We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marquis Whitting. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marquis below.

Marquis, appreciate you joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My hero is my father. It’s a no brainer, I wouldn’t be the man I am without him. Some lessons I learned from him is how to work hard, go after what is that I want, never give up no matter hard it gets and most importantly how to be a man. He always supported me in whatever I wanted to do. The journey that I’ve been on has been easier to navigate through with him on my side. Not too many black males have their father in their life. It’s a blessing and something I will never take for granted.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am Marquis Whitting from East Cleveland, Ohio. Most people call me ‘Quis’. That’s how I came up with the name “Kicks By Quis” . I got into the shoe repair/custom by having a passion for shoes and the excitement that comes from transforming the shoes into something unique. I started off by playing around with old shoes that I had laying around the house. I saw how good I could be if I worked on my craft. mMy friends seen the potential and encouraged me to take it serious. I clean, restore and customize shoes. I am most proud of the feedback from my clients and supporters, and the result of my work. I want people to know more about me and my brand. I also want people to see the outcome of the hard work I put in.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Hard work and consistency helped me build my reputation. As well as the people that support me and what I do. My friends and family reposting my work on their social media and word of my mouth.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my audience on social media by having the blessing to have family and friends that support me. People repost my work on their page and that draws attention to another crowd. The more people that notice you the better. If the work’s good enough people will start to buy in and support whatever it is you’re doing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kicksbyquis