Hunter Patterson

As a licensed attorney and President and Chief Executive Officer of The Property Advocates, Hunter Patterson offers empowerment, education, and excellence to his clients and stakeholders while providing distinctive leadership and wins at all levels of the organization.

The Property Advocates is a full-service insurance law firm that helps Floridians resolve all issues related to property insurance claims, ranging from the simple to the complex, so they can receive fair and deserved compensation. Having experienced both sides of the property insurance industry, Hunter is passionate about leveling the playing field between the insurance company and its policyholder and brings deep knowledge of the industry to the table. Persistent, empathetic, and a great communicator, Hunter has a knack for pushing through obstacles and challenges to deliver the best results for each client. His goal is to help his clients receive every single dollar that they are entitled to from the insurance company while providing quality service that generates referrals back into the business.

Hunter Patterson graduated Magna Cum Laude and Valedictorian of his graduating class from Barry University School of Law. He has earned the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriting (CPCU) designation, a prestigious classification within the insurance industry. A man of integrity, faith, and family, Hunter is married and enjoys exercise, music, travel, and coffee.

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

I wake up at 5:00 AM every day, make myself a cup of coffee, and drink 32 ounces of water mixed with a vitamin and mineral supplement. I check my calendar to see what I have coming up for the day. Then I spend the next 30 minutes journaling, reading devotionals/Bible, meditating & praying. During this time, I spend a lot of time on personal reflection as well as game-planning (or vision making) for the law firm. After this, I will respond to emails and set reminders for myself for the day and goals for the day/week. Then I will spend some time reading at least 2-3 chapters in 1-2 different non-fiction books that relate to leadership, growth, self-improvement, philosophy, and business. Lastly, I will make my wife’s breakfast, clean up the kitchen, wash dishes, etc., before I work out.

I will typically stop to grab a cup of coffee on the way to work. I will usually listen to an audiobook, podcast, sermon, or music on the drive. Once at the office, I will respond to any emails that may have come in prior to the early morning. In order to stay productive, I prioritize my tasks into four different categories: Important/urgent, Important/not urgent, Not Important/urgent, and Not important/not urgent. Then, I analyze my goal lists which divide my broad goals into daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly goals, and I decide which ones need to be adjusted in my productivity categories, and my Executive Assistant helps me stay on task.

In between that time, I am routinely in 4-5 meetings a day with people at the law firm and outside the law firm. Also, during the day, I will stop and talk to all the employees in our Orlando office to check in with them. Once a month, I travel to our Miami, FL office, and every 2-3 weeks, I go to our Tampa, FL office.

Once home, I attempt not to access any mobile/electronic devices unless my wife and I want to watch a TV show or play a video game together. We typically go for a walk or get a cup of coffee at the end of the night to catch up on both of our days.

The key to making each day productive is to have the discipline to stay hyper-focused on goals and take steps to accomplish those goals while also having the flexibility to understand that you may not achieve all that you set out to do for that day, and that is ok. So long as you “leave it all on the field” daily, you usually accomplish more than you think.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I write them out; study them; explore them; discuss them, and repeat. Then I take small actionable steps to “test out” the ideas, eliminate the ones that I know will never work, and keep the ones that might work.

Then I do an internal “call to action” plan, which includes three questions I ask myself (I got this from a law school professor): can I, should I, and if so, when?

From there, I make a plan and subdivide it into specific, definable, and measurable goals, then create actionable steps for me to begin my work (or delegate out depending on the task).

Then, I write out a memorandum of sorts that outlines all of the above and share my vision with my trusted Team.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The trend of increased awareness of mental and physical health excites me.

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

The discipline to stay proactive and continually focus on what the future could bring for my organization and me while balancing the need to be aware of what is occurring in my present reality.

This takes prioritizing my spiritual, mental, and physical health by waking up early, eating healthy, reading, meditating, praying, and exercising consistently.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Build relationships with people who you can trust by listening to your intuition rather than just what is present on the surface. If something appears too good to be true, it usually is.

I would also tell my younger self that if he ever says, “well, I want to do that, but I need ______ in order to be successful at it,” I should right then and there be very wary of that “thing” that I am saying I need. Typically, what I was relying upon was never what I needed, but just a crutch that I thought I needed. It always let me down and tried to hold me back from what I could achieve.

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

A tie always goes to your “gut.” I never make a decision if it does not sit right with my gut, no matter how logical it may be.

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

Before making a final decision (“commitment step”), I run my ideas by as many people as possible to hear their perspectives. Then, even after I make a decision that is not final yet, I still give myself the flexibility to change my mind before I take the “commitment step.” I will take advice from wise counsel, aka people smarter than me, but I will never go against my gut.

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

Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization has allowed me to brainstorm with trusted advisors in order to strategically make decisions for the health and growth of the firm.

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

It has taken me a long time to get good at delegating tasks because I wanted to do it all myself to make sure it was done the “right way” rather than allowing others to grow in those areas of responsibility.

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

Donating money to a local church in the community that was used to purchase food for families in need.

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

Microsoft To-Do keeps me productive and on task, and I use it to stay focused and organized on the goals I am trying to accomplish.

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

“You Can’t Teach Vision” by John Morgan. This book should be read by inspiring and current entrepreneurs because it is a practical story from an extremely successful person who writes in such a way that it demystifies what it takes to create a sustainable organization.

What is your favorite quote?

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” – Thomas Jefferson.

Key Learnings:

• To make each day productive, you must have discipline, stay hyper-focused on goals, and take steps to accomplish those goals.
• Never make a decision if it does not sit right with your gut, no matter how logical it may be.
• Build relationships with people you trust by listening to your intuition. If something appears too good to be true, it usually is.