After graduating from Virginia Military Institute, Luck worked with Teach for America at a Title I high school in Charlotte. There he encountered a lot of talented people working low-wage, unfulfilling jobs. After months of research on programs and micro-financing models around the world, Luck and his girlfriend Sarah Mullens, who was also a teacher at that school, founded UnBoundRVA, to help people start businesses.

 

Luck and Mullens relocated to RVA in September 2013 and partnered with local nonprofits to identify strong candidates for self employment. After a tryout period, five individuals were tapped.

 

A partnership with Village Bank gives participants access to loans without the usual, and often deal-crushing, credit and background checks. Participants benefit from pro-bono partnerships with marketing, legal and accounting services, as well as business and accounting training.

 

So far, two businesses are up and running. If the window/power washing company owned by Raheim Watson continues to meet projections for the first year, Watson will double his personal income and become the first person in his family to get off government subsidies. A welcoming business called The Crafty Peacock has secured two contracts with Sheltering Arms Hospital and Massey Cancer Center. Businesses soon to launch include a catering service, housekeeping business and drive-through coffee kiosk.

 

The experience for Luck has been life-changing, most notably in the way he looks at people. “When I go to McDonald’s and see the guy behind the cash register, I wonder what he would be doing if he was unbound, what is his potential. Unbound is all about human potential.”

 

Luck views the entrepreneurs as living inspiration to others to break the cycle of poverty.

 

He is grateful for chapel and symposium talks that focused on the school mission to make a positive difference in the lives of others. He said, “Hearing that consistent message at St. Christopher’s absolutely molded my passions and values into what has become UnBound.”