For this month's Inside Track feature, Director on Demand founder Russell Thomson chats with Utility Source Unlimited founder, Dean Pattison. Launched in 2018 as a family-run operation, Utility Source was created to help property developers and investors navigate what Dean describes as “a regulated industry” that is “complex, confusing and doesn’t change much” – at least on the surface . Beneath that, however, sits a business that has quietly grown year on year, weathered Covid, expanded its team and, most recently, seen Dean named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2025 unLTD Awards last month.
“It was very strange, if I’m honest. Overwhelming,” he admits of the win. “We’ve been at this since 2018 and never really put ourselves out there for this type of thing. We’ve just got stuck in and plodded along.”
The recognition prompted a moment of reflection. “I think people like to see hard work and people like to see success,” he adds. “And I think we’ve got a combination of both.”
Like many founders, Dean did not arrive with a polished start-up playbook. His early years in business were shaped by necessity and a willingness to learn on the job.
“Nobody tells you about tax, insurance, payroll, HMRC, VAT,” he notes. “You’ve got to learn such a wide range of business activity just to make your business tick over.”
For several years, that learning curve slowed progress. It was only after working with a business coach that things began to shift. “That pushed a lot of buttons,” Dean recalls. “Pointed us in the right direction. The things that we weren’t doing, or weren’t using properly.”
What followed was a period of intensive internal work – building systems, creating a CRM, tightening processes and gaining a clearer understanding of financial performance. A later marketing campaign, developed with consultant Laura Stead, proved to be the catalyst that accelerated growth.
“It started as a little idea sat in a room,” he explains. “And it really accelerated the sales value.”
Dean’s route into the utilities sector wasn’t straightforward, He describes himself as shy and withdrawn at school, leaving with few qualifications. College followed, then a patchwork of jobs – bars, shops, working men’s clubs – even a stint as a professional singer.
“I went from being really shy to singing working men’s clubs,” he remembers with a grin. “Very much a young man’s job.”
That lifestyle eventually became unsustainable, and it was a chance conversation with a school friend that changed everything. In 2002, Dean joined Fulcrum Connections, part of National Grid, as an agency worker earning £5 an hour.
Within two months, he was permanent.
Over the next 15 years, he worked his way through every grade – from entry level to senior management – gaining experience across operations, design, HR, learning and development, and multi-utility strategy. “I was one of the very few that worked through each grade,” he says.
That breadth of experience would later become foundational to Utility Source.
Dean’s time in the corporate world ended on a difficult note. After moving into a consultancy role with former colleagues, disagreements over direction led to a fractured departure that left him questioning both his confidence and reputation.
“It was a very difficult time for me personally. Anxieties,” he reflects. “It wasn’t done in a manner where you just shake hands and walk away.”
The turning point came in a frank conversation with his wife, Laura.
“She basically said, ‘What do you want to do?’” he recalls. “And my answer was, I’d like to have a go myself. And I think I can do it better than the bigger companies, because I can give it more time and more customer-orientated service.”
Utility Source was born on 3 January 2018, set up from a bedroom desk with a £500 grant, a laptop and a great deal of determination.
The early days were modest. Turnover in year one came in under £5,000. The first client arrived through a family connection. Slowly, trust built, repeat business followed and the company found its footing.
Today, Utility Source remains proudly family-run. Laura works alongside Dean. His brother-in-law Danny leads operations on site. Laura’s oldest friend Katie coordinates sales. Nicole joined as an apprentice and became a permanent, integral part of the team.
“We are a very small, family-orientated business,” Dean says simply.
That structure, he believes, underpins everything. Empowerment is not a buzzword but a necessity.
“If Danny’s not prepared, not correctly educated, not applying health and safety standards, then nothing works,” he explains. “The whole business falls to pieces.”
Ask Dean about mindset, and one phrase comes up again and again: never give up.
It is a message he delivers as a grassroots football coach, and one he applies rigorously to his own journey. “If you’re delivering that message to kids, you’ve got to deliver that message in your own journey as well,” he says.
Under Utility Source’s logo sit four words: reputation, resilience, know-how and success.
“Resilience is the common denominator,” he adds. “We don’t take no for an answer, and we don’t stop until we get what we want.”
Utilities is a sector defined by rules, regulators and multiple stakeholders. For Dean, success lies in understanding that while the framework may be fixed, the approach does not have to be.
“There are always two journeys,” he explains. “The business journey, and the journey of the person paying for the job to be done – and they’re the most important part.”
A single connection can involve network operators, contractors, councils, designers and legal teams. “You’ve got to be dynamic in your approach,” he notes. “Relationships are absolutely essential in our industry.”
That approach extends internally too. Team members are encouraged to challenge, to give feedback and to recognise when things go well – not just when they go wrong.
“It takes five minutes to pick the phone up and say thank you,” Dean says. “That’s relationship building.”
Utility Source’s growth has been steady rather than explosive, but it has been consistent. Despite the lockdown, turnover increased year on year, helped by continued construction activity and a growing reputation.
Dean’s focus now is consolidation. “My target this year is to consolidate ourselves as a million-pound turnover business,” he says. “And we’re well on track.”
Yet money, he insists, is no longer the primary motivator.
“I would rather measure my success on the impact that I have on other people,” he reflects. “Standing with someone who’s under so much pressure and helping resolve the problem – that’s the bit that sells the next job.”
It is a philosophy shaped by years of coaching, leadership and lived experience. “If you’ve got empathy,” he adds, “it takes you a long way.”
When asked who inspires him, Dean does not look far.
His children, both high achievers in their own fields, top the list. “They are extremely driven,” he says. “I love that.”
He also values a small, trusted circle of peers – people who tell him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to hear. “I’m not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination,” he admits. “But I’ve got a willingness to listen and a willingness to learn.”
And finally – every Inside Track interview ends with one rule the interviewee would impose on the world.
Dean’s is refreshingly practical.
“If you park over the lines in a supermarket car park, your car should be clamped,” he laughs. “It drives me insane – even though I’m the worst for it.”
To find out more visit utilitysourcelimited.co.uk
