Podcast: Embed

In a recent interview with Seven Figure Agency, Erik Huberman opened up about the mindset and structure behind Hawke Media’s rise to more than 621 million dollars in gross revenue and hundreds of active clients. What stood out most was not a single tactic, but a set of principles that shaped how he leads, scales, and stabilizes a large service business.

1. Ambition Is the Engine Behind Scale

Erik made it clear that Hawke Media’s size began with ambition. He never set out to build a small or modest agency. Instead, he believed from day one that a marketing services company could grow far larger than the industry typically imagines. Businesses tend to rise to the ambition of the founder, and Hawke grew because its leadership aimed higher than most.

He also pointed to consulting giants as proof that agencies can scale to enormous size. Most founders limit themselves mentally before the market ever limits them in reality. By rejecting the idea that an agency must stay small, Erik laid the foundation for long term expansion.

2. The Early Years Felt Like Guiding an Elephant Down a Narrow Path

One of the most memorable parts of the interview was Erik’s description of running the agency in the beginning. He said the experience felt like guiding an elephant down a narrow path. The business was always moving, always shifting, and always requiring quick adjustments to keep things on track. It was intense, unpredictable, and demanding.

Early on, he worried that one bad month could cause the entire company to collapse. But after surviving economic swings, industry changes, and the chaos of COVID, that fear faded. Experience taught him that businesses do not fall apart overnight. Stability comes from staying calm, staying present, and working through the fluctuations rather than reacting emotionally.

3. Flexibility Became Hawke Media’s Competitive Edge

Hawke Media does not operate with a standard, one size fits all engagement. Clients come with different challenges, different resources, and different timelines. Some need meta ads. Some need PR. Some need branding or a new website. Others need a fully outsourced CMO team. That level of variety is difficult to structure, but it became a strength over time.

To support this model at scale, the company built internal processes that allow their teams to handle diverse scopes efficiently. This adaptive approach turned a potential weakness into a clear differentiator. Instead of forcing clients into predefined packages, Hawke built a system that meets clients exactly where they are.

Client needs often include:

  • Paid acquisition such as meta ads
  • Website builds and branding
  • PR and personal branding
  • Combined or full service marketing support

4. Structure and Financial Discipline Made Growth Sustainable

Even with hundreds of employees and a broad service offering, Hawke Media stays grounded with a simple financial model that has guided the business for years. The framework keeps performance healthy and growth manageable.
According to Erik, the company consistently works within a structure that looks like this:

  • 30 percent allocated to growth
  • 35 percent allocated to servicing
  • 15 percent allocated to overhead
  • 20 percent or more to EBITDA

This level of clarity ensures they can scale without sacrificing profitability or taking on unnecessary risk. It also creates predictability inside a business that naturally has moving parts.

5. Experience Replaces Fear and Builds True Stability

When Erik described Hawke Media’s journey, he highlighted how much perspective shifts after years of operating at scale. What once felt chaotic eventually became manageable. What once felt risky eventually felt normal. After weathering market volatility, regulatory changes, and major disruptions, he gained confidence that the company could handle whatever came next.

The biggest takeaway was that longevity brings stability. As the business grows stronger and the leadership grows wiser, the fear of collapse dissolves. What remains is a mature operation that knows how to adapt, adjust, and keep moving forward.

 

👉Watch the full interview here: