Quentin Casey: Connecting With A Billionaire

Emily Rodger  0:00  
Hi, I'm Emily Rodger, host of the Boiling Point podcast. My co-host, Dave Veale, and I will bring you thoughtful discussions with leaders who are positively impacting our world. This is the Boiling Point, where leadership and inspiration meet. Dave, we're back. How are you today?

Dave Veale  0:21  
I'm good. I decided I had like an hour window between this interview and what I was doing previously, and I thought, you know what, I'm gonna go for a run. And I don't know what is in the- it was beautiful, cold, but I started sneezing when I got back and I can't quit sneezing. Might cause a problem here. I'll push mute for sure when that happens, but it's- you know, it's nice to get that midday run in, because it was just going to be later, and I got a whole bunch of energy for this. And I can say, because I think you're gonna ask me, what have I been doing over the last month. Usually I ask you. I went up to the Yukon Territory, celebrated 80th birthday with my mother, and then went to Nashville. So I've finally done some travelling. Usually it's you doing the travel, but all good fun stuff. And I think you and I have a different perspective on flying. I was- I was lamenting to you, I was saying, man I am so- it's like, way too long to get in and out of places but yeah, so that's been my month, how about you? What's been exciting for you?

Emily Rodger  1:20  
Well, it's- touching back on your run, I actually got out for a walk before this, because I was like, I just need some fresh air and to move, and my allergies, I'm like- normally I have spring allergies but fall allergies. This is a whole new thing and I don't know what is out there in the air but like my gosh, so I feel you on that. What is new with me? I actually don't think I've traveled since the last time we would have chatted, which only would have been-

Dave Veale  1:47  
That is odd. That is odd.

Emily Rodger  1:49  
It's only- it's only been a week. Actually I was up to- you know where I did travel to this past weekend, was I was up in Miramichi in New Brunswick, and got to partake in the Striper Bass Tournament. So I was invited up there, I wasn't a- wasn't in competition, but got invited out with the organizer of that, and got to learn about a completely new fishery to me, and it was funny because I actually got to fish with conventional gear where normally I only fly fish, and so it was even this thing of like, how do I even use this? But no, I have lots of travel coming up. But for right now I am just enjoying fall and being in New Brunswick and everything that the season brings and just being here.

Dave Veale  2:41  
yeah, lots of beautiful colors. Well, that's cool. You got up to the Miramichi. One of my most favorite places in the entire world.

Emily Rodger  2:48  
It's incredible. Gosh, it's so beautiful. And like what an amazingly friendly community. 

Dave Veale  2:55  
Oh, yeah. 

Emily Rodger  2:57  
Oh, was so nice. Okay, so today we have Quentin Casey on the Boiling Point. Quentin came to us through our Director of Communications and Marketing and good friend Dave Stonehouse, and Dave and Quentin used to work together I guess, years and years ago, and still do a little bit of work together. Quentin, welcome to the Boiling Point. 

Quentin Casey  3:24  
Hi. Thanks for having me.

Emily Rodger  3:26  
Hello. We- right before you- well, we started recording and we were chatting, I commented on your artwork in the background, and the diversity between the book cover of your latest book, Net Worth, and then all of your beautiful paintings and pictures from, I assume, your children.

Quentin Casey  3:52  
My finger paints, my personal finger painting collection.

Emily Rodger  3:56  
So that's what you do. Dave goes for a walk before, you just whipped up some artwork to make sure your background looks good. 

Quentin Casey  4:02  
Exactly. Yes. 

Dave Veale  4:08  
Well welcome on.

Quentin Casey  4:10  
Yeah, thanks very much. I really appreciate it. Yeah, glad to be here.

Dave Veale  4:13  
And we have- we have- we have- we have friends in common, meaning Dave Stonehouse who's listening in. And I'm sure you can weave a story about him in here somewhere. As he hired you, and I had- I had the good fortune of him. I don't know if they really called hired, but you know, he kind of hired me to do a column years ago, in the Telegraph Journal, a provincial newspaper in New Brunswick. And and he hired you and and you haven't- you haven't looked back. You've had this pretty prolific career, as we- as we look at your bio and stuff. Tell us a little bit about your background, Quentin.

Quentin Casey  4:49  
Sure, yeah no, I owe Dave a lot actually. He's had a really big impact on my career. You know, he gave me my first job there at the Telegraph Journal, and that was an awesome place to started out as a journalist. There were a lot of young journalists there at the time. So it was a great sort of like, learning ground to learn everything. And just one story about Dave. I'd only been at the TJ like three months. And he asked me to do this week long series on health care. That was- changes that were coming in New Brunswick, the Health Minister said there were going to be all these changes. So Dave wanted to look at, well, if there's going to be changes, what should we change? And so I was sort of calling all these experts and health care people, you know, and every day we had a story come out about a different thing. So the series did win an Atlantic journalism award. So that was pretty cool. And so when I went up to get the award, I was nervous and didn't really know what I was saying. So then when I get back to my seat, my wife said that I thanked Dave three times and didn't mention her at all. So this is something she mentions all the time that oh, yeah, you thanked Stonehouse like three times, you didn't mention me at all. Yeah, no, Dave- Dave's been a really great big figure in my career, for sure. And so I grew up in Halifax, went to Dalhousie University, and I was the editor of the Dal paper there. And that sort of got me into the- got me the journalism bug. And so I went to Western, did a journalism degree, worked at the National Post there, did an internship there, and then got hired by Dave. So yeah, that was- yeah, it's crazy to think how long ago that was now, but like, yeah, almost 18 years ago that I sort of started in the journalism trade. Yeah. 

Dave Veale  6:32  
So I'm curious, for someone who likes interviewing other people, and we're gonna get into, you know, your latest book, and that sorta thing. What's it like to be interviewed? Does it- is it- are you as comfortable- Like, is there one side of the table you prefer to be on? Or are both equally comfortable?

Quentin Casey  6:50  
No, I definitely- I just like, natural- my personality is more like different in conversations, I prefer to, like, ask more of the questions and that kind of thing. So yeah, it's- it's very different for me. And I do like, you know, asking the questions, and, you know, digging into people a little bit, but it's- it's always fun to have it be reversed. Because I- it's- when you do it yourself, and then you see how other people approach it. You always learn a little bit too about it, about the interview process and that kind of thing. So yeah, no, I enjoy it. 

Dave Veale  7:20  
Okay, yeah, it's- you know, it's interesting with that, Emily, that would be like, so we're both executive coaches is like, you know, and you- and you-  similar to- to- to being an interviewer or a journalist or whatever, you have a natural curiosity. And then to be on the other side, when someone's coaching you, man, you can learn a lot. Like it's pretty- it's pretty amazing. From that perspective, but I do find I much prefer asking questions. Emily's asked me to be a guest on an upcoming episode, and I'm already like, kind of feeling nervous about it. I'm not sure if I really like- well, what am I going to talk about? I'd much rather ask the questions. 

Emily Rodger  7:56  
You don't know this. But Quentin is also going to be on here. And then he's going to write a book about you.

Dave Veale  8:01  
Oh, yeah. That'll be good. It won't be Net Worth, I can tell you that much right now.

Emily Rodger  8:11  
Yeah. And so with that, Quentin, your latest book- so you have written three books, your latest one, Net Worth, it came out this past summer. And you wrote it about John Risley.

Quentin Casey  8:21  
That's right. Yeah, no, it came out in June. And it's been doing pretty well so far. It's in a second print run. And, you know, I guess that's sort of not surprising, in a way, just because John Risley is such an interesting guy. And a lot of people are- have been sort of fascinated with him for years. You know, in Nova Scotia is pretty much a household name. And if someone says, oh Risley did this, or Risley did that, people know who you're talking about without the first name. So yeah, it's sort of not surprising that people want to know a little bit more about, you know, how he's done the stuff that he has done.

Emily Rodger  8:54  
And so for context, for listeners who are not Maritimers, tell us who John Risley is. And then I'm curious as to why did you want to write a book with him?

Quentin Casey  9:07  
John Risley is really one of the most dynamic Canadian entrepreneurs, you know, even beyond Atlantic Canada. He's really- the stuff he's done globally, you know, he's on par with really anyone else in Canada in terms of entrepreneurship. So he grew up in Halifax and his mom was a war bride that came over from England. His dad died when he was 15. You know, his family was middle class, but they sort of struggled a little bit with money were after his father died. And so his childhood ambition was to become a millionaire. So that's what he's always been very money focused. And he went to Dallas, he dropped out of dowel had a bunch of businesses that you know, just sputtered and failed. And eventually he started with his brother in law, a lobster pound on the side of the bed for highway just outside Halifax. And so that became clear water seafood. So they started just selling lobsters. Out of tanks like they were in their like hip waders and stuff like lobsters in the tanks. But from that Risley completely transformed the lobster fishery in Atlantic Canada. It was like a $50 million business back then it's like 3 billion today. And it's like a huge driver of the Canadian economy. So no one's more responsible for that growth than him. But then he used that base to build other businesses. So he started ocean nutrition, which was a nutraceutical Omega three oil company, and they sold that for almost 600 million to a Dutch pharmaceutical company. And he started Columbus communications. And this is where he made most of his money. So he's really known as like the lobster guide. But Columbus communications started as like a one country cable company in the Caribbean. And it basically, they built cable fiber optic network through the whole Caribbean, and like Northern Latin America. And long story short, Columbus was ended up being involved with to like, multi multi billion dollar deals. So it was just an enormous windfall for him personally, and, yeah, he's known as lobster guy, but he's done so many other things. And today, he's got businesses all over all over the world.

Dave Veale  11:24  
He's in- there's a lot there. But for you, personally, Quentin, was there something that really appealed to you about his story that you thought, I'd like to dig into? I'd like to learn more about this guy? 

Quentin Casey  11:34  
Yeah, I can't- it's hard to explain what really grabbed me about it, I just- it got in my head that he would be a good person to write about, you know, there's a few factors there like he is well known. Like, it's hard to write about someone who no one knows about. And people are always a little bit fascinated with rich people. And, you know, he's always been known as like the Nova Scotia billionaire, and all that kind of stuff. So there's a little bit of intrigue there. And people like to know some of the behind the curtain stuff when people have a lot of money, the jets, the super yachts, that kind of stuff. And he has all that so, you know, lots of houses. So people like that kind of stuff. And no one had written about him before. And that really surprised me. Because, you know, it turned out that people had tried to, like, he had sort of shooed them away. And he hadn't been interested in that. So actually, when I was in like the final draft of the book, Risley forwarded me an email that had been sent to him from Gordon Pitts, who wrote the Codfathers, which is a pretty, you know, for Atlantic Canadian business, sort of like landmark book. And he was just asking Risley, you know, would you ever be interested in a book or something like that, you know, tell your story, that kind of thing. So hammered home, the point that he does have an interesting story. And he is in his mid 70s, too. So, you know, at a certain point, everyone from this sort of, like, cohort, people who worked with, you know, they eventually pass on, then you can't get the stories and you can't get the background. So it seemed like a pretty good time to dig into it as well. 

Emily Rodger  13:00  
Why do you think he said yes to you?

Quentin Casey  13:02  
Partly because I just kept bugging him. Like, I'd sent him a few emails. And I should say, I interviewed him for a few just like, quick stories over the years. So I- I had his email, and normally you send him an email, and he'll get back to you within minutes. And it's, you know, I- that's also an incredible thing about him is how sort of available he is, and you don't have to book his time with an assistant or anything like that. He's just you just email him. So are you on a few times that I didn't hear back. And, you know, essentially, I just think he wasn't interested in it. And you know, he's somebody who, over the years could have paid someone to write a really like flowery, glowing, you know, autobiography. But he wasn't interested in that. And so eventually, I just started, you know, he didn't get that. And I just started interviewing other people. So I interviewed first Colin McDonald, who was his brother in law and co founder in Clearwater seafood. So they, you know, they've known each other for like, more than 40 years. And that first interview with Colin McDonald, you know, I knew right after that interview, that there's like a book because he was very candid, you know, a lot of a lot of positive things, you know, a lot of complimentary things, but also, some comments that made you realize, okay, there's, there's, there's more here to dig into that this is like a real person, with flaws and foibles, and all that kind of stuff. So that made me realize that this guy is interesting. He's had a lot of success, but he's also pissed some people off and that kind of thing. So, yeah, I realized that there was like an interesting portrait to be painted with him. 

Emily Rodger  14:37  
What has his response been to the book?

Quentin Casey  14:39  
Well, like, as I noted in the introduction, it turned out that one of his concerns about the whole thing was that he just couldn't understand how it'd make any money, which is just so funny, because, you know, like, that's- that's how he would view everything. And he was sort of puzzled by why someone would want to do all this work for something where you're never going to make any money from it. So that was one of his concerns. And then when the book did come out, and I shouldn't say like, it's wasn't commissioned by him, obviously, it's like a work of journalism. And so he didn't see it until it was actually printed, he didn't get like a preview of it or anything. So like, I delivered him copies at this cafe in Chester, where he's a regular. And, you know, he was with some people, so we didn't have a lot of time to talk. But he's like, his comment was, like a lot of work for no reward. And like, this was like, probably like the 12th time he had commented about how I would make any money. And so I did get a nice follow up email from maybe like, a month after the book came out. And he said that he didn't really allude to the fact that he read the whole thing. But he said that what he'd heard was, like, good, well researched and well written in that kind of thing. And he said, You know, I hope the sales have lived up to your expectations. So he was, you know, it's just funny, he was still on this, and- about, you know, not being able to make money and- and his- his son had a funny quote, where, you know, his son said, even if you were going to, like character assassinate him in this book, like, he probably would have been okay with it, as long as it was like a big moneymaker and a big hit. So yeah, that just sort of goes to, you know, his way of thinking versus like my way of thinking or, you know, other people's way of thinking when they sort of approach a project like that.

Dave Veale  16:10  
Quentin, at the start of your book, you have a quote, I believe it's from an author that wrote about Lyndon Johnson: "Explore a single individual, deeply enough, and truth about all individuals emerge." So how does that resonate with you, that quote, in this process of writing around- about John Risley? What- what started to pop up for you? 

Quentin Casey  16:30  
Yeah no, I like that quote, too. Just everybody's unique and Risley has had a very unique life and has done a lot of things that a lot of people haven't but, you know, whenever you're talking about people who are successful, ambitious, like hard driving people, you know, there's always the flip side of that. So you know, like Risley is admittedly- was an absentee father, wasn't around a lot for his- his kids, and like, you know, physically present, you know, and then you know, with money, it's money causes problems, as much as it helps you out with all the things you can buy. And there's that element of it, too. So, I think in exploring Risley's life, there's a lot of somewhat universal truths that come out about sacrifice, and being a workaholic, and having a lot of money and that kind of stuff. So yeah, I think that's sort of where that- that's sort of what that quote meant to me. Yeah. And sort of why I had it at the beginning to sort of frame the whole thing, with that quote.

Dave Veale  17:26  
It's interesting you talk about, you know, him being a father. And as we start, we talked about the pictures behind you, from your kids, right? And the kind of- you know, and how- how, obviously, you're very driven person, but you're trying to be present to your children, it sounds like, as well. How do- I wonder how people- like, I've always thought that's an interesting topic, right around being hard driving, you know, very successful, but- but the- the cost that can come with that, and, you know, it sounds like there was- there was a cost for- for Risley. And from- for a lot of individuals that push hard, you know, whether it's an Olympic athlete or whatever, but just- it often can be sacrificing family.

Quentin Casey  18:11  
Yeah no, for sure. And, you know, he admits that, for him business was, you know, all encompassing, you know, he sacrificed everything else in the name of business, and he's, he's remarried, his second wife is an entrepreneur, and she's, you know, a little bit younger than he is. But she, you know, she talked, she gets some interesting quotes, I thought about how she thinks that Risley and Colin McDonald, sort of- have- sort of has a bragging point about how hard they work. And, you know, like, that kind of thing, but that, you know, her point was, like, it's nothing to brag about. And, you know, she said that, like, women, it's not the same for women, you know, like, a woman can't just totally, you know, walk away, almost like, I'm just going to do all my work, like, you know, you take care of all the dentist appointments and the parent teacher stuff and going into sports games. It's like, you know, her point was, you know, like, I have to do all that stuff. And I have to do all the business stuff, which is obviously, you know, it's very true. So like, obviously, times have changed a little bit because Risley started out, like in the mid 70s, but yeah, you know, it's funny, like with Risley, there's a bit of a, you know, it's like, on one hand, he wasn't around a lot for his kids, but, you know, they did grow up with a lot of opportunities. Like they, you know, obviously, they traveled the world and, you know, they'd go on these through, like, YPO events with their dad, you know, where they would hear like, you know, the German Chancellor speak, and they met Donald Trump, and, you know, like, they sort of got to rub shoulders with some- you know, some heavyweights, you know, presidents and that kind of stuff. So, there's that and also, you know, he largely funds everyone's lifestyle now. You know, In the family, so, you know, there's a trade off for everything. Right. So yeah, I think that's an interesting point. And everyone- you had an interesting comment about and everyone sort of sees it in a different- in a different way.

Dave Veale  20:13  
Emily sorry, just gonna- just one comment quickly, I'll just- but I was gonna say, I look forward to the book about someone who somehow managed to do it all. You know what I mean? Like, I don't even know if it's possible, right, like, I keep on waiting for that, because- and I suspect when- you know, it won't be a true- you know, kind of real journalism being done. Because there's just trade offs in life. And it's just interesting to- to hear that trade off. Sorry, Emily.

Emily Rodger  20:42  
No, well, even with the real journalism being done comment, like, I am always so fascinated, Quentin, how authors- like, did you- did you find that you've stayed unbiased throughout it? Like how do you write about someone when you then know so much about them, and not become swayed one way or the other?

Quentin Casey  21:07  
Yeah, I mean, that's like the- the thing that, you know, you sort of- I was just thinking about that, like, all the time, like this- especially in Nova Scotia, there's a lot of people who have a lot of opinions of Risley, you know, a lot of people have very strong opinions about him. Because he's someone who he's been in the press a lot over the past, like 40 years, you know, he's, he likes to speak out on like, policy issues, and that kind of thing. And he can be very blunt, and, you know, frankly, like, he just annoys a lot of people. And it's just a lot of people off. And so there are some, like strong opinions about him. And, you know, there's some things about him that, you know, like, to your point about staying on bias, like, people would sort of always go on about how, you know, he's only successful because he got government money and this kind of stuff. So there's some of those, like, myths that I wanted to bust a little bit, you know, just to try to, you know, look at things, you know, as they are like, don't worry about what people's opinions have been about him. Like, what was the what's the actual, like, facts here? And, yeah, I mean, I have been, people have told me that, you know, they do think, you know, that it's, you know, like, it's really not my opinion, it's not my opinion, like, no one cares, what my opinion is about genres, and like, no one's gonna buy a book for that, you know, I just wanted to show, like, here's all the facts. This is what these are the people who have known him the best over his life, this is what they say. So, you know, and there's obviously things where, you know, certain things that like, that he's done or whatever that, you know, like, personally, you might be like, geez, like, what, like, not very nice or whatever, like, you know, a bit of an asshole to be honest, but, you know, you just have to, like, put that aside and look at look at the big picture. And, you know, just try to be- like, fairness- like, fairness is like, the main thing, like, am I being fair, is sort of like something I would ask myself, like, all the time.

Dave Veale  23:02  
You know what's interesting, as you describe him, and you know, naturally, like living in this part of the world, you've heard stories, and you know people that have worked with him. And you know- and to your point, Quentin, people are- he's kind of a polarizing figure. And I think, you know, most of the time that happens when you're quite well known, or you have some degree of success. But his- his approach to leadership, and in terms of how he led people, you described as like, hands off, that kind of- that- I find it a little surpris- I mean, which is- is, you know, technically a really good approach to leadership, right, like, let people do what they're brilliant at. But in some ways, it's surprising, because you might expect the opposite. Tell me a little bit about, you know, what you learned about his leadership and his approach and this idea that- that, you know, finding talent and just, you know- you know, according to your research, where he- he just took a hands off approach.

Quentin Casey  24:03  
Yeah, no, I think- I think that's a great way of stating it, that it is surprising, because I think a lot of people have that impression that people like him, like him specifically, but also other people are very, you know, like my way or the highway, you're going to do it the way I say to, you know, I'm going to hire you, but I'm going to be in the background all the time, making sure you do things, right. But yeah, it's interesting. He's not like that at all. Like, he's all his businesses. He's had like an operational like partner, where he just he find someone that he is competence in who's, you know, has the necessary skills and experience and just sort of, like, lets them go and, you know, I think that that's definitely, you know, a good lesson, as you say. So, like in Clearwater, Colin McDonald was more like the operations guy, you know, making sure the lobsters get out on time. And that gave Risley the opportunity to go over to Europe, he found the whole, you know, he pioneered the whole European market flying the lobsters over to Europe overnight. And then the Asian market came after that. And then with ocean nutrition, you know, Robert Doar was the founding CEO. And he was able to run a company, you know, for the majority of the time that existed. And then with Columbus communications, Brendan Paddock from Newfoundland, he was the CEO and the main guy there, and, you know, Risley, and all these situations, he's usually, you know, big picture strategy, dealing with the bankers, raising all the capital that you need for these, you know, crazy expansion, to grow the value of the business. So, yeah, it's interesting. It's interesting that that's his personality. And I think, like you said, I think a lot of people would, would assume that he's just more of a tyrant and you know, telling people what to do, and not letting them sort of do their own thing.

Dave Veale  25:56  
And I'm guessing that's a big part of his success, like getting guys like Robert Orr and these guys, people, in, and letting them do what they're excellent at. And like, we would run into this, in coaching engagements, a lot of times, that's what holds people back, right? They get to that next level, you know, and Emily, we coach people and support them in saying, you know, you can't know everything about everything, you've got to let- work through your people. And I think some people kind of intuitively understand it. Clearly Risley does or did, but that came up in your research.

Quentin Casey  26:28  
Yeah, and I think the other thing is, like Risley said, what, when you are like a hands on person who wants to micromanage everything, then there's a finite amount of things you can do. Whereas when you're able to hand things off and trust people, then the scope of what you can do expands greatly. So he- he's always just got like ideas, he always wants to be invested in businesses. So for him, the fact that he can trust people, then he can move on to other things. And so instead of like being super day to day hands on with one business, you know, he has like 12 Major, let's say like 12 or 15 major investments in companies that he can sort of hop between very high level and not get bogged down in, you know, like the day to day, minutia of, that, you know, he's more than happy to let his CEO and CFO, like, take care of.

Emily Rodger  27:27  
So for John, you expressed that the book being profitable is likely what has made the book a success. What does success looks like for you with that book?

Quentin Casey  27:39  
Well, again, it's like- like I told him, like, it's Canadian publishing. So like, there's really no chance of making money to begin with. So like, it's not about money, it's like, there's much better ways to spend your time than like, writing a book for the Canadian market. Unless you're like Robert Munsch, or something. But for me, it's, I just get so much like, personal satisfaction out of like, even the process, like I just, I do wish to paid more, because I just love doing it. Like I love coming into my office every day. And like just being immersed in, you know, like going through all kinds of articles, going through interviews and that kind of thing. And being able to like really drill down where it's like day to day journalism is just like, pop in surface level, you know, try to become an expert in five minutes, but you're not an expert, then you go to the next story. And it's just like this sort of constant cycle of little bits, where this is really digging into it. And so, that's very rewarding for me in itself. But then, you know, I have been really happy that the sales have been good, like, it's in a second printing. And, you know, I've gotten a lot of feedback from this just like sort of personal like emails and people reaching out to me on LinkedIn and stuff, like very complimentary. So that's all been good. You know, it's like, when you're writing about someone who's more known in Canada, and even like Atlanta, Canada, like, you know, that there's a limited, you know, there is a ceiling for like the market for the books. So, you know, it's not going to sell like 2 million copies. But, you know, I've been happy with it so far. You know, for me, it's just been really rewarding and getting to this point anyway,

Emily Rodger  29:04  
You talk about immersing yourself into it. How do you separate yourself from that, at the end of the day?

Quentin Casey  29:13  
I guess it goes back to that thing about Risley being such a workaholic, like, I don't know, they just find like sometimes you can get so caught up in your thoughts, but you just try, I don't know, just try to be like, more present and it my kids are eight and almost six. So once you get near them, it's like it's hard not to be sucked into the like tornado of chaos. So it's sort of like that, in itself pulls you out of thinking about anything else. But I mean, it's also different like Risley sign told me that, you know, his dad didn't attend a single one of his, like, sporting events when he was a kid. Whereas like, my son's got basketball practice tonight. He's only eight but like, I'm excited to actually go and watch the practice. So you know, it's also just like personality wise and like trying to balance things, you know, a little bit a bit better. So yeah. 

Dave Veale  29:59  
There's the part where you'd rather be on the other side of the mic. 

Quentin Casey  30:03  
Yeah, no exactly, it's obvious. 

Dave Veale  30:05  
I'm reading- I'm reading the body language, and I'm going oh, he's squiriming now. Do we keep going here? What do we do?

Emily Rodger  30:11  
I'm always so interested in, for authors, where it is like- it's such a creative, like, self propelled process of like- like, are you eight to five sitting in your office writing? Like, what does a- what does a day look like for you?

Quentin Casey  30:27  
Like, when I was going through this, it's like, drop my kids off at school at like a little after eight, and then get at my desk at 8:30. And try to be productive for like, six hours of like, good productivity. And, you know, my wife is the real breadwinner in the family. So you know, anything to do with, like, you know, when the kids are sick, which they seem like they're sick all the time, or like, you know, in services, and all this other stuff. That's all take care of that stuff. But that's why doing this kind of work is good, because it's not like daily time sensitive. Like I've said the day before, like, I don't know, I didn't have kids when I worked at the TJ but a lot of the people there did, and, you know, they would be sort of stressed to get out of there at the end of the day, and you know, you can't relate to it, too. You're sort of in that situation. So, again, I guess I'm squirming again. But you know, I read that book, Calvin, Newport, I think I got the name, right. Deep Work, you know, and that was, I don't read a lot of those sort of like books in that vein. But that was a really interesting one about needing to have like committed time where you're not distracted, and that to do anything, any significant work, like in any field, whether it's like engineering, or music or anything, like you have to have those blocks of time where you're only focusing like on one thing, and that people think they can multitask really well, but really, most people can't, so that you need to be focused on it. So that's it. Like, I would just try to have those blocks of like a day of like I said, I find like my brain is fried after like six hours. So like six hours of like solid, like mental work. But yeah, I really enjoyed that book. And I'd recommend it to anyone who does a kind of like work like that, because I think it's there's a lot of lessons in there. But like the need to be focused and not just be all over the place, which a lot of us are. 

Emily Rodger  32:16  
Yeah, and how kind of like busyness, being a multitasker, is kind of a badge of honor. And of like, oh, you're a good multitasker. And then it's like, wait a minute, like, what is actually good about that? And when is it good to be able to just dial in and focus on one task at hand?

Dave Veale  32:34  
And how effective is it really? 

Quentin Casey  32:35  
Oh yeah, definitely.

Dave Veale  32:38  
You've written three books. Have you ever got to a point where you're like, deep in, and think man, I don't know if I have something here. Like, have I just wasted the last two months? Is there any point where you start questioning, like, is this a book? Or- do you know what I mean, like, because that would be- I think that would be a big fear I would have, when you start- you know, because there's some risk in this, inherent in this, in terms of time spent and energy spent, you know, wanting to make sure you can see a finish line, I would expect, but what's that like?

Quentin Casey  33:07  
My other books- well, all three of them have been published by Nimbus, which is in Halifax, but I didn't go to them with this until I was probably like, half- maybe half done it. So, you know, I don't like to really mention anything like it or mention it to the publisher, anything until like, I know- you know, it's like, I get to the point where I know I can deliver something, because I just hate to, you know, like, commit to something, you sign a contract, you know, and then you can't like, live up to it, and like you said, maybe you realize that it's not very substantive, and you just want to bail on it. But then you sort of feel like you can't, so yeah, no, I just, I made a point of like working on it for quite a while before. And then the pitch is better, too. Because then you have a better sense of what you have. And you can say, you know, I have this and people have said this about him. And it's you know, there's more to this guy, as opposed to hoping to interview a bunch of people. I'm hoping it'll be something interesting. So yeah, it makes the pitch stronger as well, I guess. 

Dave Veale  34:04  
Did that concern you, about not having people to interview- like or would people actually- prior to your pitch to the publisher, obviously, because you were well into it. But you know, would people open up and even talk about him? Would his friends talk about him? I mean I guess you talked- started with his brother in law. So that maybe gave you some indication, but I imagine there's some people who wouldn't probably want to have anything to do with it.

Quentin Casey  34:22  
Yeah, there was definitely a few people who didn't talk to me at all. But really, I talked to pretty much every like principal person in his life other than his first wife, Judy, because while I was writing the book, they were actually in court fighting about their divorce settlements. So there was like quite a bit of acrimony there. So I wasn't able to speak to her but I interviewed both his kids. And yeah, every principal person, people were reluctant at first though, because, and I think like, sort of, rightly so people are suspicious, like, like, what are you getting at with this, you know, like Brendan paddock in particular, I was After him quite a number of times, like, we'd like to speak with you because you couldn't write anything about Columbus communication. So they were talking to Brendan paddock. So he was very important. And like he told me after he was just concerned about protecting Risley, you know, like, you know, he didn't know what my motivations were, like some sort of takedown piece, or, you know, that kind of thing. So I guess I just tried to explain to people, what I was really interested in like, it wasn't just the last chapter of the book is a lot about the interpersonal things, and his divorce and the fallout from that and remarriage and the sort of more the family tensions and stuff. But I think I showed people that I put a lot of effort into researching the details of the businesses and all this kind of stuff that it was about trying to get out, like every aspect of his life, not just sort of gossipy, like tell all about the stuff in the family closet type thing.

Emily Rodger  35:54  
What stood out to me is even at the beginning of- when I asked why he said yes to you, and what I took from that was that you had already established a relationship and trust within him.

Quentin Casey  36:06  
Yeah, maybe. I mean, I try- I did try to make him realize that I was interested in exploring, like I said, points about his career, and that- you know, that- I guess that I was sincere in it. Like, I think I just wanted to show that I was sincere and why I was trying to do it. You know, I wasn't just trying to embarrass him and just get at the salacious stuff. So you'd have to ask him whether he trusted me or not, but yeah.

Dave Veale  36:31  
He's on next. So we'll find out. What- another- another piece that I just wanted to touch on because- is just, you know, the importance of risk taking and like, what- you know, what you learn, because- actually, this is really- I'm- as an entrepreneur, I'm always interested in a perspective on risk, and there must have been some points that were really challenging in his career. And things could have gone completely the other way. And even when you described, you know, the failures of those first businesses and that sort of thing. So, you know, it wasn't like he was immune to failing and understanding what the cost of failing would, you know, entail as well, right?

Quentin Casey  37:09  
For sure. Even, you know, like, successful entrepreneurs, like in Nova Scotia, George Armoigne is a big developer, a successful entrepreneur, and people like him, they all say that nobody is a risk taker like Risley is. Like by the- any Canadian standard of like, risk taking entrepreneur, that he is in, like the elite of the elite, because he's always- everything is always in the middle of the table, and always has been. So he just has that mindset where he's okay, skating along the edge for like long periods of time, where he knows full well that the whole thing could go down the tubes, and like hundreds of million dollars could be lost and that kind of thing. So, and the returns obviously, like, reflect the risk, but he's borrowing money to pump into investments. So it's not like he's just taking from his bank account and putting these amounts into companies like he's borrowing, you know, whatever percent. And, you know, the rationale is that you know, then you're going to get a multiple when the business sells and you know, that that return is going to weigh the cost of borrowing costs. So like one of his friends David Hillman, who runs a another fishing company right here said his liquidity probably sometimes is like next to zero, you know, he's super rich, but like, he probably has very little liquidity, just because he's so he's so invested in everything. And you know, David Hillman said that you would have an absolute heart attack if he was going about things like John Rosie was, but that's, that's just one of the things and you know, you can't like you can't teach that or anything, and you can't sort of like, emulate that. Because it's like, you just have it or you don't, but ya know, he's just, he's full on all the time. And like the stuff he's invested in now he's, you know, and biofuels and electric vehicles, and protein from crickets, and all kinds of like, he's in all kinds of stuff and just pushing you know, more and more money into any there's a big gap project in Stephenville that he's involved with, with World Energy, where they're trying to with wind power and stuff like that. So ya know, he's, and he's still out in mid 70s. Still, like pumping huge amounts of money in these assessments. It's pretty incredible.

Dave Veale  39:13  
And a follow up to that would be like, you probably know more about him than anyone. Like, where do you think that comes from, that drive? Is there a childhood story there? How he grew up? Or what would you think?

Quentin Casey  39:25  
Yeah, I mean, like I said, he- like his dad died when he was 15. So it was him and some siblings, were still at home. And, you know, his mom sort of had to- like I said, they- he- It's not like they were- they were not poor. The McDonald's on- by contrast, were poor in Halifax. So, you know, there were seven McDonald kids, and they were very poor, grew up in Fairview, and like, half of them are multimillionaires now. But, you know, I think Risley said he had that sort of sense, like, ingrained when he was a kid that he had to contribute in some way, like very early on had to, like, contribute in some way to The household so I think that's part of it. But, you know, his like his Scottish headmaster at school when he was like 10 or 12 asked the class, you know, what does everyone want to be when they grow up and you got the normal, like doctors, lawyers, that kind of thing. And his goal was to be a millionaire, like, you know, so that's what he was thinking about, at that age. So I think some of it's just, I think some of it's just there. And, you know, like when you're super rich, and you don't really want for anything, and you're in your mid 70s. And you're still doing like, really risky investments. And he helped bring MDA, the space company sort of repatriated from the States back to Canada, which was like an enormous deal. You know, I think it's just I think it's really more innate. I think it's just like aptitudes. And I think like, that's just sort of like the way he's the way he's made up. Because why else would you be doing it still, in your 70s when you don't have to? It's not like he's doing it for work, or he has to pay the mortgage. Like, it's- you know, he's doing it because he really wants to.

Emily Rodger  41:03  
What's next for you, Quentin?

Quentin Casey  41:04  
I don't have anything big on the horizon. I'm doing some work with Dave, which is- it's been really nice to connect with Dave again, and do some work together. But yeah, no, I don't have any book projects or anything like that. I'm really trying to promote this one. You- there's like, like a finite window of time where you can sort of maybe try to grab people's interest. So yeah, just trying to promote it as much as I can and get the word out. Yeah.

Emily Rodger  41:27  
Who do you think the majority of buyers have been? Entrepreneurs?

Quentin Casey  41:31  
It's a good question. You know, Amazon has the categories where the book is like, in its rankings and things and it's, you know, it's in the entrepreneurship category, and the titans of industry category and stuff like that. So there's a huge appetite for those books where, you know, people are looking for, like inspiration, but also a bit of a how to on, you know, how, how can I be successful like this person? That's obviously a huge segment of the book market. And it's interesting, because in within that Amazon category, like at one point, the book was like, number four, and it was the new Elon Musk book and Steve Jobs book and another one, you know, which I think is like, that speaks to Risley story about how interesting he is, you know, more than anything else that you know, people see some sort of-

Dave Veale  42:23  
I think that also speaks to the author, too wouldn't it? Like, you're up there with Walter Isaacson. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, I had to look over the Steve Jobs book to remember who- well done, man. That's amazing. 

Quentin Casey  42:40  
Well, thanks. Yeah, no, I appreciate that. Yeah, yeah, it's slipped back down. But yeah, it was there.

Dave Veale  42:44  
Not after this podcast.

Emily Rodger  42:46  
Now that's it's been on the Boiling Point?

Dave Veale  42:49  
You'll watch it rise to number one.

Emily Rodger  42:51  
It's gonna have to go to print again.

Dave Veale  42:53  
Can we- can we tell- can we tell one Dave Stonehouse story that I found- found really funny, given what you do, and your- you know, how you dig into to an individual and learn about him, you know, when- and Dave's gonna- he's gonna- he's gonna deny this, I guarantee but he was as concerned with my column, because I go on, I talk to people about leadership. And I- it was a really neat way for me to meet- not- not do, obviously, nearly a deep dive, I'm not a journalist, but I just do a q&a. And then I get to meet these entrepreneurs all over the region. And what I found interesting was, there's all these people doing these amazing things, but they don't necessarily know each other, or we don't know about them. So this is a chance to interview some other people, anyways, so Dave gave me this couple, I'll give you two or three or whatever. So I was just, oh wow, this is great. I'm one of the most well paid columnists, according to him. So anyhow, having said all that, it was a neat opportunity for me, but he said, you know, Dave, Atlantic Canadians don't like to talk about themselves. So you're gonna have a real problem, I think, and I was new to Atlantic Canada. And I didn't find that to be an issue at all. And it wasn't that they were talking about themselves, but they- people like talking about their businesses, and like, you know, and sharing their wisdom and sharing the lessons and all that kinda thing, so maybe that's probably helped. I'm always curious how, you know, we can get people to open up because, you know, at times people would say exactly what some of the people around Risley would have said to you, which is like, what's your motivation here? Right? And I think if your motivation is to tell just a real- like you have, a really excellent story, well researched, you know, people are pretty giving of their time. Does that ring true for you? 

Quentin Casey  44:31  
Yeah, I think so. I think people are just suspicious and are fearful of getting burned, I think, you know, and I think it's just a little bit of a commentary on like, media in general. So yeah, no, I think- I think that's- I think that's spot on. I think that people are a little bit leery until they can sort of figure out what- what your angle is. I think they're always worried about what your angle is. Yeah.

Emily Rodger  44:54  
Well, Quentin, this has been a wonderful conversation. Thank you so much, and thank you for being the one in the hot seat and letting us- I guess nothing so much interview, more have a conversation with you. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

And so for all of our listeners, we're going to list all of your information and any extras that we discussed, including the links to your book and the other books, in the shownotes. The best place for everyone to find all of that is on our website, at BoilingPointPodcast.com, and the video will be on YouTube and Facebook. And of course, the podcast is available on all of your favorite podcast platforms. So Quentin, thank you so much.

Quentin Casey  45:38  
Thanks very much. Really appreciate it.

Emily Rodger  45:39  
Bye. 

Dave Veale  45:40  
See ya Quentin, thanks so much.

Emily Rodger  45:43  
Thank you for listening. Follow or subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app, or visit BoilingPointPodcast.com for more.