In this episode of The Circuit of Success, Brett Gilliland sits down with Jeff Meade, an entrepreneur, education innovator, and venture-based learning advocate who is redefining what higher education can look like. As the Founding Director of Entrepreneurship at Paul Quinn College, Jeff is leading the groundbreaking initiative “Every Quinnite is an Entrepreneur,” a bold program where every student launches and operates a business before graduation. With more than 20 years of experience scaling companies, building nationally recognized marketing programs, and advising businesses, Jeff is proving that entrepreneurship is more than a career path — it’s a life skill.

Throughout the conversation, Jeff shares his incredible journey from being the son of Caribbean immigrants to building successful market research and marketing agencies, scaling businesses to multimillion-dollar revenues, and helping brands connect with culture long before it became mainstream. His work has been featured in publications like Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur Magazine. Jeff also opens up about overcoming setbacks, learning from failed acquisition opportunities, staying focused on the “main thing,” and why mentorship and abundance thinking have become central to his mission.

Brett and Jeff dive deep into entrepreneurship, leadership, higher education, personal growth, financial literacy, and building a future greater than your past. Jeff explains why today’s students need entrepreneurial thinking regardless of their career path and shares his massive vision to one day create a college funded by student-run and university-owned businesses instead of rising tuition costs. This episode is packed with practical wisdom, inspiring leadership lessons, and a powerful conversation about creating generational impact through entrepreneurship, innovation, and education.

To connect with Jeff Meade: Website and Email

Watch the Full Episode Here!