We’re looking forward to introducing you to Erik Huberman. Check out our conversation below.
Erik, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
A lot of people assume that because Hawke Media has had massive success, we’re too big to work with smaller brands, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
From the beginning, our mission has been to build real marketing horsepower and make it accessible to brands at every stage of growth. Whether you’re just getting started or scaling into the hundreds of millions, every business deserves access to world-class marketing and a CMO-level strategy.
We’ve built data-driven, performance solutions designed to launch, scale, and invigorate brands across every industry. The goal was never just to build another agency, it was to level the playing field for entrepreneurs and established companies alike. That mission is still at the core of everything we do today.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the most powerful marketing partner for growth-stage companies in the U.S.
Before launching Hawke, I founded, scaled, and sold two e-commerce companies by the age of 26, which gave me firsthand insight into the challenges of building a business and how difficult it can be to find a reliable, results-driven marketing partner. I started Hawke Media in 2014 after seeing too many agencies overpromise and underdeliver. The vision was simple: build a modern, scalable marketing model that gives brands access to expert support without unnecessary complexity or overhead.
With no outside funding and zero debt, we bootstrapped Hawke Media from a small team into a nationally recognized marketing powerhouse that’s helped more than 5,000 brands grow and thrive.
What makes Hawke unique is that it’s evolved far beyond a traditional agency. Through Hawke Ventures, we’ve invested in over 100 marketing, e-commerce, and technology companies — and that ecosystem keeps us ahead of the curve. It gives us early access to emerging tools, allows us to test and adopt new technologies before they hit the mainstream, and ensures our strategies are always grounded in what’s next, not just what’s now.
Meanwhile, Hawke.AI, our proprietary marketing intelligence platform, brings that same forward-thinking approach to our clients, arming them with real-time insights and smarter decision-making capabilities to stay competitive in a constantly evolving market.
At the end of the day, everything we’ve built comes back to one mission: empowering brands to grow smarter, faster, and more sustainably. We’re not just here to keep up with the future of marketing, we’re building it.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
When I was eight years old, I wanted a Fender Stratocaster, an electric guitar I definitely couldn’t afford. I told my dad, and his response was, “Get a job.”
So I did what any determined eight-year-old would do: I started selling lemonade and flowers on the side of the road. No one was going to run over a kid, and almost no one told me no. I charged fifty cents for lemonade, but pretty quickly realized that if I wanted the guitar, I needed to think bigger. That’s when I started selling Beanie Babies, and that’s when it clicked.
At that age, I realized I had a knack for creating opportunities. I didn’t need permission to make money or wait for someone to hire me. I could create value and build something from scratch. That’s when it hit me, no one was going to hand me what I wanted. If I wanted something, I’d have to build it myself.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
There was a point a few years into building Hawke Media when I was completely burnt out. I’d hit that wall where you start asking yourself if it’s even worth it, when the emotional side of you wants to give up, even though rationally you know there’s still a path forward.
That experience changed everything for me. I realized that businesses really only fail for two reasons: they get under water financially or the leadership gives up. And since we were financially stable, the only real risk was me, burning out to the point where I couldn’t keep going.
So instead of quitting, I changed how we operated. I made sure I was surrounded by people I love working with and built a business I actually enjoy running, one that’s sustainable long-term. It’s what’s kept me from burning out again, and why I haven’t found a third reason businesses fail.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Funny enough, I actually did this exercise recently. I asked my friends, family, and colleagues to describe the first trait that comes to mind when they think of me. The two answers that came up most often were integrity and work ethic.
People described me as someone who is fair, trustworthy, and relentless. I take a lot of pride in that because those are exactly the two things I value most. I believe integrity and hard work go hand in hand. You can be talented or brilliant, but if you do not do what is right and you are not willing to put in the effort, none of it matters.
That combination of high integrity and unstoppable drive has shaped how I lead, how I build relationships, and how I run my business.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I’ve learned that hard work really does pay off. It sounds simple, but it is something a lot of people have lost sight of.
One quote I live by is, “Work like most won’t so you can live like most can’t.” That mindset has shaped everything I do. Hard work gives you freedom, variety, and the ability to create success on your own terms. It does not mean the road will be easy, but it means you will earn a much more fulfilling experience along the way.
I also recognize that luck plays a role. Timing, environment, and opportunity all matter. But the people who do not give up and keep pushing, even when it is uncomfortable, are the ones who eventually find success. Hard work might not guarantee it, but without it, you have no shot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hawkemedia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikhuberman/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikhuberman/
- Twitter: https://x.com/ErikHuberman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikhuberman/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HawkeMedia
