Can We Talk About Gary V? (Vaynerchuck)

[V8Bill]

Actually I think you'll find that Gary V doesn't sell the dream, he sells you on your dream. He often says that if you're happy with your lot in life he's happy for you but if you complain and don't do anything about it that's when he gets fired up. He's all about action and I think he's great and he's earned my respect. I always get a kick when I watch him. He's worth the effort to get to know a little better.

There's plenty of time to watch him and take action. The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

 

[JAJT]

I was following him for a while, I think some people here have a weird impression of him.

I think he's genuine and I think he wants to genuinely help people. I've literally never seen ONE piece of content from him that didn't scream "I want you to succeed!" and not only that but he walks the walk as well - he's clearly a very, very, very, very busy and successful entrepreneur. He doesn't blow smoke up your a$$ and will happily tell you that your head isn't screwed on right. And he gets super frustrated when people he's trying to help "doesn't get it".

However - I do not aspire to be him, at all.

The guy doesn't stop. He has a call in show, he interviews other entrepreneurs, he produces social media content basically continuously (I think he has more "follow me around" hours on film than any reality star in history), he's an author, he gives speeches, he responds personally to every single message, and on top of all that he has his day job! He owns a marketing agency and works with the biggest household names on the planet.

Frankly I think the guy found the cure to sleep and stopped doing that years ago and just hasn't told anyone yet. He might as well be the supreme leader of all hustlers on the planet. He doesn't stop!

I mean, the guy is inspirational as hell but if you asked me if I wanted the keys to his life with no questions asked I'd politely say "F*ck. That."

So yeah, he's fun to watch and has great content and advice and is personally successful and wants everyone else to succeed as well. I get that. But he's a world-class workaholic. I'd love to shake his hand but no way in hell do I want to do what he does.

 

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[biophase]

And that’s exactly my point. If your starting from a $3m business at the offset then you’re not stuck for money, you’re probably pretty free to decide how you want to focus your time.

Making a YouTube channel from that position versus making a YouTube channel when you have a day job / money worries is very very different. And he preaches generally to people with day jobs and money worries.

He wasn't a 100% owner so we don't know if he had 10% or 50% of the business or if any. At that scale, the business could have profited only $300k, and he could have easily made less than $100k. There are many people working a job making more that can't get their business off the ground.

I think you're missing the point. I don't know how to go from $3m to $30m. That sh!ts really hard to do. We have alot of successful people on this forum that have done $3m, but not many have done $30m let alone $20m or even $10m. So don't discount that he doesn't have skills and that you can't learn anything from him.

 

[Andy Black]

I find his online content repetitive and tedious.

I am a fan of his books however. In audio form. I have gained a lot of value from them.

Last year I binged on his YouTube videos for about a month or so. I definitely learned a lot about social media, and that there's a whole 'nother level of working hard. Watch a few of his early Daily Vee's and you'll see what I mean.

I too found his audio books great to listen to.

It's just that I don't aspire to his lifestyle or his goals. He spends so little time with his family (it seems). It was good for me to realise what I didn't want to become (not saying I even got the correct impression of him, just that it clarified things for me).

I also found he was churning out so much content that I'd have to be a full-time consumer to keep up with him.

I do like that he says his goal is that you won't need him anymore.

Consume, learn, take an action-taking leaf from his book.

Just make sure your own thoughts don't get drowned out in all the noise out there, and that you produce more than you consume.

 

[Sanj Modha]

I don't dispute his success but I disagree with Gary Vee's fundamental principles.

His glorification of 'hustle porn' is dangerous. A lack of sleep, rest, food, time with your family/friends/dog outlook to business isn't a badge of honor in my opinion.

Plus, he's just too angry for me.

 

[Argue]

The problem with a lot of his followers is that they don't do shit. They just use his videos/podcasts as a means of delaying the action. Those that already have a business up and running or those that do take action after listening to his stuff, it can be pure gold.

Absolutely. For those entrepreneurs on a different level, Gary's insights are an advantage.

But for the average joe, it becomes another action fake. They binge watch all day but fail to take a single step. This group keeps watching hoping for the holy grail.

And that's where my belief is that watching him is an action fake unless you're an executing entrepreneur with passive income every month, then yeah he has food for thought.

Majority return to their day job the next day or return to their old habits.

In business, it takes execution, diligence, and perseverance. Courage, grit, persistence, dedication, and patience.

Universal formula should be:

A + E = S

Action + Execution = Success

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Bro marketing.

I don't know much about Gary V as I don't pay attention to gurus or what they do other than what is posted here, however, I don't think he is a bro-marketer. From my impressions of the material that has passed my palette, he comes across as genuine and authentic. In the guru world, this is rare. And doesn't he have a real business with real revenues? I'm not sensing any practice paradoxes.

 

[Rickchise23]

Let me weigh in briefly as I can see both sides. First off, below is a photo of me and Gary V in 2009 I believe. He flew into town and even though he looked physically exhausted and sick (pale as hell here) he gave a 50 minute talk at a bookstore and then sat and shook every single persons hand and signed their books. He also talked at length with every single guest. I watched as person after person went up and asked him multiple questions. He was in no rush and took the time to try and help everyone. This is why I will always have mad respect for Gary and why his early work motivated me so damn much to do things differently. He is truly authentic and has an unprecedented level of work ethic and energy.

That being said I understand why he rubs people the wrong way. I laugh often when I see friends of mine who are peddling MLM bullshit who will post Gary V hustle videos everyday and talk about how they are business owners. For us real business owners its like "ya.... ok bro, I don't want any body wraps or skin cream."

I think because he is authentic and so high energy and motivating, he does attract the dreamers who love to be inspired but never really end up doing shit but I don't think that is his fault. I don't watch too much of his stuff these days, a lot of it is regurgetated, you can only say get off your a$$ and provide value so many times. But I do buy his audiobooks and I always will. I think he is a bright guy and a trend spotter and if nothing else I like to see where he thinks the markets, tech and social media are trending toward.

My advice, watch his earlier stuff and read his books. Don't worry about seeing all his videos, if you've seen every single dailyvee you probably are not successful...

 

[James Fake]

Just like with everything else in life.. The best results usually happens when you take the good parts of everything and mash it into your own.

This applies to entrepreneur influencers as well. Too deep into just one person (style, topic, and perspective) limits you.

For me; I don't listen to what they say... I observe how they move. (how they market, how they engage, how they adjust content to times/trends, their process of pushing out so much content, etc. etc.)..

 

[Argue]

I rarely know who he is. In my opinion, watching him is an action fake. Just my opinion of course so no offense to anyone.

 

[jilla82]

I get why people love him.

But I dont think people get what he's doing.
He's entertaining you to raise his position and build his brand up.
He's not saying anything new...he just knows how to be entertaining for the "I want to be in business" crowd.

Unless you have a parent that built a business, and then let you handle the marketing straight out of high school....how can he relate to what youre going through?

People like hearing "build value first, and the money will follow"...because they dont want to deal w/ the rejection that comes with selling your a$$ off.
but if those bills are coming...you need to get out there and sell your product...not tweet/dm/market all day long.

As post on here have highlighted...people like that Gary talks about "being a good person first"...
...thats another dream being sold.
You think he isnt cut throat? You dont think the biz world is cut throat?
People sell you that "be kind, dont be pushy" shit when they are at the top...because thats what the average Joe wants to hear.

 

[biophase]

Gary V is great at social media marketing. You can definitely learn from him there.

But as far as general business advice - he drops plenty of nuggets that are absolutely TRUE they just aren't HELPFUL. But his audience is mostly wantrapreneurs, what do you expect?

I like his stuff and have gotten new ideas from him about marketing. His stuff is very different which is why I learn a lot from him.

Can't believe OP is complaining that he doesn't talk about market research or other stuff... do you expect one person to talk about everything? Listen to a different podcast then!

I listen to him when I need new marketing ideas to put into my repertoire. Understand what each person's strength is!

 

[Imgal]

This is a thread that we could essentially be having about any entrepreneurial personality who puts themselves out there on Youtube / Instagram / Facebook etc and here's my take.

Each and every one of them has something to teach us, even if it's it's... well that's a load of crap I'd never recommend doing - which is a clear sign that a) You are action faking because you know it all and you're now just waiting for someone to give you permission to get up and do it or b) you really don't know what you're doing and keep watching videos isn't going to help you - again you need to get out there, do it, get it wrong and learn.

 

[Scot]

To be fair, he's either the "real deal" or he's scripted and saying platitudinous rubbish to hook the wantrepreneur crowd. If you can't take what he's saying at face value and you need to understand the nuance, then is it straight shooting? It's an act.

I also would say that building the "Gary V" brand isn't really a great business because he can't sell himself and retire to the South of France.

He's like the internet marketing version of an athlete - once he stops "hustling" the value of that brand becomes less meaningful and valuable.

Not just with the books that are a recurring revenue model but his business would still perform without him. Vayner media is still a powerhouse marketing firm regardless of if he's there or not. His staff turn out all the actual work. Granted, the business may not pull in big naked clients as easily if he weren't there, but they'd still perform.

I have a love/hate relationship with Gary Vee.

His content, like @JAJT pointed out, is pretty repetitive. His message is "work until your eyes bleed and get started now." Once you've digested those two messages, 90% of what he says is repetitive.

Where I think my problem with Gary Vee lies isn't really his fault. People binge watch Gary Vee and turn into into an action fake. They need his videos to hype them up to get things done. It's just a mental masturbation exercise. But Gary Vee doesn't actually advocate that.

He's also definitely not a Bro Marketer as MJ pointed out. He doesn't really have a desernable funnel and he definitely has practiced what he preaches.

One of the things he points out often is that he worked 15 years learning wines and how to sell before you even saw him on YouTube.

Gary Vee isn't trying to sell you a paradoxical practice. He's building his empire and simply sharing (mostly free) everything he does along the way.

Gary is ok in my book. I probably won't follow much of his advice because I have ZERO desire to turn myself into a brand, but I admire the hell out of his work ethic and drive.

 

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[Sanj Modha]

My counterargument to every Gary Vee argument is - if 'hustle' is the secret ingredient to success, why do 75% of Silicon Valley start ups fail?

They have venture capital, technology, manpower and hustle on tap. Clearly, there's more to it.

China's start up failure rate is 85% and they literally work themselves to death.

As far as I'm concerned - we need a new narrative.

 

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[Get Right]

I like his older stuff. The problem is he doesn't deliver for the long haul (like the fastlane). If you need some ra-ra to keep your motivation up in the initial stages of your business then go for it. Once you get rolling you will probably see it as more of a hindrance.

 

[Sanj Modha]

I do a lot of e-commerce but a $1m lunch date with Jack Ma is no good to me. He's on a different planet with e-commerce so you need some context too.

Follow people who can help you right now. That's my only advice.

 

[Gigi Rodgers]

Why NOT start a blog or podcast for video games?
I'm sure you've heard of Pewdie Pie.
How about The International (for multiple player online battle arenas)?
There's even Pokemon World championships.

Pewdie Pie was making bank ($400K+/month), being an e-gamer commentator. A commentator...
He became so popular that he appeared on South Park.
And those competitions mentioned, the purse prizes are in the tens of millions - if you're a pro.
If you're not a pro - you could always be a personality (like Pewdie Pie) and livestream you playing games on a website called Twitch. You get $3 for every 1K ad views and $5 for every subscriber.

So yes, if you want to start a blog/podcast for video games, on the side, while you work a full-time job and be a dad and husband, do it.
He could talk about short cuts to get X in a particular game.
He could interview up-and-coming gamers and ask them their training regimen (yes, some have a training regimen)
He could be a gaming reviewer. Ever see Conan review a game before? It's fuqin' hilarious.

You can be just as happy and "successful" - whatever that means to you - making $175K per year being a video live streamer.
How? The same way you do anything when it comes to building a community - give value to your audience, find your distribution channel and do a deep dive into the platform and learn the culture, being a strong personality, entertain them, etc.

And on top of that - once you start building traction you can get sponsorships, Amazon referral links, PayPal Donations, etc.
It's not enough to just be hustling, just like anything, there needs to be some kind of strategy behind it.

Robert Samuel, in New York, has a successful business standing in line for people. He makes $2K+ per week, standing in line for your tickets to Hamilton, for your iPhone 7S, the latest Air Jordans, and more.
A successful business...where you stand in line...
It's so simple...it's genius.
Sometimes it's really not about hustling harder, but finding a problem EVERYONE has, and coming up with a simple solution that people will pay for.

 

[Alxander]

I think there is quite some misunderstanding what Gary Vee says sometimes.

The "you gotta hustle 24/7" more means if you are complaining and not working your losing.

Here he explains that getting out of your routine and doing something else IS important, but you do it because you expand your mind etc. Not for the sole purpose of recovering from soul-sucking work, what is bad.

Buying the New York Jets isn't the most important thing to him, it's the process. He would be excited to lose everything, just to show everyone he can build it again from scratch.

 

[bigred]

I have a ton of respect for Gary V. His is one of the many podcasts I listen to while at the gym or driving. I don't have time to watch his videos, but have listened to a lot of his audio. Just like @V8Bill said, the two aren't mutually exclusive.

If you really watch or listen to more than one piece of content, Gary V is all about taking action. Just the other day, someone asked what he would do, if he had to start over. He said he would flip stuff on Ebay and Amazon to build a bankroll. That's not some pipe dream blog or action fake social media agency. Think about what he didn't say...

I would give him a chance. The guy is on another level, if you really listen to what he is saying.

 

[MoneyDoc]

The problem with a lot of his followers is that they don't do shit. They just use his videos/podcasts as a means of delaying the action. Those that already have a business up and running or those that do take action after listening to his stuff, it can be pure gold.

 

[James Fake]

I love listening to Gary V. on my Spotify. A few of his strength topics are:

1) Future of marketing; especially in social media marketing and trends and the future and staying ahead of the curve.

2) He talks about being a good character and person first and business second. I think this is missed a lot. Shitty and lazy people have a huge handicap regardless of idea or execution. Being a good person and bringing those same values into your business is very BIG imo.

He does tend to talk extremely fast and a lot of hoorah stuff sometimes; but when I need a motivational kick sometimes; it fits in perfectly.

 

[Vigilante]

He is on the cover of entrepreneur magazine this month

 

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[CPisHere]

Gary V is great at social media marketing. You can definitely learn from him there.

But as far as general business advice - he drops plenty of nuggets that are absolutely TRUE they just aren't HELPFUL. But his audience is mostly wantrapreneurs, what do you expect?

 

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[the great one]

Where I think my problem with Gary Vee lies isn't really his fault. People binge watch Gary Vee and turn into into an action fake. They need his videos to hype them up to get things done. It's just a mental masturbation exercise. But Gary Vee doesn't actually advocate that.

It's unfair to have a problem with Gary V when the problem lies squarely on the shoulders of his viewers/readers/listeners. Using that logic, you should have a problem with MJ as well.

How many people do you think have read (or will read) TMF /Unscripted and spend hours on these forums every day "researching" each day, yet will be "too busy" to build their business and go right back to the slowlane lifestyle?

If you are being realistic, you will realize that the statement above describes the majority. Hell, I can openly admit that sentence described me right after I read TMF .

That's not MJ's fault. So why is it Gary V's?

Gary's work ethic is phenomenal and is something that everyone should be able to admire. If Gary decided to cash out and call it a day, he would be the ideal representation of a fastlaner. Hustle your face off for several years, eat shit when you have to, then sell out and do whatever you want to do for the rest of your life with your fortune.

For some reason known only to Gary, he isn't ready to take that final step yet.

For me, Gary V's two main messages that I internalize are to shut up and take action, and that you can always work harder.

I recently experienced my FTE and it has changed my entire mindset. I actually get mad at myself now when I'm at home sitting on the couch not working on my business. But that will be explained in another thread at another time.

I couldn't tell you the last time I logged onto this forum. I haven't read Unscripted . Hell, I wouldn't have even known about it if it wasn't for an email from MJ. I want to read the book and I support MJ, but right now I feel like taking time away to read that book instead of working on my business would just be action faking.

I've really internalized Gary V's message of "shut up and work" lately, hence why I haven't read the new book yet or logged in here.

But you won't catch me spending hours on Gary's facebook page. Some audio while I'm working out or driving to the slowlane job is enough to kick my a$$ back into gear when I'm feeling lazy.

Okay, enough of that. Rant over

 

[Jeff InfoPreneur]

I have followed Gary for a few years now, listen to him on and off - sort of adds new observations and insights about every 6-months I find despite the enormous amount of content he puts out so listening daily for days on end is not really necessary.

I do try to follow more of what he is DOING versus what he is saying...he is a "stream of conscious" type speaker so you get everything...not all of it is useful with a LOT of repetition.

His main messages (at least as far as I have pulled out of both his content and his actions are...)

1. Recognize trends in attention - and then act fast (most people hesitate, question or look for proof of ROI where he tries and that's how you catch the "attention wave")
2. Put out a LOT of content, your best content that will attract attention...you will always be able to monetize attention so go ahead and share your best stuff
3. Find your best mode of communication - for him video is clearly IT...he is charismatic, talks a lot and is quite influential on video...then that content is re-purposed by his team into written and audio content
4. Don't wait until you have it all figured out...go with your hunches and try (fail fast) mentality...in my experience this is critical and he does it so well. In fact, my belief in why he is so popular is he simply is willing to take things to market that much faster and learn as he goes...99% of others are not willing to do it so they follow him instead
5. Dominate a market and then take the learnings from that success and turn THAT into a parallel business. He grew his father's liquor store business revenue by taking it online...the learnings from that he turned into Vayner Media (new spin on Ad agency), he started gaining the attention and ad agency business of hip-hop, sports and celebrities which he is now trying to evolve into an endorsement business (running shoes) and sports business (he has his own sports streaming gig in incubation. Keep pivoting as you learn about markets first-hand...find a viable model to share that knowledge with others (agency, coaching, products, consulting, etc...)

Actually fun to follow what these guys are REALLY doing, less about following every piece of content they are talking about.

Jeff

 

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[Andy Black]

I find it absurd that he talks about the hustle etc when he started with multi million dollar family business under his belt.

Watch the first few of his Daily Vee videos. He hustles hard. Not my thing, but he does seem to walk his talk.

 

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[BlindSide]

I rarely know who he is. In my opinion, watching him is an action fake. Just my opinion of course so no offense to anyone.

I understand that, given a lot of people will continuously watch his content to soak up all the information possible (aka: avoid doing anything.)

 

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[CJ B]

Actually I think you'll find that Gary V doesn't sell the dream, he sells you on your dream. He often says that if you're happy with your lot in life he's happy for you but if you complain and don't do anything about it that's when he gets fired up. He's all about action and I think he's great and he's earned my respect. I always get a kick when I watch him. He's worth the effort to get to know a little better.

There's plenty of time to watch him and take action. The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

I like him as well. If you know his story; grinding out creating Wine Library TV on YouTube when nobody was watching to take his families liquor business from $3mm to $30mm, it's pretty inspirational. He definitely found a concept, grinded long hours and went Fastlane.

 

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[bigred]

I think he just says it more bluntly, "don't have a shit product."

He isn't one of those guys that going to give you a step-by-step on validating your market.

He always talks about piveting, based on the feedback you get from the market.

I'm not calling you out, but are we listening to the same person? I have listened to him on and off for over a year and he has consistently said the same thing over and over and over.

 

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