eight your own element don’t try and
perform someone else’s expertly so in
modern terminology or how would I say
that is don’t waste your time Steve Jobs
don’t waste your time trying to live
someone else’s life you know don’t be
trapped by Dogma focus in on your own
strengths your own element what you have
to offer don’t get lost in trying to
become like someone else or pretend to
be someone else there’s a beautiful one
of my favorite quotes by Einstein and
then Steve Jobs again Einstein said if
you judge a fish by its ability to climb
a tree they’ll spend its whole life
believing that it’s stupid and too many
of us are fish trying to climb a tree
too many of us am monkeys being taught
how to swim too many of us are lions
being taught to live like cats we’re not
getting to live in our element so my
second piece of advice is live in that
element that you’ve naturally been given
don’t try adopt another you know we’ve
more got a special genius inside of us
it was Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs this
conversation Steve Wozniak looked Steve
Wozniak for those who don’t know is the
tech guy behind Apple he practically
invented the technology and the software
and everything so Steve Wozniak looked
at Steve Jobs and he says this is in
Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve
Jobs Steve was not was intact looks at
Steve Jobs and he says what do you even
do said you’re not a coder you’re not a
designer you know what a marketer and
you’re not an engineer what do you even
do imagine challenging Steve Jobs and
Steve Jobs replies he says he says
musicians play their instruments I play
the orchestra that is the most deep
understanding of one’s role in life and
not getting lost in other people’s
identities and perceptions of you Steve
Jobs knew that he wasn’t a marketer he
wasn’t an engineer he wasn’t a coder so
he hired all of those but he played the
orchestra he brought it all together and
that’s when you’ve when you find
confidence in your own role you won’t be
envious of anyone else when this goes
online or whatever it is it really
matters and then like really doesn’t
matter what matters is
you know the people who are sparked by
it and the people who are like offended
by it it doesn’t matter you you know
like because it’s about motivating the
doers and anyone that wants to sit
around and talk they’re doing too much
time it taken too much time talking good
about it instead of getting up off their
ass and following their dreams because
I’m here to follow my dreams you know
and help other people follow their
dreams and inspire people who are
dreamers it’s crazy that we live in a
world that if you’re super positive and
super creative
then it’s scary so what does that tell
you about the mentality of most people
if you’re scared of like positivity and
everyone has an element that they thrive
in if you take someone out of it their
element they won’t be the same
modern-day example would be Michael
Jordan he was incredible at basketball
you took him out a basketball put him
into baseball no one remembers his
career we’re talking about one of the
best athletes of all time your
environment is the environment around
you you can take a fish out of water and
give it a beautiful mansion and a
Bentley and all the money in the world
but it would die and that’s what we are
like our environment everyone is an
environment which they thrive which we
have to craft your boss if you’re at
work is never gonna ask you what
environment you succeed in right like
that never happens so we have to create
an environment where we thrive and then
finally its energy we some of us love
high energy environments high pressure
some of us succeed in lower energy
environments and low pressure figuring
out your energy and the frequency on
which you operate best will help you
thrive as well so for me those are the
three e’s to really create a thriving
environment know your element know your
environment and know your energy and so
on all times if I see anything going
wrong I’m going is my element out of
alignment is my environment out of
alignment or is my energy out of
alignment that’s a great three question
test you can do to yourself when you
don’t think things are going right and
all you have to do is bring that back
into alignment
not gonna sit inside of a corporation
for 20 years the time is now the time is
now to Express and for people to believe
in themselves the time is now for it to
be okay to be great people in this world
shun people for being great for being a
bright color for standing out but the
time is now to be okay to be the
greatest you it’s our intention our
intention is everything nothing happens
on this planet without it not one single
thing has ever been accomplished without
intention so I started thinking about my
life and I started thinking about this
conference and what we’re about and and
I looked back and I thought well I was
two people my whole life I was in the
living room entertaining people being a
monkey you know doing my thing for the
company and and trying to relieve my
mother who was suffering she had
rheumatoid arthritis and phlebitis and
everything everything under the Sun that
was nagging at her and she was depressed
and I wanted her to be free and I wanted
her to realize that her life was worth
something because she gave birth to
someone who was worth something and then
with a legal pad I was a little kid I
would sit there and I would try to
figure out what it meant what I was all
about why are we here what is this and
one day I read something from Buddha
that said that all spirituality is about
relieving suffering and I suddenly
realized that’s what I’m doing in the
other room and and I’m aligned
you know this my purpose is aligned with
this so I felt incredibly lucky I lose
sight of that all the time I get caught
up in different concerns and ego
concerns but I’m so lucky to be a part
of this community and to to do something
that is a value and I really cherish
that and we are all one thing it really
is true everyone out there in TV world
real world whatever world you stay in
needs to know that I’ve never done a
publicity stunt of my life anytime I
went up and spoke my mind whether they
put my career in jeopardy or whatever
it’s someone so-called said it was
always what I thought was the truth
whether I’m like reading through a
teleprompter or whatever or whatever I
felt emotionally I don’t follow like
rules of like you know normal celebrity
or what their publicist tells them to
say or anything but I say things the
wrong way a lot of times if my intention
is always positive and I want to bring
more things to the world I want to help
the world I want to make people’s lives
easier if you guys look at the same
interview it’s really something
extremely fearless for someone in my
position to do because most people just
like you know bow tie on a TV or
whatever bow down to these cameras like
I could care less about any of these
cameras in all honesty all I care about
is my family I care about protecting my
girl for Tareq protecting my baby and
protecting my ideas and my dreams yes
I’m totally weird and I’m totally honest
and I’m totally inappropriate sometimes
and the thing is I you know for me to
say I wasn’t a genius I would just be
lying to you and to myself crazy dream
or a crazy goal I want you to write out
in the comment section what is your
crazy dream the dream that keeps you up
at night is the real dream you should be
chasing but to chase that dream to find
that dream to make that dream a reality
you need a strategy why a dream without
a plan is just a wish Tony Robbins said
that right a dream without a plan is
just a wish right without a strategy
without a guiding philosophy without
guiding principles without actually
creating a clear plan I used to have
this economics teacher and I want you to
think back to school as well maybe you
had one I remember this economics
teacher he walked in to the classroom
and the first thing that here on the
board he didn’t even tell us
we’d even know who he was and he turned
up he went inside the classroom and he
wrote on the board
he said failing to prepare is preparing
to fail and all of us just burst out
laughing this guy I don’t even told us
his name yet but on the board he wrote
failing to prepare is preparing to fail
and now when I look back at that and as
I grew up and hopefully became a bit
more mature than I was in high school I
remember thinking about that statement I
thinking how true is that
then when you’re not prepared for
something you miss out on unbelievable
opportunities now I’m not saying good
things don’t happen spontaneously
sometimes things happen by chance
randomly etc with a reason but when
you’re prepared you can capitalize on
things in a huge huge way I refuse to
follow those rules the society is set up
and the way that they control people
with low self-esteem with improper
information with branding with marketing
I refuse to follow those rules it’s
about truth it’s about information
it’s about awesomeness and the only
luxury is time the time you spend with
your family that’s the only luxury so
this concept of luxury is improper to me
when I compare myself to Steve Jobs or
Walt Disney Howard Hughes David Stern
Michelangelo da Vinci Jesus or whatever
is I’m saying these are my heroes these
are people that I look up to this is the
type of impact I want to make on the
earth if I can make this type of impact
up to this point what can I do if if you
call Bob Iger and say yo give him a shot
if you call Oprah and say yo back this
kid let’s just get this game this kids a
kids were his parents were educators he
wants to educate he wants to look at
curriculums and say how do we simplify
that exactly what I did in music I want
to apply to product I want to apply to
education this is what my company donned
is about you will embarrass yourself you
will suck at something there’s no doubt
about it and I know that’s probably not
a traditional message for a graduation
ceremony but hey I’m telling you embrace
it because it’s inevitable and I should
know in the acting business you fail all
the time early on in my career
I auditioned for a part in a Broadway
musical perfect role for me I thought
except for the fact that I can’t sing so
I’m in the wings I’m about to go on
stage but the guy in front of me he’s
just going on and on and on and I’m just
shrinking I’m getting smaller and
smaller so they say oh thank you very
much thank you very much and you will
you’ll be hearing from us so I come out
with my little music and it was it was a
just my imagination by the temptations
that’s what I came up with so I hand it
to the the the accompany us and she
looks at it and looked at me and excited
the director and was like so I start you
[Music]
once again and then carrying away with
me and they’re not saying anything so
I’m thinking I’m getting better I start
getting into it running this hour yeah
yeah thank you thank you thank you thank
you very much mr. Washington thank you
so I assumed I didn’t get the job but
the next part of the audition he called
me back the next part of the audition is
the acting part of the audition so I’m
like hey okay maybe I can’t sing but I
know I can act so they pair me with this
guy and again I didn’t know about
musical theater and musical theater is
big so they could reach everyone all the
way in the back of the stadium and I’m
more from the realistic naturalistic
kind of acting where you you know you
actually talk to the person next to you
so I don’t know what my line was my line
was will hand me the cut and his line
was well I will hand you the cup my dear
the cup would be there to be handed to
you I said okay well should I give you
the cup back oh yes you should give it
back to me because you know that is my
what does it take coming out of you
what’s inside you that enables you or
compels you to make films with such
relentless drive where in the world does
that come it’s I don’t know it’s hard to
say it’s it’s it comes from from I’m
really normal yeah well you never know I
mean if the demons weren’t unleashed
through film I’d probably go Amelia you
know somewhere and there’s a theory on
Thorazine you know no that I don’t think
that’s true I think it just has to do
with with how films that I liked it I
remembered you know enjoying and having
that exhilaration hit me and I want to
transfer that back to other people and
just studying the craft and learning how
to do it and and the special thrill as a
filmmaker comes from seeing an immediate
audience response now the only the only
other thing the only other sort of a
genre or if it’s not even a genre but
the only the only other thing that has
that effect in films is comedy and
comedy is not my forte demonstrably yet
it about a terminator and and there’s
some comedy and in this film but for a
film to function as a comedy I think
there’s a special magic there and I’m
you know I’m creeping toward it but I’m
not sure I can do that but that’s the
that’s the other area where where you
can look at it at a sea of 700 faces and
see them all having the same reaction
and you know you’re touching touching
them that’s I mean I I’m not a performer
I can’t stand up on a stage and tell
jokes or sing or do something that that
affects people directly the closest
thing for me is being able to sit in the
theatre and watch a reaction to
something that I’ve put up on the screen
so it’s at one remove but it’s the same
sort of feeling that’s that’s where the
the the drive and the desire to do that
comes from I didn’t fall back I walked
out of there to prepare for the next
audition and the next audition and the
next audition
I prayed I prayed and I pray
but I continue to fail and fail and fail
but it didn’t matter because you know
what there’s an old saying you hang
around the barbershop long enough sooner
or later you’re gonna get a haircut so
you will catch a break and I did catch a
break last year I did a play called
fences on Broadway someone talked about
it won the Tony Award and I didn’t have
to sing by the way but here’s the kicker
it was at the Court Theatre it was at
the same theatre that I failed that
first audition 30 years prior the point
is and I’ll pick up the pace the point
is every graduate here today has the
training and the talent to succeed but
do you have the guts to fail woody to
adjust is the entire game like I’m so
proud that I changed my mind every day
my dad used to get so pissed when I was
building wine library he would always be
like he’s like you would say like three
months ago you said Ricky was gonna be
the best employee I’m like I changed my
mind he fire him or or he’s like you
said sparkling wine was important now
you just eliminated it from the key spot
I’m like I changed my mind like my
ability to only be comfortable in
massive chaos has been my biggest asset
as an entrepreneur like I would never
take a note like that scares the piss
out of me what these three people are
doing right now right and so now you
know now that may work for them and I’m
not like back to the opening statement
like you need to do you like some plenty
of people that make a lot more money
than me and one bigger to take notes the
key the key though the key is way too
many people are doing like here’s a good
one you know what really pissed me the
fuck
I’m completely driven by like happiness
and like I’m crippled by like chaos like
you know vaynermedia which is not 500
people update your vaynermedia is like
completely dictated by like I’m a
dictator of HR like all I care about is
the atmosphere all I care about is how
people intern all I care about is like
how people role like I think I’ve fired
four most talented smartest people that
have worked for me because if you don’t
know how to play with the other boys and
girls you’re out because I suffocate
under you know conflict and negativity
and like nobody’s better than me so you
got to go so what really pissed me off
in tech world was when Steve Jobs his
book came out when he was dying when it
was all about Steve three or four years
ago I literally watched a lot of my tech
startup friends start being like a to
their staff because jobs was tough
everybody fell into the romance stuff
like I have this big vision and I’m
gonna be a book like Steve right and I
thought that was really interesting for
me to watch that half decade of like
literally watching people I know and
then watching them act differently
because the status or the icon of the
moment and you see a lot of that and so
like that is probably the energy I’m
trying to bring to this class today
which is you can look at like how people
roll and like it’s great to admire and
things of that nature but it’s so damn
important to stick to like your DNA
right and like what you’re good at and
to recognize that you need to surround
yourself whether it’s your co-founder or
whether it’s the people that work for
you like all I do is hire the people
that are the opposite of me that bring
the other value that bring me the
ability to remember what that meeting
was about and go make sure it happens
you know like whatever it may be right
and so I think that’s another thing that
I would highly recognized
I’m not mr. mentor I’m not the one who
says let’s sit down tell me how it’s
going I’m gonna tell you exactly how I
am get off your ass and get out there
and sell something that’s right I mean
I’ve never been the okay I need a mentor
you know a lot of people look for
mentors thinking they’re gonna tell me
the shortcut mark you be my mentor you
know the way and they think I’m gonna go
convey some magics here’s the dust go go
go
it doesn’t work that way I still grind
I love the grind if you’re competing on
one of my businesses I’m gonna kick your
ass cuz I’m gonna I’ll grind you right
that’s what being an entrepreneur that
an entrepreneur is you’ve got to get out
there and do the work so when it comes
to how do you learn right because that’s
the question how do I learn this stuff
and everybody everybody has got to go
through that process right I read our
I’m in the tech business I’m in media
business the entertainment business I’ve
got to try to prepare myself for all the
Shark Tank businesses I read three hours
plus a day right what everybody else is
getting a suntan or even when I’m
getting a suntan I’ve got I’m online or
I’ve got books I’m reading all I can
this is how it’s gonna play out you are
doing things right now yesterday you
made a decision that you don’t believe
in or you’re smart you did it because
you know how your company scores here’s
the problem with disruption and
innovation right now you’re being
rewarded for being a yes person and in
36 months you’re gonna be fired for
being a yes person and you’re doing it
because you just need the security of
your job I’m telling you right now if
you’re watching this vlog and you’ve got
like that means you have a certain DNA
please I implore you please die on your
sword not somebody else’s if you’re
gonna lose it’s much more fun to lose
based on what you thought do you mean do
you know how many of you are gonna lose
on somebody else’s thesis it’s gonna
kill at you it’s gonna eat at you it’s
going to be the worst feeling so please
pause this video right now and ask
yourself am i doing my because of me
then you’re good whether you’re winning
or losing or am i doing it because
somebody else is telling me it’s the
right way or I’m subconsciously
pandering to please somebody or
something because I need the short-term
stability figured out the gal you know
it and I know it people are just so
obvious they don’t even realize that
when they box me in or try to verbally
put me in some type of box will put
Donda in a box that they’re really
showing their level of ignorance they’re
putting themselves in a box and you know
people can write write write all they
want but what are people doing and if
there’s anybody that’s out there doing
they know how hard it is to actually do
and I’m like a motivation of the doers
if if everything I did failed which it
doesn’t it actually succeeds but if
everything I did failed just the fact
that I’m willing to fail is an
inspiration people are so scared to lose
that they don’t even try like one thing
that people can’t say is they can’t say
I’m not trying and I’m not trying my
hardest and I’m not trying to do it the
best way that I know how what little
information I get I’m entrepreneurs very
great but not all days are great in a
company
so what are your tips and tricks for
tough days
I think there’s massive confusion around
entrepreneurship entrepreneurship sucks
I mean it’s lonely it’s high-risk I mean
I can’t live without it but it’s like a
bad boyfriend right a girlfriend right
like like it’s there’s a ton of bad days
being an entrepreneur
not to mention 98% of entrepreneurial
ventures are gonna fail so there’s gonna
be a really bad day in your future you
know hopefully not for you you know for
me I don’t you know I think this is a
very personal question I I think it’s
how you’re wired I’m so all-in
entrepreneur I prefer the pain I think
one of the reasons I love the Jets so
much is because they bring me so much
pain you know I I love the climb to me
the setback is exciting I love when
something goes wrong it’s where I shine
the most but that’s not for everybody
right I mean it could be very difficult
and when you start affecting your life
and your loved ones and all the other
things it can get real nasty
to me the way I handle things even
though the few rare days when I really
struggle I take a real step back and
make pretend that somebody called me and
told me that my mother or daughter were
killed and I know that’s very dark and I
apologize but it’s really what I do I
literally am able to at my deepest most
struggling moment within business take a
step back and remind myself that I could
make a trillion dollars tomorrow on
Bitcoin and and if something bad
happened to the people I love the most
that it would mean nothing and it very
consistently rewires me very quickly
I just put business in perspective at
the end of the day you know it’s it’s
money for me it’s not really money it’s
my legacy so I get hurt by it a little
bit more but uh yeah I mean it’s you
know I put in perspective its money and
you know what up until I had a daughter
even while I was married up until when I
had Nisha four years ago
I secretly wanted to lose all my money I
had this weird
the dark fantasy of losing everything
just to rise again like a phoenix
feeling like your life matters because
you you’ve had the experience you and I
both have lots of friends who’ve
achieved everything they could ever
dreamed of and they’re miserable I got a
phone call to help turn them around
they’re missing a meaningful life and
meaning comes from two things I always
tell people happiness comes from
progress if you can do something where
you’re growing and because you’ve grown
you have something to give to other
people that’s meaningful insight love
caring something then life is rich
because happiness comes and goes
happiness does not here every moment and
the happiness isn’t all it’s cracked up
to be meaning is there are people that
have gone through horrible times but a
woman who’s 109 years old and she was
you know when the concentration camps is
the oldest living holocausts to survivor
and that woman’s life is so rich because
of all the pain because she’s used that
to help other people still 109 she’s
strong you know she shares her music she
does the things that make her feel like
she’s got a contribution I just fully
alive Dean in 2001 it snowed in New
Jersey on December 23rd which was one of
the busiest days of the year
typically December 23rd is the busiest
day of the year in a liquor store and a
woman called us which just started
shipping and her case of behringer white
zinfandel wasn’t delivered first of all
I appreciate the people that know what
behringer white sin is good job the
entire case by the way 15 pack the
entire 15 pack case cost $45 we’re doing
about $40,000 an hour in the store she
calls I find out about it somehow it was
buzzing cuz I was on the floor selling I
am the premiere salesman on the floor as
you can imagine I find out about it and
we’re debating what to do she needs it
for her Christmas dinner I grab the case
throw it in my car and drive to Bergen
County to deliver it it takes me two and
a half hours to complete the whole thing
the woman was a hundred and ninety four
years old
we didn’t have a lot of lifetime value
on the back end there she looked like
Yoda and the best part was I delivered
it all pumped with myself and she said
great and close the door
awesome everybody especially my dad who
was pissed that I left because all the
customers that came in asking for me or
that I could have sold everybody who’s
baffled I can’t tell you what the ROI of
driving through the snow in my car to
deliver a case of $45 pink shot to a
woman that looked like Yoda was but I
can tell you this over the next two to
three years that story became the
foundation of how we treated every
single customer it became our
competitive edge and those are the
things that matter to me I love black
and white data I’m obsessed with it
the day when the nerd beat me I
understood that the nerds beat me and I
respect the living out of data
conversion funnels all that but I’m
telling you right now that there are way
too many fast running businesses today
with this and not enough people running
and again I swear on my life I am not
Mother Teresa and I far from run my
business just on this but I’m telling
you right now the reason I amassed my
following the reason that why continue
to retain it is because my percentage of
this far outweighs every foe in this
room I mean it that’s how I feel and
that’s how I try to roll every day and I
promise you if you are able to figure
out how to afford how to afford the
allocation of this in your business more
your long-term value will be
dramatically higher your long-term
business success will be dramatically
higher your grandparents your
great-grandparents build businesses
based on this it’s how we built the
whole thing we got really lean and mean
when we went to the suburbs and big box
stores and all we cared about was
dollars and it’s great and the data
matters and continue to use it and use
this tool and understand it but I’m
asking you one final thing when you go
home if this talk meant anything and by
the way I fundamentally believe only
three of you are gonna act on this talk
I do because what I talk about is
ridiculously hard and massively
frustrating and takes forever you know
like everything that’s good in life if
you do anything because of this keynote
there’s only one thing I ask you to do
because as any as I got I’m a practical
here’s what I want from you when you go
home look yourself in the mirror and
audit everything you and your business
do I promise you that if you audit from
top to bottom of expenses and effort and
time and energy and payroll and all that
if you audit all of it even the best of
us even the InBev’s which is the company
that bought Budweiser they built their
whole business on like printing on both
sides of the paper and all that hoarding
even the most efficient ones of us are
doing 20% dumb shit if you take that 8%
that 13% that’s 16 percent of dumb shit
that you’re doing paying that person
that’s not bringing any cultural value
to your business having that contract
that you’ve just been in and you just
renew because your busiest hawk whatever
the fuck you’re doing if you take any
piece of that percentage and you apply
it to giving a fuck about your customer
it will be better for your business
going forward because for the first time
since we all lived in small
pounds where your reputation was the
complete backbone of how you did
business for the first time because
technology is bringing us back together
in a small town for the first time being
good and caring and following up matters
if matters how about doing something
random act of kindness for a current
customer not the ones that unsubscribed
or left you know how you always do nice
when they’re going how about while
you’ve got them reallocate your thought
process I’m telling you because the
tools that the is the umbrella of this
organism en’t are getting so good so
good you know what that means all that
she’s about to become a commodity
emotional e.q is going to dominate
business over the next decade and I
implore you start paying attention and
oh by the way I’ll leave you with this
you know what the best part is it feels
good I told you this was the last Monday
morning of your life what if I told you
you died this week would you complain
about your crap job or that test you
don’t want to take I doubt it you would
go much higher level thinking well
that’s really what it takes it takes
understanding that if you’re not pumped
right now if you’re begrudging what
you’re about to do it here if you’re not
looking forward to it look I respect
practicality you got to go through
school because your parents want to you
got to pay your rent you got student
loans I get it but please recognize the
world we’re living in we’re living in a
world where there’s so much more
opportunity this internet thing created
way more opportunity for all of us way
more I mean look you might not even be
alive look your mom and dad could have
had sex like three minutes later and you
wouldn’t even exist and you’re
complaining you could have ended up
being
three I just don’t get the mentality of
being head down sad on a Monday morning
I’m gonna make Monday morning my I’m
gonna make you Saturday Monday morning
that’s what I want to do every morning
and that’s what I want from you please
take a step back and think about how
awesome it actually is and then
recognize that you can attack the world
in a totally different way because you
were lucky enough to be born during this
era Howard Thurman one of the mentors of
dr. Martin Luther King jr. and Albert
Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi it was a
very brilliant writer he wrote some
things that really grabbed me he he
wrote deep is to hunger the voice of the
genuine the centering moment during the
time after receiving 238 radiation seed
implants I was reflecting on his words
and and these words kept me up that
night he said the ideal situation for a
man a woman to die is to have family
members praying with them as they cross
over he said but imagine if you will
being on your deathbed and standing
around your bed the ghost of the dreams
the ideas the abilities the talents
given to you by life and that you for
whatever reason you never went after
that dream you never acted on those
ideas you never use those talents you
never to use those gifts and there they
are standing around your bed looking at
you with large angry eyes saying we came
to you and only you could have given us
life and now we must die with you
forever and the question is if you died
today what dreams what ideas what
talents what books what music what
leadership what voice will die with you
mouths Monroe great orator and speaker
said the wealthiest place on the planet
it’s not
for yeast where there’s oil in the
ground it’s not in South Africa where
the diamond lies is that the wealthiest
place on the planet is the cemetery but
you there you’ll find greatness if we’ve
never seen there you find talent in
genius and potential never actualize
perhaps that’s why Henry David Thoreau
wrote the words Oh God to reach the
point of death only to realize that
you’ve never lived maybe that’s why some
unknown writer wrote the words what if
you live your whole life only to
discover that it was wrong that it was
wrong that you were chosen to do
something else
and you didn’t do it people come up to
me and say Gary it’s so hard I look at
their Instagram and they’re not posting
any of their content with hashtags which
is a by accident way to pick up exposure
in a world where they have no money when
you have no money when I took over my
dad’s business it did three million
dollars a year ten percent gross profit
three hundred thousand dollars before
expenses my first year marketing budget
was fourteen thousand dollars when you
have no money and I built that business
from a three to a sixty million dollar
business in five years I had to make
every penny perfect so I was right about
email marketing in 96 and I was right
and because of that I had 91% open rates
when Google AdWords came out the day it
came out I paid five cents a click for
words before anybody bid me up and I was
super right and that worked what does
that luck versus preparation and do you
ever get anything wrong what do you do I
can make them as high I get everything
wrong it’s just that I can’t recall it
because once it’s wrong I’m moving on to
the next thing
like do wealth dwelling on what you dump
on is the quickest way for the next
thing not to work right yeah so like so
I think I do everything I mean you know
this this is a fun thing to say some
people in the back know this I was a
breakout YouTube star in the first year
2006 I decided that the right strategy
was to leave YouTube completely and go
to viddler because viddler offered me
equity in their company and I’ve left an
enormous amount of attention I deviated
from my intention thesis to do
short-term economics and equity in a
company and I lost
I lost Wendy brach finally came in my
life two years ago we started to try to
build up my youtube for the first time I
was sitting on 40,000 user followers in
a world where I could have had millions
if I just stayed the course so I make
mistakes all the time
I’m reorganize it’s based on a mistake I
made the prior year I just don’t give a
fuck about my mistakes everybody else
cares about your mistakes if you’re
worried about your own mistakes you’ve
already lost
the only way to deal with fear that I
found in my life is a couple ways one of
those ways is to turn it on itself and
ask yourself what am I afraid of I’m
free of that I got to be more afraid of
what I’m gonna miss out on missing out
on me mission missing out who I’m
supposed to be miss in other words if
you’re not you’d get rid of fear than
use fair use fear or it uses you it’s
that simple so you got to say okay
what’s the price if I just stay doing
this what’s the price what do I need to
really even get scared if I learn all
this I don’t follow through that’s
something to be scared about
and then that fear will get you over
your fear it’ll push you through turn
fear in itself second way you can do it
is use what you’ve probably heard me say
because I’ve used this number 17 is my
little rocking chair test right I’m
gonna I’m gonna sit myself in my rocking
chair I’m 85 years old and looking back
on my life and I say I didn’t do this or
I did sometimes a lot of people may try
in your initiative and then they don’t
get an immediate reaction they and they
think it’s a failure that’s right I want
to go to your YouTube videos with the
Wine Library you know you had so much
content out there how did you stick in
there how did you keep yourself
motivated because I believe in my
strategies and I’m patient ish like all
great stuff especially when you’re
innovating doesn’t happen right away
this notion that like Oh Gary I tried it
I spent 500 bucks on Facebook Ads it
doesn’t work well what if your video
sucked what if your product and service
sucks I I tend to do things that are
very early that has been my career even
I when I do things I believe in them I
stick with them based on intuition even
though for 18 months nobody watched my
wine videos at all I knew it was right I
was right there’s been things I’ve done
that I’ve jumped off of very quickly I
started a Gary v app V chat ve like we
Chad that was funny for my fans great
CRM one on one didn’t feel right after a
week or two spend plenty money building
it knew it stopped it after you know a
couple months Wine Library TV five years
every day YouTube decided to change it
to daily grape insular app you could buy
stuff subscription for reviews it was a
lot of fun only did it for five months
stopped it because I didn’t feel right
anymore
it’s always hard to know when to jump
off something new but I find that people
don’t believe in what they’re doing they
hear a guru and they do it
begrudgingly because their boss wants
them to order they’re like well Gary’s
right a lot so let me do it but they
don’t believe it and so then they jump
they’re looking for nose instead of yes
is everything I do every business
development every event I do every time
I try new marketing tactic for sales
tactic I’m looking for the yes right I’m
looking for the yes and if the no
punches me will then on my crap then no
punched me I believe the majority of
people when they try new tactics are
looking for the no mm-hmm and you’re
gonna getting a lot of subtle knows
immediately right and so I think that’s why that happens
perform someone else’s expertly so in
modern terminology or how would I say
that is don’t waste your time Steve Jobs
don’t waste your time trying to live
someone else’s life you know don’t be
trapped by Dogma focus in on your own
strengths your own element what you have
to offer don’t get lost in trying to
become like someone else or pretend to
be someone else there’s a beautiful one
of my favorite quotes by Einstein and
then Steve Jobs again Einstein said if
you judge a fish by its ability to climb
a tree they’ll spend its whole life
believing that it’s stupid and too many
of us are fish trying to climb a tree
too many of us am monkeys being taught
how to swim too many of us are lions
being taught to live like cats we’re not
getting to live in our element so my
second piece of advice is live in that
element that you’ve naturally been given
don’t try adopt another you know we’ve
more got a special genius inside of us
it was Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs this
conversation Steve Wozniak looked Steve
Wozniak for those who don’t know is the
tech guy behind Apple he practically
invented the technology and the software
and everything so Steve Wozniak looked
at Steve Jobs and he says this is in
Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve
Jobs Steve was not was intact looks at
Steve Jobs and he says what do you even
do said you’re not a coder you’re not a
designer you know what a marketer and
you’re not an engineer what do you even
do imagine challenging Steve Jobs and
Steve Jobs replies he says he says
musicians play their instruments I play
the orchestra that is the most deep
understanding of one’s role in life and
not getting lost in other people’s
identities and perceptions of you Steve
Jobs knew that he wasn’t a marketer he
wasn’t an engineer he wasn’t a coder so
he hired all of those but he played the
orchestra he brought it all together and
that’s when you’ve when you find
confidence in your own role you won’t be
envious of anyone else when this goes
online or whatever it is it really
matters and then like really doesn’t
matter what matters is
you know the people who are sparked by
it and the people who are like offended
by it it doesn’t matter you you know
like because it’s about motivating the
doers and anyone that wants to sit
around and talk they’re doing too much
time it taken too much time talking good
about it instead of getting up off their
ass and following their dreams because
I’m here to follow my dreams you know
and help other people follow their
dreams and inspire people who are
dreamers it’s crazy that we live in a
world that if you’re super positive and
super creative
then it’s scary so what does that tell
you about the mentality of most people
if you’re scared of like positivity and
everyone has an element that they thrive
in if you take someone out of it their
element they won’t be the same
modern-day example would be Michael
Jordan he was incredible at basketball
you took him out a basketball put him
into baseball no one remembers his
career we’re talking about one of the
best athletes of all time your
environment is the environment around
you you can take a fish out of water and
give it a beautiful mansion and a
Bentley and all the money in the world
but it would die and that’s what we are
like our environment everyone is an
environment which they thrive which we
have to craft your boss if you’re at
work is never gonna ask you what
environment you succeed in right like
that never happens so we have to create
an environment where we thrive and then
finally its energy we some of us love
high energy environments high pressure
some of us succeed in lower energy
environments and low pressure figuring
out your energy and the frequency on
which you operate best will help you
thrive as well so for me those are the
three e’s to really create a thriving
environment know your element know your
environment and know your energy and so
on all times if I see anything going
wrong I’m going is my element out of
alignment is my environment out of
alignment or is my energy out of
alignment that’s a great three question
test you can do to yourself when you
don’t think things are going right and
all you have to do is bring that back
into alignment
not gonna sit inside of a corporation
for 20 years the time is now the time is
now to Express and for people to believe
in themselves the time is now for it to
be okay to be great people in this world
shun people for being great for being a
bright color for standing out but the
time is now to be okay to be the
greatest you it’s our intention our
intention is everything nothing happens
on this planet without it not one single
thing has ever been accomplished without
intention so I started thinking about my
life and I started thinking about this
conference and what we’re about and and
I looked back and I thought well I was
two people my whole life I was in the
living room entertaining people being a
monkey you know doing my thing for the
company and and trying to relieve my
mother who was suffering she had
rheumatoid arthritis and phlebitis and
everything everything under the Sun that
was nagging at her and she was depressed
and I wanted her to be free and I wanted
her to realize that her life was worth
something because she gave birth to
someone who was worth something and then
with a legal pad I was a little kid I
would sit there and I would try to
figure out what it meant what I was all
about why are we here what is this and
one day I read something from Buddha
that said that all spirituality is about
relieving suffering and I suddenly
realized that’s what I’m doing in the
other room and and I’m aligned
you know this my purpose is aligned with
this so I felt incredibly lucky I lose
sight of that all the time I get caught
up in different concerns and ego
concerns but I’m so lucky to be a part
of this community and to to do something
that is a value and I really cherish
that and we are all one thing it really
is true everyone out there in TV world
real world whatever world you stay in
needs to know that I’ve never done a
publicity stunt of my life anytime I
went up and spoke my mind whether they
put my career in jeopardy or whatever
it’s someone so-called said it was
always what I thought was the truth
whether I’m like reading through a
teleprompter or whatever or whatever I
felt emotionally I don’t follow like
rules of like you know normal celebrity
or what their publicist tells them to
say or anything but I say things the
wrong way a lot of times if my intention
is always positive and I want to bring
more things to the world I want to help
the world I want to make people’s lives
easier if you guys look at the same
interview it’s really something
extremely fearless for someone in my
position to do because most people just
like you know bow tie on a TV or
whatever bow down to these cameras like
I could care less about any of these
cameras in all honesty all I care about
is my family I care about protecting my
girl for Tareq protecting my baby and
protecting my ideas and my dreams yes
I’m totally weird and I’m totally honest
and I’m totally inappropriate sometimes
and the thing is I you know for me to
say I wasn’t a genius I would just be
lying to you and to myself crazy dream
or a crazy goal I want you to write out
in the comment section what is your
crazy dream the dream that keeps you up
at night is the real dream you should be
chasing but to chase that dream to find
that dream to make that dream a reality
you need a strategy why a dream without
a plan is just a wish Tony Robbins said
that right a dream without a plan is
just a wish right without a strategy
without a guiding philosophy without
guiding principles without actually
creating a clear plan I used to have
this economics teacher and I want you to
think back to school as well maybe you
had one I remember this economics
teacher he walked in to the classroom
and the first thing that here on the
board he didn’t even tell us
we’d even know who he was and he turned
up he went inside the classroom and he
wrote on the board
he said failing to prepare is preparing
to fail and all of us just burst out
laughing this guy I don’t even told us
his name yet but on the board he wrote
failing to prepare is preparing to fail
and now when I look back at that and as
I grew up and hopefully became a bit
more mature than I was in high school I
remember thinking about that statement I
thinking how true is that
then when you’re not prepared for
something you miss out on unbelievable
opportunities now I’m not saying good
things don’t happen spontaneously
sometimes things happen by chance
randomly etc with a reason but when
you’re prepared you can capitalize on
things in a huge huge way I refuse to
follow those rules the society is set up
and the way that they control people
with low self-esteem with improper
information with branding with marketing
I refuse to follow those rules it’s
about truth it’s about information
it’s about awesomeness and the only
luxury is time the time you spend with
your family that’s the only luxury so
this concept of luxury is improper to me
when I compare myself to Steve Jobs or
Walt Disney Howard Hughes David Stern
Michelangelo da Vinci Jesus or whatever
is I’m saying these are my heroes these
are people that I look up to this is the
type of impact I want to make on the
earth if I can make this type of impact
up to this point what can I do if if you
call Bob Iger and say yo give him a shot
if you call Oprah and say yo back this
kid let’s just get this game this kids a
kids were his parents were educators he
wants to educate he wants to look at
curriculums and say how do we simplify
that exactly what I did in music I want
to apply to product I want to apply to
education this is what my company donned
is about you will embarrass yourself you
will suck at something there’s no doubt
about it and I know that’s probably not
a traditional message for a graduation
ceremony but hey I’m telling you embrace
it because it’s inevitable and I should
know in the acting business you fail all
the time early on in my career
I auditioned for a part in a Broadway
musical perfect role for me I thought
except for the fact that I can’t sing so
I’m in the wings I’m about to go on
stage but the guy in front of me he’s
just going on and on and on and I’m just
shrinking I’m getting smaller and
smaller so they say oh thank you very
much thank you very much and you will
you’ll be hearing from us so I come out
with my little music and it was it was a
just my imagination by the temptations
that’s what I came up with so I hand it
to the the the accompany us and she
looks at it and looked at me and excited
the director and was like so I start you
[Music]
once again and then carrying away with
me and they’re not saying anything so
I’m thinking I’m getting better I start
getting into it running this hour yeah
yeah thank you thank you thank you thank
you very much mr. Washington thank you
so I assumed I didn’t get the job but
the next part of the audition he called
me back the next part of the audition is
the acting part of the audition so I’m
like hey okay maybe I can’t sing but I
know I can act so they pair me with this
guy and again I didn’t know about
musical theater and musical theater is
big so they could reach everyone all the
way in the back of the stadium and I’m
more from the realistic naturalistic
kind of acting where you you know you
actually talk to the person next to you
so I don’t know what my line was my line
was will hand me the cut and his line
was well I will hand you the cup my dear
the cup would be there to be handed to
you I said okay well should I give you
the cup back oh yes you should give it
back to me because you know that is my
what does it take coming out of you
what’s inside you that enables you or
compels you to make films with such
relentless drive where in the world does
that come it’s I don’t know it’s hard to
say it’s it’s it comes from from I’m
really normal yeah well you never know I
mean if the demons weren’t unleashed
through film I’d probably go Amelia you
know somewhere and there’s a theory on
Thorazine you know no that I don’t think
that’s true I think it just has to do
with with how films that I liked it I
remembered you know enjoying and having
that exhilaration hit me and I want to
transfer that back to other people and
just studying the craft and learning how
to do it and and the special thrill as a
filmmaker comes from seeing an immediate
audience response now the only the only
other thing the only other sort of a
genre or if it’s not even a genre but
the only the only other thing that has
that effect in films is comedy and
comedy is not my forte demonstrably yet
it about a terminator and and there’s
some comedy and in this film but for a
film to function as a comedy I think
there’s a special magic there and I’m
you know I’m creeping toward it but I’m
not sure I can do that but that’s the
that’s the other area where where you
can look at it at a sea of 700 faces and
see them all having the same reaction
and you know you’re touching touching
them that’s I mean I I’m not a performer
I can’t stand up on a stage and tell
jokes or sing or do something that that
affects people directly the closest
thing for me is being able to sit in the
theatre and watch a reaction to
something that I’ve put up on the screen
so it’s at one remove but it’s the same
sort of feeling that’s that’s where the
the the drive and the desire to do that
comes from I didn’t fall back I walked
out of there to prepare for the next
audition and the next audition and the
next audition
I prayed I prayed and I pray
but I continue to fail and fail and fail
but it didn’t matter because you know
what there’s an old saying you hang
around the barbershop long enough sooner
or later you’re gonna get a haircut so
you will catch a break and I did catch a
break last year I did a play called
fences on Broadway someone talked about
it won the Tony Award and I didn’t have
to sing by the way but here’s the kicker
it was at the Court Theatre it was at
the same theatre that I failed that
first audition 30 years prior the point
is and I’ll pick up the pace the point
is every graduate here today has the
training and the talent to succeed but
do you have the guts to fail woody to
adjust is the entire game like I’m so
proud that I changed my mind every day
my dad used to get so pissed when I was
building wine library he would always be
like he’s like you would say like three
months ago you said Ricky was gonna be
the best employee I’m like I changed my
mind he fire him or or he’s like you
said sparkling wine was important now
you just eliminated it from the key spot
I’m like I changed my mind like my
ability to only be comfortable in
massive chaos has been my biggest asset
as an entrepreneur like I would never
take a note like that scares the piss
out of me what these three people are
doing right now right and so now you
know now that may work for them and I’m
not like back to the opening statement
like you need to do you like some plenty
of people that make a lot more money
than me and one bigger to take notes the
key the key though the key is way too
many people are doing like here’s a good
one you know what really pissed me the
fuck
I’m completely driven by like happiness
and like I’m crippled by like chaos like
you know vaynermedia which is not 500
people update your vaynermedia is like
completely dictated by like I’m a
dictator of HR like all I care about is
the atmosphere all I care about is how
people intern all I care about is like
how people role like I think I’ve fired
four most talented smartest people that
have worked for me because if you don’t
know how to play with the other boys and
girls you’re out because I suffocate
under you know conflict and negativity
and like nobody’s better than me so you
got to go so what really pissed me off
in tech world was when Steve Jobs his
book came out when he was dying when it
was all about Steve three or four years
ago I literally watched a lot of my tech
startup friends start being like a to
their staff because jobs was tough
everybody fell into the romance stuff
like I have this big vision and I’m
gonna be a book like Steve right and I
thought that was really interesting for
me to watch that half decade of like
literally watching people I know and
then watching them act differently
because the status or the icon of the
moment and you see a lot of that and so
like that is probably the energy I’m
trying to bring to this class today
which is you can look at like how people
roll and like it’s great to admire and
things of that nature but it’s so damn
important to stick to like your DNA
right and like what you’re good at and
to recognize that you need to surround
yourself whether it’s your co-founder or
whether it’s the people that work for
you like all I do is hire the people
that are the opposite of me that bring
the other value that bring me the
ability to remember what that meeting
was about and go make sure it happens
you know like whatever it may be right
and so I think that’s another thing that
I would highly recognized
I’m not mr. mentor I’m not the one who
says let’s sit down tell me how it’s
going I’m gonna tell you exactly how I
am get off your ass and get out there
and sell something that’s right I mean
I’ve never been the okay I need a mentor
you know a lot of people look for
mentors thinking they’re gonna tell me
the shortcut mark you be my mentor you
know the way and they think I’m gonna go
convey some magics here’s the dust go go
go
it doesn’t work that way I still grind
I love the grind if you’re competing on
one of my businesses I’m gonna kick your
ass cuz I’m gonna I’ll grind you right
that’s what being an entrepreneur that
an entrepreneur is you’ve got to get out
there and do the work so when it comes
to how do you learn right because that’s
the question how do I learn this stuff
and everybody everybody has got to go
through that process right I read our
I’m in the tech business I’m in media
business the entertainment business I’ve
got to try to prepare myself for all the
Shark Tank businesses I read three hours
plus a day right what everybody else is
getting a suntan or even when I’m
getting a suntan I’ve got I’m online or
I’ve got books I’m reading all I can
this is how it’s gonna play out you are
doing things right now yesterday you
made a decision that you don’t believe
in or you’re smart you did it because
you know how your company scores here’s
the problem with disruption and
innovation right now you’re being
rewarded for being a yes person and in
36 months you’re gonna be fired for
being a yes person and you’re doing it
because you just need the security of
your job I’m telling you right now if
you’re watching this vlog and you’ve got
like that means you have a certain DNA
please I implore you please die on your
sword not somebody else’s if you’re
gonna lose it’s much more fun to lose
based on what you thought do you mean do
you know how many of you are gonna lose
on somebody else’s thesis it’s gonna
kill at you it’s gonna eat at you it’s
going to be the worst feeling so please
pause this video right now and ask
yourself am i doing my because of me
then you’re good whether you’re winning
or losing or am i doing it because
somebody else is telling me it’s the
right way or I’m subconsciously
pandering to please somebody or
something because I need the short-term
stability figured out the gal you know
it and I know it people are just so
obvious they don’t even realize that
when they box me in or try to verbally
put me in some type of box will put
Donda in a box that they’re really
showing their level of ignorance they’re
putting themselves in a box and you know
people can write write write all they
want but what are people doing and if
there’s anybody that’s out there doing
they know how hard it is to actually do
and I’m like a motivation of the doers
if if everything I did failed which it
doesn’t it actually succeeds but if
everything I did failed just the fact
that I’m willing to fail is an
inspiration people are so scared to lose
that they don’t even try like one thing
that people can’t say is they can’t say
I’m not trying and I’m not trying my
hardest and I’m not trying to do it the
best way that I know how what little
information I get I’m entrepreneurs very
great but not all days are great in a
company
so what are your tips and tricks for
tough days
I think there’s massive confusion around
entrepreneurship entrepreneurship sucks
I mean it’s lonely it’s high-risk I mean
I can’t live without it but it’s like a
bad boyfriend right a girlfriend right
like like it’s there’s a ton of bad days
being an entrepreneur
not to mention 98% of entrepreneurial
ventures are gonna fail so there’s gonna
be a really bad day in your future you
know hopefully not for you you know for
me I don’t you know I think this is a
very personal question I I think it’s
how you’re wired I’m so all-in
entrepreneur I prefer the pain I think
one of the reasons I love the Jets so
much is because they bring me so much
pain you know I I love the climb to me
the setback is exciting I love when
something goes wrong it’s where I shine
the most but that’s not for everybody
right I mean it could be very difficult
and when you start affecting your life
and your loved ones and all the other
things it can get real nasty
to me the way I handle things even
though the few rare days when I really
struggle I take a real step back and
make pretend that somebody called me and
told me that my mother or daughter were
killed and I know that’s very dark and I
apologize but it’s really what I do I
literally am able to at my deepest most
struggling moment within business take a
step back and remind myself that I could
make a trillion dollars tomorrow on
Bitcoin and and if something bad
happened to the people I love the most
that it would mean nothing and it very
consistently rewires me very quickly
I just put business in perspective at
the end of the day you know it’s it’s
money for me it’s not really money it’s
my legacy so I get hurt by it a little
bit more but uh yeah I mean it’s you
know I put in perspective its money and
you know what up until I had a daughter
even while I was married up until when I
had Nisha four years ago
I secretly wanted to lose all my money I
had this weird
the dark fantasy of losing everything
just to rise again like a phoenix
feeling like your life matters because
you you’ve had the experience you and I
both have lots of friends who’ve
achieved everything they could ever
dreamed of and they’re miserable I got a
phone call to help turn them around
they’re missing a meaningful life and
meaning comes from two things I always
tell people happiness comes from
progress if you can do something where
you’re growing and because you’ve grown
you have something to give to other
people that’s meaningful insight love
caring something then life is rich
because happiness comes and goes
happiness does not here every moment and
the happiness isn’t all it’s cracked up
to be meaning is there are people that
have gone through horrible times but a
woman who’s 109 years old and she was
you know when the concentration camps is
the oldest living holocausts to survivor
and that woman’s life is so rich because
of all the pain because she’s used that
to help other people still 109 she’s
strong you know she shares her music she
does the things that make her feel like
she’s got a contribution I just fully
alive Dean in 2001 it snowed in New
Jersey on December 23rd which was one of
the busiest days of the year
typically December 23rd is the busiest
day of the year in a liquor store and a
woman called us which just started
shipping and her case of behringer white
zinfandel wasn’t delivered first of all
I appreciate the people that know what
behringer white sin is good job the
entire case by the way 15 pack the
entire 15 pack case cost $45 we’re doing
about $40,000 an hour in the store she
calls I find out about it somehow it was
buzzing cuz I was on the floor selling I
am the premiere salesman on the floor as
you can imagine I find out about it and
we’re debating what to do she needs it
for her Christmas dinner I grab the case
throw it in my car and drive to Bergen
County to deliver it it takes me two and
a half hours to complete the whole thing
the woman was a hundred and ninety four
years old
we didn’t have a lot of lifetime value
on the back end there she looked like
Yoda and the best part was I delivered
it all pumped with myself and she said
great and close the door
awesome everybody especially my dad who
was pissed that I left because all the
customers that came in asking for me or
that I could have sold everybody who’s
baffled I can’t tell you what the ROI of
driving through the snow in my car to
deliver a case of $45 pink shot to a
woman that looked like Yoda was but I
can tell you this over the next two to
three years that story became the
foundation of how we treated every
single customer it became our
competitive edge and those are the
things that matter to me I love black
and white data I’m obsessed with it
the day when the nerd beat me I
understood that the nerds beat me and I
respect the living out of data
conversion funnels all that but I’m
telling you right now that there are way
too many fast running businesses today
with this and not enough people running
and again I swear on my life I am not
Mother Teresa and I far from run my
business just on this but I’m telling
you right now the reason I amassed my
following the reason that why continue
to retain it is because my percentage of
this far outweighs every foe in this
room I mean it that’s how I feel and
that’s how I try to roll every day and I
promise you if you are able to figure
out how to afford how to afford the
allocation of this in your business more
your long-term value will be
dramatically higher your long-term
business success will be dramatically
higher your grandparents your
great-grandparents build businesses
based on this it’s how we built the
whole thing we got really lean and mean
when we went to the suburbs and big box
stores and all we cared about was
dollars and it’s great and the data
matters and continue to use it and use
this tool and understand it but I’m
asking you one final thing when you go
home if this talk meant anything and by
the way I fundamentally believe only
three of you are gonna act on this talk
I do because what I talk about is
ridiculously hard and massively
frustrating and takes forever you know
like everything that’s good in life if
you do anything because of this keynote
there’s only one thing I ask you to do
because as any as I got I’m a practical
here’s what I want from you when you go
home look yourself in the mirror and
audit everything you and your business
do I promise you that if you audit from
top to bottom of expenses and effort and
time and energy and payroll and all that
if you audit all of it even the best of
us even the InBev’s which is the company
that bought Budweiser they built their
whole business on like printing on both
sides of the paper and all that hoarding
even the most efficient ones of us are
doing 20% dumb shit if you take that 8%
that 13% that’s 16 percent of dumb shit
that you’re doing paying that person
that’s not bringing any cultural value
to your business having that contract
that you’ve just been in and you just
renew because your busiest hawk whatever
the fuck you’re doing if you take any
piece of that percentage and you apply
it to giving a fuck about your customer
it will be better for your business
going forward because for the first time
since we all lived in small
pounds where your reputation was the
complete backbone of how you did
business for the first time because
technology is bringing us back together
in a small town for the first time being
good and caring and following up matters
if matters how about doing something
random act of kindness for a current
customer not the ones that unsubscribed
or left you know how you always do nice
when they’re going how about while
you’ve got them reallocate your thought
process I’m telling you because the
tools that the is the umbrella of this
organism en’t are getting so good so
good you know what that means all that
she’s about to become a commodity
emotional e.q is going to dominate
business over the next decade and I
implore you start paying attention and
oh by the way I’ll leave you with this
you know what the best part is it feels
good I told you this was the last Monday
morning of your life what if I told you
you died this week would you complain
about your crap job or that test you
don’t want to take I doubt it you would
go much higher level thinking well
that’s really what it takes it takes
understanding that if you’re not pumped
right now if you’re begrudging what
you’re about to do it here if you’re not
looking forward to it look I respect
practicality you got to go through
school because your parents want to you
got to pay your rent you got student
loans I get it but please recognize the
world we’re living in we’re living in a
world where there’s so much more
opportunity this internet thing created
way more opportunity for all of us way
more I mean look you might not even be
alive look your mom and dad could have
had sex like three minutes later and you
wouldn’t even exist and you’re
complaining you could have ended up
being
three I just don’t get the mentality of
being head down sad on a Monday morning
I’m gonna make Monday morning my I’m
gonna make you Saturday Monday morning
that’s what I want to do every morning
and that’s what I want from you please
take a step back and think about how
awesome it actually is and then
recognize that you can attack the world
in a totally different way because you
were lucky enough to be born during this
era Howard Thurman one of the mentors of
dr. Martin Luther King jr. and Albert
Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi it was a
very brilliant writer he wrote some
things that really grabbed me he he
wrote deep is to hunger the voice of the
genuine the centering moment during the
time after receiving 238 radiation seed
implants I was reflecting on his words
and and these words kept me up that
night he said the ideal situation for a
man a woman to die is to have family
members praying with them as they cross
over he said but imagine if you will
being on your deathbed and standing
around your bed the ghost of the dreams
the ideas the abilities the talents
given to you by life and that you for
whatever reason you never went after
that dream you never acted on those
ideas you never use those talents you
never to use those gifts and there they
are standing around your bed looking at
you with large angry eyes saying we came
to you and only you could have given us
life and now we must die with you
forever and the question is if you died
today what dreams what ideas what
talents what books what music what
leadership what voice will die with you
mouths Monroe great orator and speaker
said the wealthiest place on the planet
it’s not
for yeast where there’s oil in the
ground it’s not in South Africa where
the diamond lies is that the wealthiest
place on the planet is the cemetery but
you there you’ll find greatness if we’ve
never seen there you find talent in
genius and potential never actualize
perhaps that’s why Henry David Thoreau
wrote the words Oh God to reach the
point of death only to realize that
you’ve never lived maybe that’s why some
unknown writer wrote the words what if
you live your whole life only to
discover that it was wrong that it was
wrong that you were chosen to do
something else
and you didn’t do it people come up to
me and say Gary it’s so hard I look at
their Instagram and they’re not posting
any of their content with hashtags which
is a by accident way to pick up exposure
in a world where they have no money when
you have no money when I took over my
dad’s business it did three million
dollars a year ten percent gross profit
three hundred thousand dollars before
expenses my first year marketing budget
was fourteen thousand dollars when you
have no money and I built that business
from a three to a sixty million dollar
business in five years I had to make
every penny perfect so I was right about
email marketing in 96 and I was right
and because of that I had 91% open rates
when Google AdWords came out the day it
came out I paid five cents a click for
words before anybody bid me up and I was
super right and that worked what does
that luck versus preparation and do you
ever get anything wrong what do you do I
can make them as high I get everything
wrong it’s just that I can’t recall it
because once it’s wrong I’m moving on to
the next thing
like do wealth dwelling on what you dump
on is the quickest way for the next
thing not to work right yeah so like so
I think I do everything I mean you know
this this is a fun thing to say some
people in the back know this I was a
breakout YouTube star in the first year
2006 I decided that the right strategy
was to leave YouTube completely and go
to viddler because viddler offered me
equity in their company and I’ve left an
enormous amount of attention I deviated
from my intention thesis to do
short-term economics and equity in a
company and I lost
I lost Wendy brach finally came in my
life two years ago we started to try to
build up my youtube for the first time I
was sitting on 40,000 user followers in
a world where I could have had millions
if I just stayed the course so I make
mistakes all the time
I’m reorganize it’s based on a mistake I
made the prior year I just don’t give a
fuck about my mistakes everybody else
cares about your mistakes if you’re
worried about your own mistakes you’ve
already lost
the only way to deal with fear that I
found in my life is a couple ways one of
those ways is to turn it on itself and
ask yourself what am I afraid of I’m
free of that I got to be more afraid of
what I’m gonna miss out on missing out
on me mission missing out who I’m
supposed to be miss in other words if
you’re not you’d get rid of fear than
use fair use fear or it uses you it’s
that simple so you got to say okay
what’s the price if I just stay doing
this what’s the price what do I need to
really even get scared if I learn all
this I don’t follow through that’s
something to be scared about
and then that fear will get you over
your fear it’ll push you through turn
fear in itself second way you can do it
is use what you’ve probably heard me say
because I’ve used this number 17 is my
little rocking chair test right I’m
gonna I’m gonna sit myself in my rocking
chair I’m 85 years old and looking back
on my life and I say I didn’t do this or
I did sometimes a lot of people may try
in your initiative and then they don’t
get an immediate reaction they and they
think it’s a failure that’s right I want
to go to your YouTube videos with the
Wine Library you know you had so much
content out there how did you stick in
there how did you keep yourself
motivated because I believe in my
strategies and I’m patient ish like all
great stuff especially when you’re
innovating doesn’t happen right away
this notion that like Oh Gary I tried it
I spent 500 bucks on Facebook Ads it
doesn’t work well what if your video
sucked what if your product and service
sucks I I tend to do things that are
very early that has been my career even
I when I do things I believe in them I
stick with them based on intuition even
though for 18 months nobody watched my
wine videos at all I knew it was right I
was right there’s been things I’ve done
that I’ve jumped off of very quickly I
started a Gary v app V chat ve like we
Chad that was funny for my fans great
CRM one on one didn’t feel right after a
week or two spend plenty money building
it knew it stopped it after you know a
couple months Wine Library TV five years
every day YouTube decided to change it
to daily grape insular app you could buy
stuff subscription for reviews it was a
lot of fun only did it for five months
stopped it because I didn’t feel right
anymore
it’s always hard to know when to jump
off something new but I find that people
don’t believe in what they’re doing they
hear a guru and they do it
begrudgingly because their boss wants
them to order they’re like well Gary’s
right a lot so let me do it but they
don’t believe it and so then they jump
they’re looking for nose instead of yes
is everything I do every business
development every event I do every time
I try new marketing tactic for sales
tactic I’m looking for the yes right I’m
looking for the yes and if the no
punches me will then on my crap then no
punched me I believe the majority of
people when they try new tactics are
looking for the no mm-hmm and you’re
gonna getting a lot of subtle knows
immediately right and so I think that’s why that happens
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