Meet Justin
Justin, Community Builder, Entrepreneur, Connector
Q: What do you do for work?
A: I am the general manager of Alley in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was previously the founding director at Hatch Fenway, and do some business development consultation on the side.
Q: What drives you?
A: I am an entrepreneur at heart. I understand a lot of the problems that entrepreneurs face. I’ve built a network of connections and people who can help me achieve my dreams. Now I’m trying to do the same thing and pay it forward.
Q: What about entrepreneurship interests you?
A: It’s taking something that already exists but creating a different way to utilize it.
Q: How is dressing well important to your work?
A: I’m not your traditional entrepreneur; I’m not your traditional person who would land funding, I’m not the person who would traditionally have made some investments. I’m trying to break all those norms. Some of that comes down to the way you look in a suit and presenting yourself differently from what people might have previously perceived.
Q: How does wearing a suit make you feel?
A: For me, wearing a suit puts me on top of the world. When I really want to take it up a notch and put my mindset on another level, a suit and a collared shirt will eliminate all other noise.
Q: Is there a go-to outfit that makes you feel more confident?
A: I love wearing a sportcoat over a button up shirt, no tie. Maybe a pocket square to accent whatever I’m trying to accomplish.
Q: Is there anywhere you think you get your sense of style from?
A: My mother and my grandfather. My grandfather just turned 91 years old. He has a good energy about him and has this laidback vibe where anything he puts on, he’s wearing. You can’t question his style. He wears plaid with zig-zag stripes, and I think, “Man, I didn’t think that would ever work together,” and it works!
Q: What issues has custom solved for you?
A: Nothing can beat custom. Especially being 6’5” with a seven-foot wingspan. I was usually the person with the rolled-up sleeves.
Q: What does custom mean to you?
A: I feel more comfortable in something that I know was designed for me, with my own quirks and uniqueness in mind.
Q: What are some of your hobbies and interests?
A: I love to travel. I’m going to Costa Rica with a program called Startup Island. I will teach a workshop to students who are entrepreneurially focused.
