Today we’d like to introduce you to Hanna Laikin.
Hi Hanna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my journey in 2013 when I moved from Indiana to Los Angeles to attend USC. That move was a turning point that exposed me to a bigger world and gave me the chance to dive into media, communications, and entrepreneurship in ways I had not before.
Since then, my path has been about following curiosity and saying yes to opportunities that stretched me. I began in communications and marketing at Interscope Records and soon became interested in the intersection of business and technology. Over the years, I helped take an energy storage company public in the clean energy space, launched my own consulting firm, and created The Hustle by Hanna, a podcast that explores the in-between moments of building something through conversations with founders and leaders. The podcast is also a living portfolio of how I use AI to streamline operations, tell better stories, and help brands grow through authentic connection.
Now I am channeling that same mix of creativity and strategy into Love + War, a lingerie brand built around confidence, desire, and data-driven insights.
Looking back, the through line has always been about building from scratch, creating community, and telling stories that matter. Each chapter has been about merging creativity with purpose and impact.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest setbacks came during my MBA when my summer internship didn’t turn into a full-time offer. At the time, it felt like I was starting over, but in reality it forced me to approach my second year differently than many of my peers. While others were focused on banking or consulting roles, I had to step back and really ask myself what really drove me, my purpose.
I ended up helping take a company from private to public and driving it into a new age of energy innovation taught me lessons I couldn’t have gained anywhere else.
Fast forward, after thinking I found my dream role, six months ago, I was laid off. That moment pushed me into what I’m doing now, going all in on myself. I launched my own communications firm, which has grown bigger than I ever expected, and started The Hustle by Hanna podcast, which lets me connect with some of the brightest entrepreneurs out there. I’ve also gone deep into AI, becoming an expert for my own business and in helping other companies adapt and adopt tools to become AI first.
Looking back, every setback was really a redirection. Not getting the offer, shifting into sustainability, even being laid off, each pushed me closer to doing work that actually reflects who I am and what I care about.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about BrightPoint Communications?
My podcast The Hustle by Hanna is my living portfolio, it’s where I showcase my approach by talking directly with founders and leaders about how they’ve built their companies, navigated setbacks, and continued to succeed against all odds. Those conversations often spark the same insights I bring into my consulting work.
One of the projects I’m most excited about right now is working with an apparel brand, Love + War, that’s rethinking what it means to be customer-first in today’s world. We’re building it to be AI-driven from the ground up, using technology to streamline production, design better products, understand the customer in real time, and create a level of connection most traditional fashion companies can’t. It’s a perfect example of how I help organizations take an old model and reimagine it with innovation, impact, and storytelling at the core.
My goal is to help businesses stand out by communicating with clarity and building real trust. Whether it’s a startup raising its first round or a consumer brand reinventing itself, we make sure their story resonates and their strategy has the systems to back it up.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
That’s really what my podcast, The Hustle by Hanna, is all about: starting out and showing that the path is never as clean as it looks from the outside. Every one of my guests, from Blake Johnson and Ryan Bartlett to Chris Adams, Sidney Eskenazi, Darren Litt, and beyond, shared the same truth: you learn by doing, by failing forward, and by staying in the game.
Work ethic comes first. Blake Johnson’s motto “just keep shoveling” is about showing up every day, even when the work is thankless. Sid Eskenazi learned the same lesson early, working after school for 25 cents an hour to help his family and eventually donating Indiana’s largest donation in state history.
Failure is education. Chris Adams went from homelessness to running a global luxury firm, because failure forced him to rebuild smarter. Ryan Bartlett reminds us not to be romantic about ideas: cut losses fast, pivot, and always stay objective about what the customer really wants.
Start before you’re ready. Darren Litt says you can read all the books, but the only way to learn is to put yourself out there. His advice: don’t overthink, just start, because your first business won’t be perfect, but it will teach you everything you need.
Focus on people and teams. Blake stresses aligning interests so everyone thinks like an owner. Chris says leadership is about seeing in people what they don’t see in themselves.
The through line is grit and patience. Whether it’s working on a feedlot, bootstrapping an new company, or knocking on banks’ doors for loans, the advice is consistent: resilience matters more than shortcuts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thehustlebyhanna.transistor.fm/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehustlebyhanna
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannalaikin/
- Twitter: https://x.com/hannalaikin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHustleByHanna
- Substack: https://hannajule.substack.com/p/principles-perspective-and-the-power
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7n6Tp99r5AOOGA69d83SIH
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hustle-by-hanna/id1817178408?i=1000725146274
