Jacob Branham, better known to many as ‘Whisper,’ dreamt about becoming a Marine since childhood and made this dream come true. He served as a Marine for 8 years, however, his time was cut short as a result of an injury he sustained while responding to a search and rescue for an aircraft crash. At that point, it seemed like he had lost everything in a blink of an eye, but Jacob, by creating an outlet, was able to get through this low point of his life.
What he saw as simply an outlet then, actually has become his business focus. Jacob runs a gaming content creator page on Facebook, Team Whisper, where he provides live streams on a daily basis. As such, it serves as an outlet for individuals with disabilities, veterans, and anyone else who is going through a difficult time and needs a place to connect and be accepted. The page is also open to anyone who enjoys the feelings of camaraderie, friendship, and team style connection.
“I lost my ability to have the Marines by my side, so I created a place where we could all be together at any time from anywhere,” shares Jacob.
Jacob also works as a professional call of duty player and coach with LegionFarm, a company aimed at providing coaching to lower skilled players through professional players. This coaching, which helps players develop better skills and traits is also part of the daily live streams, in addition to interaction with followers and supporters. In fact, a sense of community is what has been most important to Jacob from the start:
“My motivation for this business was those around me. A lot of my friends and family wanted to connect with me from cross country but found it difficult. People I’ve met all over the United States and other countries such as Japan. The best way I knew to be with everyone at once, was a community for all to gather,” states Jacob.
In today’s world, where we rarely meet up at parks, hangouts, or other in-person gatherings but instead rely on our phones so much, Jacob saw this as an opportunity to build a community. Through his passion for bringing people together, Jacob has been able to stick out in the gaming community.
“A lot of people in the Streaming community want your money or your time, but don’t want to invest in you. I want to know everyone. I am genuine. I am real. When you come to Team Whisper you know that I will acknowledge you and get to know you. We build a friendship. We are Team Whisper, because we are one team one fight. When I say it’s an outlet, I mean I am here for you and so are all of the other community members. It’s a place you can come to with anything and we will invest in you,” says Jacob.
Currently, Jacob does monthly giveaways in which 50% of what is donated to the page is donated to someone who meets the eligibility criteria. Through his business, he was also able to raise over $1200 to fund a young gamers dreams of becoming a professional video game player. Throughout the upcoming year, Jacob plans to keep giving back and helping others through his gaming platform.
Looking back on his own journey, Jacob recognizes that starting a business is hard work. However, to anyone who is thinking of engaging on a similar journey, Jacob says:
“You HAVE to invest. You have to invest time, effort, money, EVERYTHING. If you want to succeed you have to fully invest into your idea. If you aren’t fully invested, why would anyone else?”
“Going into business is a big decision and having a positive mindset and acknowledging everything isn’t going to be perfect all the time is a must. With that said, knowing and preparing mentally for setbacks will prevent you from being surprised by it. Staying positive even in the low periods is what will keep you afloat.”
Make sure you check out Jacob’s page TeamWhisper here.
Looking back on his own journey, Jacob recognizes that starting a business is hard work. However, to anyone who is thinking of engaging on a similar journey, Jacob says:
