Patrick Hill

Patrick Hill is the Executive Director of A Cultivated Mindset, an Award-winning Media & Technology solutions firm building Disctopia, the next streaming platform for creatives. Beyond Disctopia, Patrick has been offering comprehensive solutions to complex problems for 18 years. Patrick has also influenced strategic directions and developed tactical plans for numerous projects and lines of business. Being solution-driven, Patrick is known for his out-of-the-box approach to solving problems. Patrick is fast establishing himself as one of the most innovative tech entrepreneurs in Charlotte and globally.

Where did the idea for Disctopia come from?

If I tell you how I started designing Disctopia in my head from the moment a friend asked me to help create a platform to distribute his music, you’ll find it hilarious. And that’s when it all started. My friend was able to sell out his music to his friends and family with my help. Since then, I’ve been approached by other creatives to help them replicate the same success. Why not create a platform that can accomplish this for everyone? I pondered this idea for about ten years. The idea came to fruition in 2017, which was how Disctopia was born.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My day is similar to that of most tech entrepreneurs. After skimming my emails, I move on to the daily stand-ups with my team members. Contacting new prospects is an important part of my day. I Take a short break for lunch in between. Take a second look at emails after that. Closing out emails is what I call it.

How do you bring ideas to life?

The challenge of creating new ideas or bringing them from abstract to reality is never easy. Seeing movies removes my fear of idea creation, although many people have trouble with it. Whenever you see me watching sci-fi and dystopian movies, I am probably working on an idea. Watching these movies helped me release ideas. Films like these are catalysts for me to get the images out of my head.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The emergence of the Metaverse. Metaverse and virtual reality are just fascinating. While there isn’t much Metaverse around yet, virtual reality is on the way. What’s most exciting is the ability of people to explore places right from their comfort zones. By the way, I am interested in the profitability of both the Metaverse and virtual reality.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

That will be sprint planning. When you’re prepared for a sprint, hitting your goals shouldn’t be difficult. My sprint planning allows me to get everyone on the same page and at the same pace. With sprint planning, I am able to cultivate my mindset and that of my team toward our goal. In the end, we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I’ve realized that achieving any goal will be difficult if I don’t stay focused and consistent. The power of consistency cannot be underestimated. Be consistent even if you don’t get things right now. My younger self and every young person should strive to be consistent with all their ideas and passions.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I get funny stares and comments when I tell people there’s no such thing as luck. As I’ve stated before, luck is a myth. A well-prepared person will think that opportunity knocks because of luck. Success doesn’t happen by accident. If you’re well prepared and put in the work, you’ll end up being lucky.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I prioritize my teammates’ mental health as much as I do mine. Everyone needs to be mentally healthy to perform their daily tasks. My teammate’s failure to meet deadlines and deliver poor work tells me something is wrong somewhere. As a result, I arrived at increased productivity for each member of the team.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

No particular one comes to mind. I have had to apply a lot of unique strategies to different ideas. Either a combination of ideas is tested, or a single idea is tested individually.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I was part of this conference where I was trying to talk to creatives about Disctopia. One of the young artists asked if I was selling anything. It was a huge turn-off to Gen-Z. Since then, we have changed our approach; we have a product that artists should chase after, not the other way around. I don’t see it as a failure, though—more of a lesson we should learn at that phase of our business.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

You may find this funny, but I already talked about my interest in the Metaverse. So, if I’d recommend an idea for anyone, it’ll be to start a Metaverse business. There are numerous business ideas: gaming, NFTs, sales serving, running a marathon, employee engagement, etc.
Start a metaverse business.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I would say Disney World tickets. This is personal, or let me say, family. I went to Disney World with my entire family. It is the best $100+ I’ve spent in a long while, relaxing and bonding with my family.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

This will be Asana, which is a project management tool. Asana has helped improve accountability, communication, and meet deadlines. At Disctopia, we take full advantage of Asana in bridging communication gaps, managing tasks, and meeting goals.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“Will” by Will Smith and Mark Hanson, a match made in heaven. What I love about the book is how Will Smith is a daydreamer who has been able to play out his dreams. I believe the book is for everyone who has a dream, regardless of their humble beginnings. Don’t we all have something in common with Will Smith?

What is your favorite quote?

At some point, we must do what is right rather than what’s easy.

Key Learnings:

• There is a need to prioritize the mental health of every member of a team, as it is key to productivity.
• Don’t hesitate to change gear sometimes; be subtle when going aggressive doesn’t work.
• Stop sleeping on those ideas, try them out and fail first, then try again. Rinse and repeat.