Entrepreneur of the Quarter: Pat Hull

We’re incredibly proud to announce Pat Hull as our Entrepreneur of the Quarter. By using his entrepreneurial skills and networks to drive business as a force for good in his community through Richmond Unite, Pat is making a huge impact and we feel very lucky to have him as part of our community.

Patrick Hull is a lifetime serial entrepreneur with a passion for marketing innovations, with business and investment interests in dozens of different companies. In addition to supporting local and worldwide charities, Patrick founded the Hull Foundation as a way for his family to disseminate gifts to charitable causes of their interests. In 2009 he and business associate Carroll Hurst envisioned a concept for an event in Richmond, Virginia. Later, Pat shared the idea with Richard to create a memorable, fun experience to support young people and inspire goodness in his local community in the Richmond area. Richmond Unite kicked off on 9 September this year with an incredible series of activities that brought folks together to support local charities that improve the lives of young people and celebrate the local area’s economic and creative vitality.

I had my own family foundation, the Hull Foundation, when I first met Richard four or five years ago. I have trusted and enjoyed the events promoted by Virgin Unite. At one of those events I met Tim Souris, the director of Rock the Kasbah. Tim was so motivated and inspiring that when he invited me to the event, I decided to take our Richmond Unite team to experience it. It was a great event and I knew that it was an example of what our Richmond Unite events should be. From a foundation standpoint, I wanted to bring Richard’s spirit in. Where Richard and I hit it off was that he’s very much about youth and entrepreneurialism. That’s my vision for the Hull Foundation. I just reached out and learned from Richard’s organisation what could be possible.

With Richmond Unite we wanted to showcase the great works that charities and people are doing in our area. But we’re also a facilitator to help them raise funds – in an environment that’s not boring. The local community didn’t even think we could pull it off. We had a hurricane, we had earthquakes, everything. But in the end we pulled off a great event. People have to believe – and we had to pull everyone together to believe in themselves and that we could actually do this in Richmond.

Richmond Unite’s mission is to unite the people and businesses of Richmond, Virginia to uplift our vulnerable youth while highlighting the talent of our city. My personal focus is on young people – what we can do to make a difference in this world, and feel part of it. What we wanted to do with Richmond Unite was to help people to give back to their community while enjoying themselves. The problem today is that most organisations just ask for donations. We want to give something in return. We want you to be entertained and enjoy the process, and enjoy that you give back. It is a hard economy right now. We believed that if you show people a good time and an experience beyond what their expectations are, they are more than willing to actually get involved.

Of course, entrepreneurship and networks are very important. It’s a blend of giving back to charity and keeping people involved for the future. Creating different ways to get people involved and looking at things that most people don’t pay attention to is rewarding in many ways. When they get involved, they feel rewarded too. It’s my job to facilitate ways for people to get involved.

I think supporting young people is important in the world. We’re in some of the toughest times economically – it’s a challenge for everybody. Unfortunately people don’t focus on our youth, and they don’t focus on entrepreneurialism. There are young people who don’t normally have great opportunities, who have no chance whatsoever. Sometimes they don’t get enough support or recognition from society. I’m trying to inspire the young generation and help them help themselves to grow. Certainly they can feel inspired to create things in their own community.

We have many events going on. We’re going to find more headliners, and we’re going to keep it going. There’s no point starting something and not continuing. Richmond is a small city, and they loved it. There was a buzz in the town that continues today almost a month later. We just have to keep excelling; we have to make the September 9 event our benchmark and do even better next year. We’re going to continue to propel it forward. At the end of the day, I’m not an expert at this. We have great, dedicated team reaching out into the community every day. It’s a new area for all of us, but it’s exciting and fulfilling.

The key was to do it in an environment that’s not boring – making sure people enjoy the hell out of it. If we didn’t really wow them, then we didn’t do our job. It has to be over the top; otherwise I’m wasting my time. It’s so hard for charities today to get donations. But you can do it if you do something spectacular. Making people part of the process, they begin to open up and get involved. The days of only sending a letter and getting a donation are over.

I first met Richard at a Necker event, which is also why I got involved with Virgin Galactic. I was a little confused about what to do with my foundation then, and I wasn’t really happy with just writing checks. I was exposed to Richard’s and Virgin’s philosophy which was so inspiring. Richard’s idea for the foundation was brilliant – allowing people to know where there money is being spent, and that no one’s taking big pieces out of it. That’s when I sort of woke up and thought, why can’t I set this up here in Richmond?

We created Richmond Unite to showcase charities doing great work. The celebrity factor also helps to make people aware of the work that’s going on. So I emulated what Virgin Unite’s doing and created Richmond Unite to try to bring something back to my community so people could actually enjoy giving back, and also leave a legacy to help support future generations. I love what our team is doing, we’re not stopping, and we’re going to make it bigger and better. I was inspired by Virgin Unite - You’re doing great stuff.

People who have been involved in entrepreneurialism and have been successful have to remember that we’re fortunate to be in the right environment with the right skillsets. You have to remember that not everybody has those opportunities – we need to feel grateful that we’re able to do this and give back to people who truly need it. What goes around comes around. Giving back to your community is nothing to me but the cycle of life. Give back in a way that makes a better future for all of us. It’s investing in your world. We can all create a better world if we work together.

For entrepreneurs who are doing well, why are we not helping our fellow people? I’m a total believer in giving back. Think globally and act locally – it’s a saying that’s been around for a while, but truthfully it works. Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to do something different that no one else is doing. Why not make it different, why not make it special? Why not differentiate from the old and the new? Entrepreneurs have to do this constantly or they’ll be forced out of business. But why not do this with charity as well? But have a good time doing it in the first place, and enjoy the process, and great things can happen. Get out of the box and do it differently. Just make it special, so unique that no one can miss it, so people enjoy it – that’s the real deal.