually leading to us downsizing.
– 2017-2021 – divorced. Lost my biggest corporate client (2018). Had to move back home to Indiana, then finally to Georgia (2019). The Pandemic (2020). Spent all this time rebuilding and fighting my way back to financial and mental stability.
Today:
– 2022 – shortly after starting at my current job, a developer quit. I had to figure everything out on the fly.
– 2022-early 2023 – several therapy appointments to handle all the life adjustments I’d experienced.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
– Employed: Web Manager
– Business: Web Consulting Business and Music Studio Business
– Personal: I lead worship at Victory Church and I am a music artist
What are you most proud of?
– Being a father to the most amazing son, Quentin Jr. (10)
What sets you apart from others?
– I love God; my life is a chain of miracles and access to the unexplainable
– I love people; that’s hard but worth it and people know it
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Books:
– “Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer
– “A Man’s Search for Meaning” by Dr. Viktor Frankl
– “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason
Other resources:
– YouTube University – youtube.com
– LinkedIn Learning – [linkedin.com/learning]
– Notion Workspace – [notion.so]
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qwatts/
Image Credits
Full Sail University – (2014, Graduation) Chris Frith – (Photos from leading worship)
