Jake Hoffman is the CEO of Invasion Digital Media, a company that helps athletes, influencers, and businesses to create a presence on the Web, engage with their fans, and maximize untapped revenue streams.
Outside work, Jake is devoted to serving his community through political involvement. Currently, he is advancing his campaign for Florida State House while working as the Executive Director of Tampa Bay Young Republicans (TBYR).
Under his leadership as its former president, TBYR was recognized as the Best Young Republican Club in the United States in 2020. Its membership also grew to 300 members who actively participate in creating a positive political culture in Tampa.
Furthermore, he and his fiancee, Michelle Sassouni, host a podcast that bravely tackles political issues which the mainstream media won’t. Launched in 2020, they use it to discuss overreaching COVID-19 policies which caused businesses and communities to suffer. He also decided to run for State House, believing that it will allow him to do more for his community.
What is Invasion Digital Media all about?
Invasion Digital Media is an automated digital company that focuses on helping athletes, influencers, and businesses in the fitness industry. It creates digital training courses and other solutions to help clients maximize untapped revenue streams in the market.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I’ve always tried to come up with new ways to make money online. I believe this is the reason why I naturally followed the path to entrepreneurship after graduating from college. In 2014, I took up a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship at the University of South Florida where I also finished my undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Communication.
When I was still in college, I founded a previous startup which I eventually dropped. After that, started working with YouTubers in the fitness industry and some professional athletes who I assisted with creating their own fitness programs in the digital realm. This experience of working with awesome people is what sparked Invasion’s creation. From there, it blossomed into a fully operational business.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
- Tech Savviness. Some people who are not tech-savvy wouldn’t be able to thrive in this industry due to the large amount of technology that exists. Also, having programming or coding knowledge is extremely useful as it can help one save time and energy when solving problems related to the business.
- Leadership Skills. This is self-explanatory. Leadership skills are necessary for anyone to be able to lead a team, especially in the entrepreneurial world. With that said, it is also important not to use power just for the sake of over-asserting one’s position.
- Communication Skills. This is another crucial skill needed in this industry because it enhances transparency and allows for people to gain a better understanding of what you do. It doesn’t matter how many other skills one has if he/she cannot communicate effectively with other human beings because other parties won’t know or care about what they’re doing.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
The future is always uncertain. However, I would like to continue helping other influencers and businessmen create innovative digital courses that will change the world for the better.
Apart from this, I plan to pursue my passion for politics. I believe that it is very important to have a voice that advocates for the needs of the people. I am currently running for State House here in Florida because it will allow me to have more sway over legislation and help those who need it most.
How have the pandemic and Lockdown affected you or your new business?
Since we work with athletes and influencers who are in the fitness industry, my business was greatly affected by the lockdown. When W.H.O. declared COVID-19 a pandemic, gyms were shut, and my company’s revenue dropped dramatically overnight.
I know it has been hard for all of us. Personally, I’ve also had to postpone our wedding twice. We don’t know how long this will last, but I’m able to cope with it by living my life as if there were no epidemic. I didn’t let events prevent me from carrying out what I have to do; instead, I keep moving forward and pursuing my dreams. Most importantly, I try my best to give voice to the voiceless.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
We have a better business model because we offer our clients custom-made courses. Our courses come with a ready system that will allow our clients to start selling their own products and earning money as soon as they’re done signing up.
We also offer better customer support since we have both male and female staff members who are able to communicate effectively with different kinds of people. We understand how important having someone there is when you need help, which is why we’re committed to being approachable and available for our clients.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
We’ve all had our share in making mistakes but there’s one significant thing that I’d like to talk about.
- During the early days of the company, I try to do a lot of things on my own as much as possible since I was used to working alone. After some time, I realized that I was going nowhere since I had to take care of too many things at once.
- I learned from this that it’s important to trust the people you work with and learn how to delegate tasks.
- Also, being honest with clients about their strengths and weaknesses can go a long way. You want to make sure that they are aware of what’s best for them so that they can improve on their own.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
Right now I’m trying my best to learn and improve on the art of listening. Listening is perhaps one of the most difficult skills you can acquire in life because it requires patience and discipline. You won’t be able to listen if you’re not patient enough to hear each side; neither will you listen effectively if you’re not disciplined enough to understand what the other party is saying.
I believe that listening can help me become a better leader and public servant. I will be able to gain empathy for others which in turn will allow me to achieve my causes more quickly.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
I wouldn’t change anything about the company because everything I’ve been through and what happened in the past has made me stronger and wiser.
The pandemic and lockdown were definitely tough times but they helped us improve and grow as a business and as individuals. I wouldn’t change any of that.
What valuable advice would you give new entrepreneurs starting out?
People get into business for different reasons. For some, they want to earn money so that they can provide for their family and lead the kind of life they’ve always dreamed of. Others start a company in order to express themselves and share their ideas and creativity with the world in hopes that it will positively affect the lives of others.
No matter what reason you have for starting your own company, I strongly advise you to be honest with yourself about who you are and what drives you. If it’s money, be open to the idea of making less at first because there could be other factors that will make up for the decrease in pay.
If it’s creativity, don’t ever compromise on your originality and uniqueness. You can make up for a lack of money by being willing to work hard and trust the process.
What is your definition of success?
Success can be defined in different ways. Personally, I believe that success is the ability to attain values that you deem important and helpful for living a life of purpose.
The value can come in forms like career advancement, personal fulfillment, social participation, or self-actualization. Success can also be measured through growth; whether it’s physical (measured in numbers), mental (measured by understanding the world around you), emotional (which is measured by self-awareness and compassion), or spiritual (which differs for everyone).
Any time someone is able to achieve success through their values, I would consider them successful.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
We all have days where we just can’t seem to focus or get anything done and it’s frustrating.
I believe that the reason why we’re not productive is that there’s a lack of energy in our system and we haven’t started working out yet. Make it a point to exercise daily, even if it means walking for 30 minutes. It’s a simple tip that can make a huge difference in our productivity.
How can readers get in touch with you?
I’d love to meet more people whether they want to learn more about what we do at Invasion or join our cause at TBYR. Feel free to reach out to my team at Invasion Digital Media or visit our website at invasiondigitalmedia.com. If you want to know more about our events at TBYR, check out tbyr.com.
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