Redpole Q's Biography(Photos)

I grew up right outside of Washington, in
Silver Spring, Maryland.

Also thinking to start bringing in snow
making machines for clubs. Saw one at a club

I was in a Spanish immersion program in

in NYC and it was pretty damn cool.

Elementary school, and then went on to St.
Anselm's School for Boys in North-East DC in

Also starting a marketing business to help
small businesses like restaurants collect

the 7th grade.

customers text messaging addresses and direct
market to them through text messaging.

I spent 6 years at St. Anselm's graduating
from High School there in 1996 having spent 4

Also working with my friend who's a sticker

years learning Latin, 2 years learning
French, and 3 years sleeping...in Spanish

magnate with a huge off-line reach to set-up
an on-line shop.

class.

I also have 4 condom vending machines on

After St. Anselm's I went on to Howard
University also in Washington DC(although in

location in club bathrooms. I'm testing
different kinds of condoms in the machines

a less savory area) on a full scholarship
from 1996-2000. i majored in Economics

and I'm also thinking of other things to put
in the machine like this.

because business school was too dull but I
still wanted to be able to find a job(because

All this makes it sound like I'm busy, but I

as my mom would say, "Boy, you need to get
yourself a J-O-B!"), also I always figured

work on all of these projects slowly with no
hard deadlines. And the reason I have so many

that I could learn that practical stuff
later. What I didn't know at the time is that

different things going on simultaneously is
that I'm so lazy that when I hit an obstacle

all of the ivy leaguers bringing down the fat
salaries studied econ. too(this fortunate

instead of working my way through it, I go on
to something else until a breakthrough

accident led me into the world of Investment
Banking and Consulting, but more on that

presents itself.

later).

So you're probably wondering, "If I work for
only 50 hours a MONTH, what do I do with all

the rest of the time?" Well, I spend a lot of
time reading. What kinds of things I'm

I was able to get what I thought at the time
time were amazing job offers, I ended up(to

reading really depends but recently I've been
re-focusing on following the stock market and

the surprise of most everyone who knows me)
getting a Fulbright Scholarship to study in

learning about investing and wealth creation
and preservation. Also it gives me time to

Japan for a year and decided that I could
come back for an even better job after my one

hatch business ideas like the two you'll see
below, and allowed me to slow down enough to

year stint abroad(maybe even a job at
McKinsey!).

look around an find a better way to go.

The bubble bursting and the lay-offs were one

So, how did I get here?

of the many factors that kept me from
returning to the States. Others included a

Those of you who have known me for a long
time know that when I started at Howard

change in ambitions and personal issues that
are always way too complicated.

University I was an ambitiousless
intellectual with a chip on my shoulder about

Since then I have been living in Japan and

having missed out on the chance to go to
Columbia Univ. and play on the Ultimate

life here has been very up and down, though
it's now stabilizing as my experience,

Frisbee team. (I've never ceased to fantasize
about this by the way, despite my parents

abilities, and knowledge are now catching up
with my ambitions(or maybe my ambitions are

attempts to make it seem like I didn't miss
out on anything)

scaling down to match the level of my
experience, abilities and skills).

While at Howard I transformed from a fairly

Interestingly enough, while my dad has always

mediocre boy with a privelged background into
an ambitious, goal driven(though low-key),

touted the benefits of vicarious learning, I
find that learning from others can be very

self-determined person on the road to manhood
with a much deeper understanding of what it

slow, and only under their terms. I can say
that I agree with vicarious learning, but

is to be black and what I wanted out of the
world.

it's definitely important to realize that
everyone has their limitations and you should

Due to some rather serendipitous events I met

not go overboard in studying under one other
person.

two people during my graduation year who
really changed the course of my life,

Indexing is the popular way to go these days

Lawrence Penn and William Patterson. The
first turned me onto the world of management

as far as investing and I think that when it
comes to education this is the way to look at

consulting, which was great having already
been rejected for a job by all the major

it too. If you have an area you want to learn
about listen to ALL the experts, and keep and

investment banks and giving me a second
chance at getting a job that would put me

open mind and weight what they have to say
against each other because they all know more

into a 6 figure salary in under 10 years. The
second, turned me on to the world of

than you but are each limited by their own
experience.

business, as in business for myself,
entrepreneurship, which was something I never

Excuse the tangent there, anyway, now I'm

imagined was possible for me.

running PickUp Asia, the premier Asia-based,
dating and relationship coaching company for

Both of them opened up worlds of possibility
that I'd never imagined before. Coming from

men. It's October 2009 and we have done
programs in Fukuoka, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and

an extremely cushy family background, I had
no reason to imagine anything beyond that

Hong Kong, with plans to expand to Shanghai,
Beijing, Taipei, and Singapore.

middle class background and felt if I did
that well, there was no reason to work for

We've worked with over 150 clients, primarily

more.

western expats, though we are now expanding
into teaching Korean men in Korea.

William Patterson(aka Knowledge, don't ask)
allowed me to think that I could create

In November, I'll be speaking at my first

enormous amounts of wealth within a short
time. Since I met him I have been firmly on

large scale audience of a few hundred people
in Melbourne, followed by another speech two

the path of learning how to do that.

weeks later in Sydney along side some of the
heavy hitters in the industry, some of whom

I have had many, many, many dissappointments
in my quest(I thought I would be rich by 23,

appeared in the book, "The Game".

24 tops!). I can definitely say that I wasted
two years working for someone else, thinking

I've also recently started a blog:
RedpoleQ.com.

I was working for myself, but I corrected
that and really feel myself moving forward at

Before I started PickUp Asia I was living a

a much more rapid clip.

fairly comfortable life in Japan. I worked an
average of 50 hours a MONTH and the lowest

The third person that has really influenced
my life is Brian Tanura. He showed me what a

pay I worked for was about $20 hour, though I
was working on phasing out the lower paying

good lifestyle is all about. I remember all
the times I'd go over to his house and he and

hours and moving up to a minimum of
$60/hour.

his wife(he was 28 at the time) would be
putzing around the house like two retired

I made most of my money from teaching, but I

people.

started having regular lunch parties for my
students that brought in an extra $100/month

They went out for late lunches and got low
plane ticket prices by traveling off-season.

when I started having them in March 2006.

I knew that that was the life I wanted to
live. I'm still working on it, but I'm

Planning to organize a trip to the US for
some students with some margin on top for

pleased with my progress.

me.

Recently, I really feel like I have things in
hand and finally have figured out how to make

Importing a Jagermeister cooling machine for
bars and clubs. Got one in place and 2 more

money. I'm still working on the doing part
though. In the meantime I'm maintaining this

virtually guaranteed sales. Each should make
me a profit of

super laid back approach of course, and
enjoying my kick-ass lifestyle, and things

are only getting better.