Jeff Hoffman

Entrepreneur ( uBid
com), CEO, Chairman of Global Entrepreneurship Network, Author, Motivational Speaker, Humanitarian

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

I love being around creative people because they challenge me to think in different ways than my day-to-day work does. If you live in a left-brained world, you should make time to exercise your right brain too. Or vice versa. Watching creative people create helps me improve my own skillset and processes.

I'm at Robert Redford's Sundance Mountain Resort, spending time with people who expand the way I think about things. Just a few are shown here, including Matthew Modine (Stranger Things, Full Metal Jacket, Dark Knight), Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner, Miami Vice), Kristen Schaal (Bob’s Burgers, Last Man on Earth, Gravity Falls), Chef Eduardo Garcia, and film director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster).

We gathered together to discuss how to use filmmaking and storytelling to uplift humanity and inspire people. Huge gratitude and thanks to Lindsay Hadley and the Harbor Fund, where I serve on the advisory board along with other people who also challenge me to think more creatively, such as Mark Burnett, Gerard Butler, Katie Couric, Mark, Cuban, and others.

There’s always two options in life – you can complain about the way things are, or you can be part of a team to go fix it. The Harbor Fund is doing exactly that.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

COME SPEND THE DAY WITH ME!

You don’t win in business by working longer or working harder. You win by building the best team. You win when all the best people in the industry all want to work for you and never want to leave. Real leaders don’t collect followers – they build other leaders.

And I’m going to show you how.

A lot of people keep asking me if they can shadow me, join me on a business trip, come with me to meetings. When I ask why, they say “to learn more about leadership so I can reach the next level”. So I decided to create a Leadership Workshop where we can discuss your personal leadership style, strengths, opportunities, and plans for growth, in a small intimate all-day session that you will leave with a powerful personal plan of action.

Send an email to [email protected] for date, location, and cost.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

These are my friends Zack and David. I want to tell you about something they gave me. Something you can’t get from exit strategies or venture funds or closing deals.

They gave me love. Pure, unfiltered, “if you don’t stop looking at me like that you’re gonna melt me” kind of love. It was a moment frozen in time. A memory printed on my heart and soul forever. When the sands of time finally slip away and your time in this life is over, you can’t take your Tesla with you. But this? I will literally take this gift to the grave.

I’m not saying your business and financial goals aren’t important. I’m just saying they can’t give you a warm hug on the day you really need one (take that, AI!). They can’t fill your heart with warmth and joy just when you thought it was all falling apart.

Success at all costs is not success. The love you share with others is.

And one more thing. People with Down Syndrome weren’t just given an extra chromosome. They were given a hundred extra chromosomes of joy and happiness. They are so often happy because they CHOOSE happiness. Everyone should have a Down Syndrome friend. These friendships are the most important deals I’ve ever closed.

By the way, Zack and David are both successful actors. Zack is the star of a movie called PEANUT BUTTER FALCON and David is the star of a movie called WHERE HOPE GROWS. I highly recommend them both.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Switzerland! Giving talks on entrepreneurship, scaling, leadership, and more, across the beautiful cities of Switzerland, where innovation runs high and the landscapes are stunning. Many thanks to the US Embassy in Bern for making this whole tour happen.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

I'm in Sri Lanka now! Immersing myself in yet another country. My joy in life is exploring new cultures, learning about new people, and continuing to add to the beautiful diversity of my friends and relationships around the world.

I feel so blessed and grateful for the privilege of being able to travel the globe and continually be reminded that we are in fact one big human family, and we're all in this together.

Greatly enjoying traveling with the teams from Staynex and Hatch to discuss the future of travel in a world of AI, web3, digital nomads, and so much more.

Thank you to both teams, and to the warm people of Sri Lanka for treating me like the newest family member. Much love.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Winners don't just show up at game time.

I'm in Singapore now, with my amazing friend and former Captain of Manchester United, Patrice Evra, five-time Premier League Champion, UEFA Champion, and so much more.

Winning is not what's reflected on the scoreboard at the end of a game or match. Winning is a process. It's the attitude you start each day with. It's the commitment you make to finishing everything you start like the championship was on the line.

Winners don't wait until the game starts to bring their best. They bring it every day. That's one of the things I love most about Patrice. He doesn't know any other way.

The trophy isn't won in the final game. It's won in those sleepy mornings when you don't feel like giving your best, but you shake it off and do it anyway.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

London! Speaking to YPOers from around the world at the London Business School.

Ask yourself this question - what are you really chasing in life? Too many entrepreneurs I know are busy chasing the money. Talking about their exit strategy when they've barely launched their company. How about this instead - what's your ENTRANCE strategy? How will you attack the market? How will you beat your competition? How will you perfect your product market fit?

Stop chasing money. Chase excellence. Money follows excellence. Until and unless you create something amazing in the world, you're not going to get paid anyway. So quit counting your dollars and start counting your happy customers, fulfilled employees, and rapidly increasing sales.

That was just one part of my YPO talk about leaving a legacy that really matters. It's one of my favorite talks to give.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Saudi Arabia! At the EO Spark Saudi Summit in Jeddah, speaking about the tools and habits that keep the world's most creative people endlessly innovating.

I love giving this talk because I always hope it opens somebody's mind to a new way of thinking that they can literally start using tomorrow.

Professional athletes still go to practice every single day. Business people should practice too. This talk is about the methods I have developed to train my mind the same way athletes train, to get a little bit better everyday.

To all the EO'ers who attended, thanks for a fun and engaging time in KSA.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Entrepreneurs! From every country! Register now to enter the Entrepreneurship World Cup!

I’ve had the privilege of judging the amazing innovators coming through the Entrepreneurship World Cup, and I can tell you this:

This isn’t just another pitch competition.

It’s one of the few places where founders from around the world can step onto a truly global stage and walk away with more than just exposure.

We're giving away $1 million cash and we're not taking any equity from you. You'll get a chance to pitch on a global stage that is streamed live all across the world. And beyond that you'll get the chance to meet investors you would never have access to, as well as forming cross-border partnerships that will help accelerate your company's growth globally.

If you’re building something with global potential—or even just getting started—this could be a life-changing moment for you.

Go ahead. Take the shot. The world stage is calling your name.

Apply here before May 31: https://t.co/32b6U8NCuA

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

In the end, the one thing that people will always remember is how you treated them personally.

I'm with Bryce Harper here, the American baseball player who lost a difficult and emotional World Championship last night to Venezuela. And yet Bryce came back out of the locker room on his own to walk around and individually congratulate the Venezuelan players who shattered his dream.

Championships come and go, but class lasts forever.

Whatever you do in life, win or lose, remember that the way you treat people will last far far longer than the numbers on the scoreboard.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

London! Gonna visit less countries this year. Amy suggestions?

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Besides love, the most valuable currency we own is knowledge.

I've committed to sharing everything I've learned with as many people as I can, especially focusing on people who have less access to opportunities and resources than I do.

Here on Martin Luther King Jr Day in the USA, I feel blessed that I was recently able to teach a masterclass to the entrepreneurs and changemakers of the Black Ambition Prize, an organization created by singer Pharrell Williams to recognize those who are giving all they have to make a difference in their communities.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Uganda this time! Helping African entrepreneurs in Kampala learn how to grow their startups and small businesses in a virtual masterclass. And I got a wonderful gift in return! A group of them went to visit the children we are raising in our youth home there, and they came with food and gifts and a much appreciated Christmas spirit.

Thank you to HIVE COLAB and Women In Technology Uganda. When you spread love it always comes back to you. ❤️

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Honored to be invited by the Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST) to host the 2025 Sustainability Awards on behalf of the Nobel family (you know the family from the Nobel Prize). The Nobel family created the trust foundation with the goal of aligning human progress with planetary well-being, honoring individuals and institutions whose work inspires transformative change. It was a humbling experience to be on stage as emcee and moderator as these world-changers were honored.

@unleashingideas

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Shaquille O'Neal and I bringing Christmas to a group of amazing youth whose energy and enthusiasm I wish I could bottle up and take with me. Shaq and I are not friends because he played basketball. I'm friends with him because of his heart. It's as big as the rest of him, and he gives to others without hesitation. Spending the day with him and these kids is the only Christmas present I could ever need. Thank you @SHAQ

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Speaking at a fundraiser to help our sisters and brothers in Jamaica and Haiti.

Many thanks to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) for hosting this event. For many of us around the world, the hurricane in Jamaica or the civil unrest in Haiti are just a news story. Then we change the channel to watch our favorite show. But for the families suffering on the ground in those places, there's no button to push to make it all go away. THEY NEED US.

Somebody once asked me how many brothers and sisters I have. I said millions. We are one big human family. And we can't let politics and borders stop us from loving and caring about each other, especially in a time of need.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Sometimes you just need to find an F-35 pilot and go fly something. 😁

Thank you Brandon “Rebel” Harris for flying me (and for bringing me home safely!) and to Daniel "Bond" Robinson (F-22 pilot) and the entire Red 6 team. Incredible pilots, even more incredible technology, and a future so bright you need to wear fighter pilot shades.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

Honored to support women entrepreneurs in northern Nigeria at the Arewa Festival during Global Entrepreneurship Week. Made a virtual appearance to talk about the importance of entrepreneurs in every village and city, and especially the responsibility we all share to create and support more women to become entrepreneurs in Nigeria, Africa, and across the world.

[Jeff Hoffman @SpeakerJeff]

South America! Down in Chile now, enjoying the nice weather, the even nicer people, and the exceptionally nice BBQ.😁

Spoke at the ETM conference (it stands for "entrepreneur your mind!"), as well as visiting innovation organizations, universities, students, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

Thank you Santiago. I will definitely be back.

Because the more we help each other, the more the whole world rises together.