An Experienced Entrepreneur... at 18

By Ariel West

He’s only 18 years old, but he already runs his own business. Forrest Hull is a freshman entrepreneurship major at Oklahoma State University who has racked up years in business.

“I actually started Forward Designs in middle school,” Hull says. “I started making jewelry from essentially scrap metal in my garage and selling it to people at my church and peers at my school, and through that process, I kind of developed the entrepreneurial bug.”

He shut down Forward Designs while in high school in Jenks, Okla., to focus on launching Paradigm Creative, his mobile application-development firm, in early 2015.

“I wanted to figure out a way to start a business that was more scalable and something I was more passionate about,” he says. “That’s when I got involved with the entrepreneurship community in downtown Tulsa, and that brought me to the point of launching Paradigm Creative. It’s a mobile application-development firm that takes the complicated process of creating an app and makes it available and affordable to all types of entrepreneurs.”

Paradigm Creative has enjoyed many successes since its launch, including surpassing its first-quarter revenue goals in February. Although profitable, Paradigm Creative remains a startup in Hull’s eyes.

“I think that’s healthy,” Hull says. “Every day is a new challenge and, consequently, a new learning experience. I’ve failed so many times at different parts of the business, but I feel blessed to have failed early rather than later. My dad and other business owners told me that everything would change after the first customer, and they were absolutely right. It’s a unique feeling [to know] that clients believe in my vision and are willing to pay for it.”

Hull sees Paradigm Creative capitalizing on the reinvigoration of the American dream.

“Paradigm Creative is posed at the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship,” he says. “These are growth markets. More and more people are turning to entrepreneurship as a source of employment and personal fulfillment. We have a ton of opportunities open right now, and I’m excited to continue this growth.”

OSU was Hull’s only university interest. His father was an architect student, and the School of Entrepreneurship and the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business sealed the deal.

“I was lucky enough to know what I wanted to do early on,” he says. “It’s rare for a university to have such a developed and thorough entrepreneurship program. I didn’t apply anywhere else. I belong here; I love it here.”

Hull joined a fraternity and learned a lot about time management. Balancing social obligations, classes and his business was a challenge.

“It’s been a humbling experience living with others,” Hull says. “When you first come to college, you think you are going to be on your own and alone, but you’re not, especially if you’re in the Greek community.”

He plans to travel this summer. He will start with a two-week study abroad trip to Chicago, then travel cross-country to promote his business through the 1 Million Cups entrepreneurship program. After that, he will visit China and Japan for 2½ weeks before returning to OSU for his sophomore year.

“I have mission trips and study abroad trips planned,” Hull says. “I will be speaking at 16 different cities across the United States to promote my business. It’s going to be very business-focused. It’ll be busy.”

As an entrepreneurship major, Hull has access to the Riata Center’s off-campus Student Startup Central, a two-part program that helps students get their businesses up and running. He is the youngest student to be awarded his own office in the SSC building as part of the Riata Incubator, the second stage of the program.

“You get a lot of benefits through Student Startup Central,” Hull says. “The incubator is what I’m a part of. I can hold meetings there and I can communicate with professors and bounce ideas off of them, so it’s been a great experience being able to work with people there and develop business concepts and ideas on a more professional level.”

“He is one of those students who is ahead of the curve,” says Kyle Eastham, entrepreneur-in-residence for the School of Entrepreneurship. “As instructors, we need to find ways to challenge students like Forrest because he’s been an entrepreneur for years, while the material in the class is new to most of the students.”

Forrest will be a sophomore next fall. He plans for the year to be filled with busy schedules and connecting with others.

“I’m really looking forward to Homecoming and delving into my major-related classes,” he says. “Homecoming is a cool experience; you see the project from ideas to fruition and meet a lot of great people. I’m also excited to get into the upper-level classes that are related to my interests.”

Forrest credits the Student Startup Central, Riata Center and the Spears School of Business for opening doors for his future.

“I have to give huge shout-outs to Richard Gajan and Kyle Eastham,” he says. “They help students develop business ideas every day and have provided resources, countless introductions and have opened so many doors for my future. Your network is your net-worth, so the connections that I’ve made through these organizations have been invaluable. You never know who knows who.”

“Keep your eye on Forrest,” Eastham says. “I have no doubt you’ll be hearing more from him and about him in the years to come.”