Are you ready to transform your site into a flourishing business? Do not miss our next entrepreneur+ webinar event, which takes place on Wednesday, March 26th at 3 p.m. and at 3 p.m. (It is free of charge for subscribers -register here!) The special guest Hilary Hoffman, founder of Sotomethod, will expand the “Stealth mode strategy” in a global fitness phenomenon in just eight months.
Before the event, we spoke to Hilary to take a little insight into her inspiring story and your advice for entrepreneurial people who are willing to try your own thing.
Please give us the elevator level of your business.
My name is Hilary Hoffman and I am the founder of Sotomethod, an Omnichannel fitness company that offers streaming services through our app and personal courses here in New York City. Our method combines cardio and sculpture movements to maximize the burning and to deliver efficient full-body training- or plunge it from home or join us in the studio.
What inspired you to create it?
Before I founded Sotomethod, I worked in financing, where long hours and high pressure made almost impossible to maintain a consistent fitness routine. If I couldn't find efficient training that matched my lifestyle without affecting the results, I created one myself. This personal need – combined with my deep commitment to movement and performance – led me to start Sotomethod in 2021. What started as a solution for myself quickly became something bigger – one method with which others are supposed to integrate fitness into their lives in a way that is both effective and sustainable.
What was your “aha moment”?
My big “aha moment” came in 2021 when I realized that what started as a side builder had the potential to be much bigger. The classes started in my back yard in LA, where I only trained one or two people at the same time. Then it grew to five and ten, and before I knew it, the demand continued. That was the moment I realized that this was not just a training session – it filled a real need. I wasn't just classes; I created something that was resonance on a lower level with people. Then I knew that I wasn't just leaving something back – I ran on something with real effects that could develop beyond fitness into its own community and its ecosystem.
Register to ask Hilary in a live questions and answers your questions
What was your biggest challenge and how did you swirl to overcome you?
One of the greatest persistent challenges was to ensure the focus on all Sotomet etodes in order to compensate for the digital platform with our inpatient presence. The opening of our Tribeca studio, which started as a pop-up, was a perfect example of the navigation of uncertainty. We were not 100% ready – we had no previous experience with the operation of a studio – but growth is not about waiting for you to feel fully prepared. It is about aligning yourself with the right skills, taking calculated risks and making the jump. This experience increased a nuclear philosophy that I always come back to: to mitigate risk, to evaluate the upward trend and to trust that action creates clarity.
What does the word “entrepreneur” mean for you?
For me, it means being an entrepreneur, being obsessed with something bigger than building them. It is not just a job – it is a way of thinking, a relentless drive to solve problems, and the willingness to continue to come forward when nobody is watching. I love the quote: “Employee: Wait for the coffee break. Entrepreneur: Forget to eat.” It vibrates deeply, because when they are really invested, time disappears. You don't work for a salary check. They build something that counts – something that they believe in so much that the usual markers of a “working day” do not apply.
At the same time, I see many new entrepreneurs who pursue the scale before they have processed the value. I constantly refer to Alex Hormozi's quote: “New entrepreneurs spend so much time to make their offer scalable. They forget to make it valuable.” For me that meant spending time to refine Sotomethod – testing, listening and improving – before I ever thought about expansion. With real entrepreneurship, it's not just about starting something. It's about doing something great and then finding out how to do it last.
What do many strenuous business owners you need do do what they really don't do?
Many strenuous business owners have the feeling that they have to be all for everyone – but this way of thinking often leads to a diluted message and burnout. Your values and voice should be reflected in your product, and it is important to be intended to be intended to influence your decisions. I was selectively about it early on whose advice I took, and held a large part of my initial growth under the radar – a deliberate decision that paid off afterwards. There is also a big difference between the inquiries from advice and the search for feedback – the appearance of feedback is often based on the experience of another, while feedback is about refining what you are already building. If you understand this distinction early, you become a sharper, more strategy entrepreneur when scaling.
What is a book that you always recommend?
A book that I often grab when I look for motivation is the right call: what sport teaches us about work and life of Sally Jenkins. The book explains how principles from sport can be applied to our decision -making processes in work and life. One of the lessons in which it is located is the importance of preparation, adaptability and learning from failure. Jenkins draws brilliant parallels between sporting experiences and everyday challenges, with insights that were incredibly valuable to me when I expanded my business. The book also made me build a competitive but collaborative way of thinking – a balance that I believe that all big entrepreneurs are trying to strike.
Is there a specific quote or says that you use as a personal motivation?
Since I started Soto, I have kept this Damian Lillard quote as the background of my phone: “If you want to look good before thousands, you don't have to revise thousands from anyone.” It is a memory that the work that is most important is the work that nobody sees. It is easy to celebrate the big moments, but they do not happen without the hours that have prevailed with the refinement, solving problems and enforcing attention. For me it built Soto – not a single breakthrough, but the commitment to work if it had been easier to stop.