Quandell Iglesia opened two businesses before he turned 18, for his third act he wanted to give back to his generation.
By ANTHONY MAZZIOTTI
It’s interesting how people find their calling in life. For Quandell Iglesia, an 18-year old from Williamstown, he knew from his first job experience he was destined for great things.
When he was just 16 years old, Iglesia was disheartened by his job in the fast-food industry. Instead of tucking his tail between his legs, he founded his first company, Photobliss, LLC.
“I felt like I wasn’t being used to my highest potential.” he said.
Iglesia saw a need for photography in his area, and due to his involvement in the community as president of the Interact and DECA clubs, he took the opportunity and ran.
Upon graduation, Iglesia started another business, Quandell Iglesia Consulting. There he offered advice on public speaking, business start-up consulting and social media consulting. That venture gave him the opportunity to work with Chick-fil-A where he was on a webcast that reached 190,000 people nationwide.
With two businesses under his belt by the time he turned 18, Iglesia found himself wanting more; so he started a nonprofit, SNJ Millennials.
The concept came to him in August 2017, and came to fruition in September of the same year. SNJ Millennials is comprised of young business professionals and provides revolutionary networking mixers, workshops and business educational resources. It serves from Camden, Gloucester and Burlington counties to Ocean and Atlantic counties.
Iglesia believes his nonprofit stands out when it comes to networking organizations, saying, “We bridge the gap between the other generations.”
SNJ Millennials is based on three pillars: Support, Mentor and Volunteer. Support when and how you can, provide leadership by mentoring and volunteer at local high schools and universities.
Igelsia’s goal is to have a different theme and focus for the coming quarters and years. The current theme of “Making of an Empire!” with a focus to educate, empower and enrich “in the making” entrepreneurs by basing our workshops, panels and networking functions to help them get started and stay relevant.
The organization promotes that the future is now, the first priority is its members, and that everyone should continue to be bold and unique.
Iglesia said the most immediate goal is to promote awareness.
“The main focus is enriching South Jersey as a whole,” he said. “It can be a place where people are growing, benefitting and being the best that they can be. I want our members to reach their highest potential.”
Iglesia’s motive behind the nonprofit is similar to that of a parent: He wanted younger professionals and entrepreneurs to have better first experiences than he did. He believes if they have a better experience, they will continue to grow.
Being goal-oriented, Iglesia has his eyes set on the future as well, stating there’s no reason why SNJ Millennials can’t eventually reach out to other cities and states. In the meantime he just wants the organization to thrive in and use its resources in South Jersey.
For more information about SNJ Millennials, visit its website, www.snjmillennials.org.
