getting more and more intrigued by
mindset because I used to think of it as
fluffy like self-help and now I think it
more as strategy what’s your strategy in
life somebody asked me on Instagram
after I posted a scary if the mindset
has been skewed how can you bring it
back and I answered with by surrounding
yourself with people who have the
mindset you aspire to my friends please
understand that mindset is controllable
in the same way that all our opinions
are controllable the key is to add more
people with optimism and cut people with
negativity it’s very very simple now
it’s very hard to cut people with
pessimism cynicism and negativity when
they are the people that are the closest
to you parents siblings spouse but the
bottom line is if you’re asking the
question I’m gonna give you the answer
the answer is add more people with
positivity and optimism and cut people
with pessimism and cynicism who you
surround yourself matters what content
you consume matters I basically
suffocate myself for a long period of my
time and created an environment that was
based on offense and optimism and now I
know no different please do the same for
you make that move mold and I mean mold
your mindset by what you consume and
with whom you consume it enough enough
enough like living by somebody else’s
rules is a humongous mistake I’ve just
literally sat down with five people
under the age of 27 and it’s so
refreshing it is so refreshing if you
have not jumped on the bandwagon of
doing exactly what you want to do which
is skiing for the next three years or
working at a job that’s not what your
parents want or what society wants this
video is just called enough enough make
this little in one two minute video
depends on when I finish the piece of
content that gets you to stand up and
take life by its throat do something
stopping scared stop letting the way you
were raised the fear as an offense take
that away let me
be the person I’ll take the blame I
loved that some of my plays are like my
parents don’t love what you’re saying
good parents because if you are playing
defense and if you are living a life
where your kids lives are the way you’re
being fulfilled you’re a loser
parents and so enough enough parents
imposing their way you want your kids to
be happy on your terms enough the kid
that’s sitting right now in a desk and
saw this in a feed and you hate your job
enough stand up get the out of here
and do you live your life you’ve got one
life do something about it first thing
that you need to think about is you need
to thinking about yourself as ESPN and
HBO and CNBC and the New York Times the
quicker all of you think of yourself as
that everything changes I literally
think that I garyvee don’t compete with
Richard Branson or with you know Mark
Cuban I think that Gary Vee competes
with Business Insider and Forbes and and
you know the Wall Street Journal and
Complex magazine like I I don’t think
about competing with humans I spend zero
time even debating that and so I think
of myself Carlos is a media company and
so it’s the difference between you know
what I think a lot of people do in our
world they turn into infomercials versus
20/20 if you make content on Facebook
and LinkedIn and your email and
everything you do if you think of
yourself as ABC News if you think about
yourself as fox or CNN instead of an
infomercial changes everybody’s thinking
like an advertiser not as a media
company and I think for a lot of me it
seems like you know I’m watching your
kind of behavior that’s why I feel a
little bit different
I’m not putting out content like an
advertiser with a short-term goal I’m
putting out content like a media company
with a long-term goal which creates
short-term opportunity it’s a very very
subtle but disproportionate reason and
and the luckier you are if you’re this
legendary as people are whispering to me
well then that means you’re sitting with
something which means you should be
recording all of it all of it
that’s right and the way to think about
it is some of you don’t have the dollars
to hire somebody yet and neither did I
for the first eight years the whole
d-roc thing and all this doesn’t you
know I love what never was like easy for
you Gary
you have d-roc now and it I’m like dick
I didn’t have anybody for eight years
and I built up to it and then I had
somebody so like if you’ve got to do it
in selfie form good and if like for me I
can’t write
I’ve ghostwriter for my books I have a
ghostwriter for my LinkedIn a medium
right now I can’t write it’s not how to
communicate but I can do video some of
you are scared of video and get awkward
you’re more introverted so then write
use the medium that helps you best
communicate and then build around it
stunned by how many people here don’t
realize that the quickest path to
happiness or more economics in business
given the context of this talk happens
to be in the thing that they love the
most yet they’re not willing to each for
the next three to five years to get
there let me explain it blows me away
that if you’re ridiculously passionate
about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
now stick with me I know this is going
weird
that starting your Instagram account
your podcast and your YouTube channel
about Leonardo and Michelangelo and
putting out that content for a
three-year period in the long tail of
the Internet in the way that niche
marketing works if you focus on that
7:00 p.m. to 2:00 in the morning around
that world that literally within three
to four years the practicality if you’re
consistent to making between fifty and a
hundred thousand dollars a year in
affiliate email inks and sponsorship
around being the foremost expert of
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a very
fascinating thing how many people here
and across this country right now rushed
to buy cryptocurrency because that’s
where the gold rush was I’m just
fascinated by people’s passion for the
quick fix versus the marathon I’m
fascinated by people willing to put in
their body to lose 15 pounds that’s some
private-label horse from China versus
eating right and exercising let me
promise you something good and that’s
how I want to say it everything special
is hard I was at the top of the wine
game and I left because I won I didn’t
want to do it anymore and went into
marketing where everyone liked the first
article written about me was like this
guy huh wine Twitter I think the article
in the big advertising magazine was
Twitter boy is what they called me
Twitter boy thinks he’s gonna come and
win Madison Avenue hahaha
they’re not laughing anymore you know
and even this game now I can already
feel it I’m like oh man three four or
five years from now this thing’s a rap
I’m gonna be the guy so I’m gonna have
to start to sell in oranges or something
you know I gotta figure you know I’ve
been up to figure something out because
I lose like I’m about to climb back to
sports I grew up a die-hard Yankees Jets
Rangers Knicks fan the Yankees and
Rangers won their championships I
literally stopped watching them Knicks
and Jets are gonna take me a minute you
know but like but like I’m just about
the color
love to climb like even like back to
sports cuz I think it’s great analogy
I’ll turn on a random game I need to
know who the underdog is that’s my team
I’m just about to climb you know like to
me when I see a kid wearing a Steph
Curry Jersey and that kid lives in New
I mean it he’s he’s using somebody
else’s success to make himself feel good
I think the biggest tell of a losing
person is wearing a jersey outside your
own city I love the passion to win the
problem is you tried to close on the
first move you brought them no value and
you asked them to bring you value like
you gave like I will stand up here and
give a glow to value and never mention
one time for any of them to follow me
and a lot more of them will follow me
then they’re gonna follow that bull move
I get it I get it but this was back to
the question that just happened this is
why I want you to win that move is
always gonna lose you can’t go tonight
when you go out in Vegas and you see a
pretty girl at the bar you can’t go up
to her and the opening move is like
here’s my key let’s go but that’s what
you just did let them hold it but that’s
what you just did to this audience with
business I mean because doing the right
thing is the right thing karma is
practical you know I heard somebody rant
earlier right that’s like hey when I win
I don’t think it’s coming out of you the
guy that closed I couldn’t know who was
on stage but I believe in that right
because I love the idea of 85 people
here going and listening to me winning I
didn’t make anything for it but it then
becomes brand if she goes down and
listens and then two years later she’s
having dinner with a friend and she’s
talking about what happened to her life
that friend might be the CEO of GE you
know I’m playing with the biggest brands
in the world I’m not trying to monetize
my audience I’m trying to like just
bring the most value in the world and
let that lift all my other opportunities
so I think I think giving away your best
secrets is the greatest strategy for two
reasons karma is practical and leads to
more business but here’s the secret and
it’s even funnier 99% of these people
the read somewhere about five or six
years ago I realize this fact holy
people aren’t gonna do anything with
this so like there’s still gonna be
plenty for me and I’m gonna be the most
lovable guy ever I love this everybody’s
putting out the best photo from their
vacation ever
everybody’s putting out the most
exciting night of their lives people are
actually now doing things in real life
just for the photo to put on Instagram
and this is very important to understand
because we as humans are wired often to
envy and be jealous and curious and
dwell on not being on that boat and what
that leads to is short-term behavior
everybody’s looking to make a quick
dollar so that they can go on that yacht
or go to Ibiza or buy that car or that
bag or that sneaker and this is 100
percent the poison that is in the system
and so for me I want to know why why do
you want to be successful for me I
didn’t even really necessarily want to
be successful I just couldn’t breathe if
I wasn’t selling something or building a
business it’s all I knew there was
nothing else it was why I was such a bad
student I couldn’t even appease the hour
I needed to be a decent student a day
because I needed every minute selling
baseball cards or wine or whatever I was
up to at that point in my life there was
no choice and so that’s what I wish on
everybody else I wish that you wake up
every morning and have no choice that
what you do is how you breathe
I’m born into a rich family you’re the
wrong skin tone you’re this you’re that
I get it
but just leave got the ah we got to get
back
you got the you won the lotto you want
it you’ve got to get back do something
with it especially now
your grandparents didn’t have this the
Internet is crazy it just is it just is
and so why do you think everybody’s
getting out in now because three old
white guys don’t control the media
anymore do you think is happening here
this is the greatest fear ever for
anybody the market the platform is the
Internet this is unbelievable
unprecedented times we will look back at
this 200 years from now like these had a
good opportunity this is buying realist
do somebody bought the land that we’re
on right now for a dollar at one point
that’s what’s happening with us on the
Internet the attention of the end
consumer is cheap right now you can grab
it around whatever you want to be about
and it doesn’t cost you anything other
than your time and so many of you are
complaining but then are too fancy to
put in the 15 hours a day to get it I
got no respect for that I got no respect
for anybody who complains and isn’t
putting in the work because it’s an
excuse to not do
they opened a bar a barbershop you want
to sell t-shirts like the one big
advantage you guys have look I have a
huge company my company’s gonna do 200
million dollars in revenue I just flew
from Kraft we have Budweiser e of the
biggest brands in the world chase they
still don’t get it I’m sitting the
meetings every day and they’re not
pouring enough money into social media
that’s your advantage they’re still
pouring into commercials and print and
things of that nature
so you know where the attention is and
so social matters but humans and
relationships are just honestly oh man I
said it like I can’t explain to you
enough how much I want you to meet every
person look some of you were introverts
if you’re an extrovert and you’re social
you need to go all-in on the fact that
you got blessed with that DNA that you
love people and you love saying hello
and you’ve got the leverage of doing
what you’re doing now some of you are
introverts right and that’s hard but
like I’m gonna keep pushing to because
the leverage is absurd
most people here will be successful if
they could be more patient for longer
yet most people will fail in here if
they’re delusional and keep doing the
same thing for a long time waiting for
the thing to happen it’s one in the same
the most difficult question for me to
answer is when should you stop doing
what you’re doing because I actually
have to spend time with you and really
look under the hood to know are you
completely in outer space and have a
terrible idea and you stink and of
course we should change it or the other
thing that so many people struggle with
you’re so impatient and you’re so caught
up in short-term metrics like how many
followers you have or how many sales you
made or how many leads did you generate
that you quit too soon because nothing
happens overnight it’s one in the same
I’d die if I didn’t work like to me my
game my passion like I love my family
more than life but my wife walked into
my like bedroom tonight and was like I
need you to stop working and be home
she knows that I’d be like look
need to figure this out or we’re just
not gonna be together I can’t like it’s
not because I don’t love her I’m being
serious I know it sounds weird but I’m
just telling you I would suffocate I
would suffocate and so I’m in it for the
game and honestly I’ll be honest with
you
I I think the quickest way to get paper
is to love the process because you’re
not gonna be able to work 15 hours a day
if you’re doing it for some new Supremes
it’s too hard if you don’t love it the
biggest vulnerability you’ve got is you
actually value somebody’s opinion more
than you value your own look the reason
I’ve been able to always do my thing is
when I was 24 and people were like oh
you work at your dad’s liquor store like
I heard that it’s like a chip on my
shoulder you know I loved it
house like cool keep sleeping on me you
know like I’m glad you’re on Wall Street
making a hundred thousand buying BMWs
and dumb jewelry I’ll see you in 30
years you understand like to me the way
you win is you realize you can’t hear
nobody not your parents I mean listen
you got to listen to coach and all that
I get it but at the end of the day my
guy yourself you got to get real real
quiet up here I can’t hear anything
you go look at my Instagram right now my
first post I’ll post something first
hundred replies in one second you’re
Jesus you walk on water you’re the best
you’re the old-time I can’t hear him the
next hundred you’re a piece of your
foolish you’re a snake oil salesman
can’t hear him I’m in my own mind doing
my own thing and that comes with
self-esteem everybody’s trying to keep
up with the Joneses I’m not worried
about you being on the in the Hamptons
I’m not worried about you renting out
cash from the bank and putting it to
your ear I’m not worrying you jumped a
fence and took a photo in front of a
private plane what do you think these
people are doing they’re posing patients
long game you know what’s amazing about
being an entrepreneur we get to play
forever I’m gonna be working when I’m 96
trying to find my next hustle nobody is
gonna cry for you they have their own
tears one thing one thing I’m positive
about is how are Y negative complaining
is and how much I’m trying to suffocate
the practice of it I really have been
fascinated by people that have changed
their mindset into understanding that
everything that is not going well right
now is their fault it has been
remarkably important to me in
understanding that everything that I’m
not happy about has is on me it’s it’s a
remarkably interesting brain twist the
amount of energy spent on things that
you can’t control versus being
accountable to what you can control has
been a huge separator for me in the last
four or five years as I’ve dug deep no
question the quickest way to happiness
is accountability when people start
looking for somebody else to be at fault
whether it’s the government or their
aunt or some or their boss they always
lose the reason people don’t put
themselves in a position to fail the
reason people aren’t patient is they
value other people’s opinions too much
which then dictates their behavior which
then gets into all of this why is this
if you like don’t hold on to it in with
the thought of in case it fails because
you just need to realize it’s your
Scarlet Letter literally the reason
people are scared always is the outside
force having a failing business and
everyone’s like I was saying you could
never do or whatever the cliche is right
yeah it just doesn’t matter you know why
so that’s one piece
okay even if it didn’t succeed what
there’s such better people like what I’m
such a better person than other people
because I can build a business always
like I can’t get my cashiers to like
work because they’re only 12 bucks an
hour like no it’s cuz you’ve never said
hello to them face right so like I’m
very people centric I think there’s
enormous ROI either in the short term or
the long term some of the people that
work for me I risk me go on to win an
Academy Award as a filmmaker right like
I’d much rather have her like me than
not like me you know and everybody’s
playing short term
I don’t live as if it tomorrow I’m gonna
die and I’m stunned by how many people
do it’s all short term ROI every
decision is short term ROI and I think
that’s a huge decision so internally I
spend a lot of time and money my HR
department too big my time that I spend
with employees too much this is what I
hear from all my business associates who
then spend all their time asking me how
I do it your employees for me it’s my
employees first then the customer then I
can even begin to think about what the
Senate for me and I’ve just watched 95%
of the business and I interact with
start with them then the customer then
they’re in place I think that most of
the people are broken and I think if you
have if you are if you’re honest no bull
right if it just went through your mind
like I am me then customer than my
employees you will lose and I can tell
you that’s the majority of businesses
you have to reverse engineer who you’re
trying to get to you know if your sales
person out there right now if you’re
trying to get to me and so many of you
are I get 50 70 bulk emails bulk direct
messages bulk Twitter direct messages
Instagram business cards all sorts of
weird stuff sent in the mail I’m busy
I’m busy and like I’m just not
interested in you selling to me not
because I don’t like you because I
respect the game it’s because I’m just
busy
it’s nothing personal so I think the
first thing you have to do is reverse
engineer the person you know because I’m
not in the market to buy anything I’m
gonna be tougher but if I need certain
software if I need something that’s a
good time to attack right so I think the
number-one rule of sales people is to
listen
know your audience know what they did if
you see an M&A just happen if you see
layoffs just happening if you see one of
their come if I see Burger King doing
something I’m thinking what is
McDonald’s think of Russ I think a lot
of you are doing things that are
directly in front of you numbers that
they put in front of you you’re trying
to achieve that because you have a beach
house you want to buy or go on that
vacation sales is a funny game if you
work in a big company they manipulate
numbers to create your actions I believe
that the best salespeople are doing
things in a different way I think you
need to care about the customer for real
reverse-engineer them and give them what
they need if 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 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 if you’re 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 only not even be
alive like your mom and dad could have
had sex like three minutes later and you
wouldn’t even exist and you’re
complaining
you could ended up being a bus
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 so
many 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 if it does
that luck versus preparation and do you
ever get anything wrong what do you do I
can make them as high I give 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’ve dumped 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
thisis to do short-term economics and
equity in a company and I lost I lost
Wendy Brock 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
reorge even or media everyday because
it’s based on a mistake I made the prior
year I just don’t give a about my
mistakes everybody else cares about your
mistakes if you’re worried about your
own mistakes you’ve already lost
sometimes a lot of people may try a new
initiative and then they don’t get an
immediate reaction and they think it’s a
failure that’s right I want to get 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 WeChat 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 they 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 o guru Z and they do it
begrudgingly because their boss wants
them to or they’re like what 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 well 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 nose
immediately right and so I think that’s
why that happens
they care about everything and it starts
with yourself look yourself in the
mirror and ask yourself what do I want
to do every day for the rest of my life
do that I promise you can monetize that
if you love Alf do an Alf blog you
collect Smurfs Smurfs it up whatever you
need to do do it so many people are
talking about I can’t monetize I can’t
monetize there’s a billion
seven-year-old douchebags that are in
control right now but the number two
person that 34 year old lady she’s gonna
buy yours she’s gonna put the
advertising on your stuff it’s coming
stop crying and just keep hustling
problem is if you the greatest hammer
and the greatest screwdriver and the
greatest wrench the greatest in front of
you if you don’t use them properly you
will lose right if there’s a nail that I
have to put in that ground but I take
the wrench and I hit it when the hammer
was right there it still comes down to
the practitioner mm-hmm and you have to
be good at your craft and you have to
love your if you love sales if you don’t
love it you have no chance because it’s
so hard it’s so painful there’s so much
rejection right so those are the things
I think about
so technology’s clear neighborhoods you
just said there that the person is
equally important and more important
right and go I just apologize for
jumping in but let me make it perfectly
straight if I go play Roger Federer
right now in tennis and I’ve the
greatest tennis racquet ever made like
from taken from the Mars is new like
resources right and he took a John
McEnroe 1974 tennis racquet he would
whip my ass like I’m crushing sales
people that have every sales force every
one of your competitors 37 features
upgraded went to every pro conference
watching this I will beat their ass in
sales every day of the week your talent
that if I can suffocate all of you today
to take 25% of your take-home income
this year and pour it back into two
people who do video and written word and
put it into Facebook and Instagram ads
literally all of you will email me
24 months actually get if you can start
right away literally 25% of you are
going to come to me this time next year
right here and be like holy Sh I’ve been
listening to your stuff for seven years
your keynote was different in Miami last
year at this time I listened I said it I
don’t need to go to Ibiza three times
this year yet I don’t need to buy a
better BMW this year to make me feel
good with the neighbors get I don’t need
another pair of Supremes or Yeezys I
took the money and I put it into Karen
the film woman and Rick the ad guy and
now my business is 2x this will 100%
work even if you suck on camera have
zero charisma are only eight days in the
industry this will work because it is
such under priced attention that the ROI
will work that if you’re a to and skill
the ads are a twenty in the ten point
scale and it closes the Delta of you
being average if you literally literally
and I’ve said this for seven years if
you literally literally go interview the
guy who owns the gym in town the guy who
owns the pizza shop the woman that owns
the insurance brokerage if you literally
literally literally just interview your
local community that you become the
local newspaper in three minute video
form on your phone you don’t even need
to hire the rock or babban arrives your
phone if you literally take it selfie it
and interview the principal of the
school in your neighborhood you will
become the local celebrity who can then
transact on whatever you’re trying to
sell that group if you bring value to
people if you interview the best high
school basketball player literally just
that your business will change or if you
literally just give the advice of how
you got here what you learned if you
shared your thoughts if you do not
understand that you were a media company
then you will not be a successful
you are today in a decade and that’s not
interesting when the alternative is your
four to seven times bigger this thick
guys you have to understand what
happened to Blockbuster and Netflix what
happened with uber and taxi companies
what happened which hotels versus Airbnb
is happening with you as a human in your
business and so when you have the best
hand and you know it because you’ve been
paying attention and you know how to
everybody here is playing Facebook
Instagram social media YouTube
podcasting like they have the best hand
and they’re calling and you’re not go
ting them into getting all the money
you’re just folding and that’s this
audience so can you imagine what I feel
is going on outside this stadium so this
is a call to action for everybody to do
me one favor and I do think I can get a
lot of you to do it which excites the
of me please right now listen maybe
you’ve laid out money maybe you’re in
the middle of a renovation maybe you’re
paying for your kids college
Mazel Tov I know there’s nuances on
everybody’s life but if you are in a
position where literally your take-home
income this year is literally the stuff
you’re gonna go and do things with
please from 25% to 90% if you can go
humble please take that money and hire
two people to make a lot more content
for you about you and your business and
please give the rest of the money to
Facebook and YouTube and Instagram and I
fundamentally promise you you will walk
here to this conference next year and
personally thank me emotionally because
your business will change and I know not
one of you has gone all-in you
mindset because I used to think of it as
fluffy like self-help and now I think it
more as strategy what’s your strategy in
life somebody asked me on Instagram
after I posted a scary if the mindset
has been skewed how can you bring it
back and I answered with by surrounding
yourself with people who have the
mindset you aspire to my friends please
understand that mindset is controllable
in the same way that all our opinions
are controllable the key is to add more
people with optimism and cut people with
negativity it’s very very simple now
it’s very hard to cut people with
pessimism cynicism and negativity when
they are the people that are the closest
to you parents siblings spouse but the
bottom line is if you’re asking the
question I’m gonna give you the answer
the answer is add more people with
positivity and optimism and cut people
with pessimism and cynicism who you
surround yourself matters what content
you consume matters I basically
suffocate myself for a long period of my
time and created an environment that was
based on offense and optimism and now I
know no different please do the same for
you make that move mold and I mean mold
your mindset by what you consume and
with whom you consume it enough enough
enough like living by somebody else’s
rules is a humongous mistake I’ve just
literally sat down with five people
under the age of 27 and it’s so
refreshing it is so refreshing if you
have not jumped on the bandwagon of
doing exactly what you want to do which
is skiing for the next three years or
working at a job that’s not what your
parents want or what society wants this
video is just called enough enough make
this little in one two minute video
depends on when I finish the piece of
content that gets you to stand up and
take life by its throat do something
stopping scared stop letting the way you
were raised the fear as an offense take
that away let me
be the person I’ll take the blame I
loved that some of my plays are like my
parents don’t love what you’re saying
good parents because if you are playing
defense and if you are living a life
where your kids lives are the way you’re
being fulfilled you’re a loser
parents and so enough enough parents
imposing their way you want your kids to
be happy on your terms enough the kid
that’s sitting right now in a desk and
saw this in a feed and you hate your job
enough stand up get the out of here
and do you live your life you’ve got one
life do something about it first thing
that you need to think about is you need
to thinking about yourself as ESPN and
HBO and CNBC and the New York Times the
quicker all of you think of yourself as
that everything changes I literally
think that I garyvee don’t compete with
Richard Branson or with you know Mark
Cuban I think that Gary Vee competes
with Business Insider and Forbes and and
you know the Wall Street Journal and
Complex magazine like I I don’t think
about competing with humans I spend zero
time even debating that and so I think
of myself Carlos is a media company and
so it’s the difference between you know
what I think a lot of people do in our
world they turn into infomercials versus
20/20 if you make content on Facebook
and LinkedIn and your email and
everything you do if you think of
yourself as ABC News if you think about
yourself as fox or CNN instead of an
infomercial changes everybody’s thinking
like an advertiser not as a media
company and I think for a lot of me it
seems like you know I’m watching your
kind of behavior that’s why I feel a
little bit different
I’m not putting out content like an
advertiser with a short-term goal I’m
putting out content like a media company
with a long-term goal which creates
short-term opportunity it’s a very very
subtle but disproportionate reason and
and the luckier you are if you’re this
legendary as people are whispering to me
well then that means you’re sitting with
something which means you should be
recording all of it all of it
that’s right and the way to think about
it is some of you don’t have the dollars
to hire somebody yet and neither did I
for the first eight years the whole
d-roc thing and all this doesn’t you
know I love what never was like easy for
you Gary
you have d-roc now and it I’m like dick
I didn’t have anybody for eight years
and I built up to it and then I had
somebody so like if you’ve got to do it
in selfie form good and if like for me I
can’t write
I’ve ghostwriter for my books I have a
ghostwriter for my LinkedIn a medium
right now I can’t write it’s not how to
communicate but I can do video some of
you are scared of video and get awkward
you’re more introverted so then write
use the medium that helps you best
communicate and then build around it
stunned by how many people here don’t
realize that the quickest path to
happiness or more economics in business
given the context of this talk happens
to be in the thing that they love the
most yet they’re not willing to each for
the next three to five years to get
there let me explain it blows me away
that if you’re ridiculously passionate
about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
now stick with me I know this is going
weird
that starting your Instagram account
your podcast and your YouTube channel
about Leonardo and Michelangelo and
putting out that content for a
three-year period in the long tail of
the Internet in the way that niche
marketing works if you focus on that
7:00 p.m. to 2:00 in the morning around
that world that literally within three
to four years the practicality if you’re
consistent to making between fifty and a
hundred thousand dollars a year in
affiliate email inks and sponsorship
around being the foremost expert of
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a very
fascinating thing how many people here
and across this country right now rushed
to buy cryptocurrency because that’s
where the gold rush was I’m just
fascinated by people’s passion for the
quick fix versus the marathon I’m
fascinated by people willing to put in
their body to lose 15 pounds that’s some
private-label horse from China versus
eating right and exercising let me
promise you something good and that’s
how I want to say it everything special
is hard I was at the top of the wine
game and I left because I won I didn’t
want to do it anymore and went into
marketing where everyone liked the first
article written about me was like this
guy huh wine Twitter I think the article
in the big advertising magazine was
Twitter boy is what they called me
Twitter boy thinks he’s gonna come and
win Madison Avenue hahaha
they’re not laughing anymore you know
and even this game now I can already
feel it I’m like oh man three four or
five years from now this thing’s a rap
I’m gonna be the guy so I’m gonna have
to start to sell in oranges or something
you know I gotta figure you know I’ve
been up to figure something out because
I lose like I’m about to climb back to
sports I grew up a die-hard Yankees Jets
Rangers Knicks fan the Yankees and
Rangers won their championships I
literally stopped watching them Knicks
and Jets are gonna take me a minute you
know but like but like I’m just about
the color
love to climb like even like back to
sports cuz I think it’s great analogy
I’ll turn on a random game I need to
know who the underdog is that’s my team
I’m just about to climb you know like to
me when I see a kid wearing a Steph
Curry Jersey and that kid lives in New
I mean it he’s he’s using somebody
else’s success to make himself feel good
I think the biggest tell of a losing
person is wearing a jersey outside your
own city I love the passion to win the
problem is you tried to close on the
first move you brought them no value and
you asked them to bring you value like
you gave like I will stand up here and
give a glow to value and never mention
one time for any of them to follow me
and a lot more of them will follow me
then they’re gonna follow that bull move
I get it I get it but this was back to
the question that just happened this is
why I want you to win that move is
always gonna lose you can’t go tonight
when you go out in Vegas and you see a
pretty girl at the bar you can’t go up
to her and the opening move is like
here’s my key let’s go but that’s what
you just did let them hold it but that’s
what you just did to this audience with
business I mean because doing the right
thing is the right thing karma is
practical you know I heard somebody rant
earlier right that’s like hey when I win
I don’t think it’s coming out of you the
guy that closed I couldn’t know who was
on stage but I believe in that right
because I love the idea of 85 people
here going and listening to me winning I
didn’t make anything for it but it then
becomes brand if she goes down and
listens and then two years later she’s
having dinner with a friend and she’s
talking about what happened to her life
that friend might be the CEO of GE you
know I’m playing with the biggest brands
in the world I’m not trying to monetize
my audience I’m trying to like just
bring the most value in the world and
let that lift all my other opportunities
so I think I think giving away your best
secrets is the greatest strategy for two
reasons karma is practical and leads to
more business but here’s the secret and
it’s even funnier 99% of these people
the read somewhere about five or six
years ago I realize this fact holy
people aren’t gonna do anything with
this so like there’s still gonna be
plenty for me and I’m gonna be the most
lovable guy ever I love this everybody’s
putting out the best photo from their
vacation ever
everybody’s putting out the most
exciting night of their lives people are
actually now doing things in real life
just for the photo to put on Instagram
and this is very important to understand
because we as humans are wired often to
envy and be jealous and curious and
dwell on not being on that boat and what
that leads to is short-term behavior
everybody’s looking to make a quick
dollar so that they can go on that yacht
or go to Ibiza or buy that car or that
bag or that sneaker and this is 100
percent the poison that is in the system
and so for me I want to know why why do
you want to be successful for me I
didn’t even really necessarily want to
be successful I just couldn’t breathe if
I wasn’t selling something or building a
business it’s all I knew there was
nothing else it was why I was such a bad
student I couldn’t even appease the hour
I needed to be a decent student a day
because I needed every minute selling
baseball cards or wine or whatever I was
up to at that point in my life there was
no choice and so that’s what I wish on
everybody else I wish that you wake up
every morning and have no choice that
what you do is how you breathe
I’m born into a rich family you’re the
wrong skin tone you’re this you’re that
I get it
but just leave got the ah we got to get
back
you got the you won the lotto you want
it you’ve got to get back do something
with it especially now
your grandparents didn’t have this the
Internet is crazy it just is it just is
and so why do you think everybody’s
getting out in now because three old
white guys don’t control the media
anymore do you think is happening here
this is the greatest fear ever for
anybody the market the platform is the
Internet this is unbelievable
unprecedented times we will look back at
this 200 years from now like these had a
good opportunity this is buying realist
do somebody bought the land that we’re
on right now for a dollar at one point
that’s what’s happening with us on the
Internet the attention of the end
consumer is cheap right now you can grab
it around whatever you want to be about
and it doesn’t cost you anything other
than your time and so many of you are
complaining but then are too fancy to
put in the 15 hours a day to get it I
got no respect for that I got no respect
for anybody who complains and isn’t
putting in the work because it’s an
excuse to not do
they opened a bar a barbershop you want
to sell t-shirts like the one big
advantage you guys have look I have a
huge company my company’s gonna do 200
million dollars in revenue I just flew
from Kraft we have Budweiser e of the
biggest brands in the world chase they
still don’t get it I’m sitting the
meetings every day and they’re not
pouring enough money into social media
that’s your advantage they’re still
pouring into commercials and print and
things of that nature
so you know where the attention is and
so social matters but humans and
relationships are just honestly oh man I
said it like I can’t explain to you
enough how much I want you to meet every
person look some of you were introverts
if you’re an extrovert and you’re social
you need to go all-in on the fact that
you got blessed with that DNA that you
love people and you love saying hello
and you’ve got the leverage of doing
what you’re doing now some of you are
introverts right and that’s hard but
like I’m gonna keep pushing to because
the leverage is absurd
most people here will be successful if
they could be more patient for longer
yet most people will fail in here if
they’re delusional and keep doing the
same thing for a long time waiting for
the thing to happen it’s one in the same
the most difficult question for me to
answer is when should you stop doing
what you’re doing because I actually
have to spend time with you and really
look under the hood to know are you
completely in outer space and have a
terrible idea and you stink and of
course we should change it or the other
thing that so many people struggle with
you’re so impatient and you’re so caught
up in short-term metrics like how many
followers you have or how many sales you
made or how many leads did you generate
that you quit too soon because nothing
happens overnight it’s one in the same
I’d die if I didn’t work like to me my
game my passion like I love my family
more than life but my wife walked into
my like bedroom tonight and was like I
need you to stop working and be home
she knows that I’d be like look
need to figure this out or we’re just
not gonna be together I can’t like it’s
not because I don’t love her I’m being
serious I know it sounds weird but I’m
just telling you I would suffocate I
would suffocate and so I’m in it for the
game and honestly I’ll be honest with
you
I I think the quickest way to get paper
is to love the process because you’re
not gonna be able to work 15 hours a day
if you’re doing it for some new Supremes
it’s too hard if you don’t love it the
biggest vulnerability you’ve got is you
actually value somebody’s opinion more
than you value your own look the reason
I’ve been able to always do my thing is
when I was 24 and people were like oh
you work at your dad’s liquor store like
I heard that it’s like a chip on my
shoulder you know I loved it
house like cool keep sleeping on me you
know like I’m glad you’re on Wall Street
making a hundred thousand buying BMWs
and dumb jewelry I’ll see you in 30
years you understand like to me the way
you win is you realize you can’t hear
nobody not your parents I mean listen
you got to listen to coach and all that
I get it but at the end of the day my
guy yourself you got to get real real
quiet up here I can’t hear anything
you go look at my Instagram right now my
first post I’ll post something first
hundred replies in one second you’re
Jesus you walk on water you’re the best
you’re the old-time I can’t hear him the
next hundred you’re a piece of your
foolish you’re a snake oil salesman
can’t hear him I’m in my own mind doing
my own thing and that comes with
self-esteem everybody’s trying to keep
up with the Joneses I’m not worried
about you being on the in the Hamptons
I’m not worried about you renting out
cash from the bank and putting it to
your ear I’m not worrying you jumped a
fence and took a photo in front of a
private plane what do you think these
people are doing they’re posing patients
long game you know what’s amazing about
being an entrepreneur we get to play
forever I’m gonna be working when I’m 96
trying to find my next hustle nobody is
gonna cry for you they have their own
tears one thing one thing I’m positive
about is how are Y negative complaining
is and how much I’m trying to suffocate
the practice of it I really have been
fascinated by people that have changed
their mindset into understanding that
everything that is not going well right
now is their fault it has been
remarkably important to me in
understanding that everything that I’m
not happy about has is on me it’s it’s a
remarkably interesting brain twist the
amount of energy spent on things that
you can’t control versus being
accountable to what you can control has
been a huge separator for me in the last
four or five years as I’ve dug deep no
question the quickest way to happiness
is accountability when people start
looking for somebody else to be at fault
whether it’s the government or their
aunt or some or their boss they always
lose the reason people don’t put
themselves in a position to fail the
reason people aren’t patient is they
value other people’s opinions too much
which then dictates their behavior which
then gets into all of this why is this
if you like don’t hold on to it in with
the thought of in case it fails because
you just need to realize it’s your
Scarlet Letter literally the reason
people are scared always is the outside
force having a failing business and
everyone’s like I was saying you could
never do or whatever the cliche is right
yeah it just doesn’t matter you know why
so that’s one piece
okay even if it didn’t succeed what
there’s such better people like what I’m
such a better person than other people
because I can build a business always
like I can’t get my cashiers to like
work because they’re only 12 bucks an
hour like no it’s cuz you’ve never said
hello to them face right so like I’m
very people centric I think there’s
enormous ROI either in the short term or
the long term some of the people that
work for me I risk me go on to win an
Academy Award as a filmmaker right like
I’d much rather have her like me than
not like me you know and everybody’s
playing short term
I don’t live as if it tomorrow I’m gonna
die and I’m stunned by how many people
do it’s all short term ROI every
decision is short term ROI and I think
that’s a huge decision so internally I
spend a lot of time and money my HR
department too big my time that I spend
with employees too much this is what I
hear from all my business associates who
then spend all their time asking me how
I do it your employees for me it’s my
employees first then the customer then I
can even begin to think about what the
Senate for me and I’ve just watched 95%
of the business and I interact with
start with them then the customer then
they’re in place I think that most of
the people are broken and I think if you
have if you are if you’re honest no bull
right if it just went through your mind
like I am me then customer than my
employees you will lose and I can tell
you that’s the majority of businesses
you have to reverse engineer who you’re
trying to get to you know if your sales
person out there right now if you’re
trying to get to me and so many of you
are I get 50 70 bulk emails bulk direct
messages bulk Twitter direct messages
Instagram business cards all sorts of
weird stuff sent in the mail I’m busy
I’m busy and like I’m just not
interested in you selling to me not
because I don’t like you because I
respect the game it’s because I’m just
busy
it’s nothing personal so I think the
first thing you have to do is reverse
engineer the person you know because I’m
not in the market to buy anything I’m
gonna be tougher but if I need certain
software if I need something that’s a
good time to attack right so I think the
number-one rule of sales people is to
listen
know your audience know what they did if
you see an M&A just happen if you see
layoffs just happening if you see one of
their come if I see Burger King doing
something I’m thinking what is
McDonald’s think of Russ I think a lot
of you are doing things that are
directly in front of you numbers that
they put in front of you you’re trying
to achieve that because you have a beach
house you want to buy or go on that
vacation sales is a funny game if you
work in a big company they manipulate
numbers to create your actions I believe
that the best salespeople are doing
things in a different way I think you
need to care about the customer for real
reverse-engineer them and give them what
they need if 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 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 if you’re 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 only not even be
alive like your mom and dad could have
had sex like three minutes later and you
wouldn’t even exist and you’re
complaining
you could ended up being a bus
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 so
many 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 if it does
that luck versus preparation and do you
ever get anything wrong what do you do I
can make them as high I give 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’ve dumped 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
thisis to do short-term economics and
equity in a company and I lost I lost
Wendy Brock 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
reorge even or media everyday because
it’s based on a mistake I made the prior
year I just don’t give a about my
mistakes everybody else cares about your
mistakes if you’re worried about your
own mistakes you’ve already lost
sometimes a lot of people may try a new
initiative and then they don’t get an
immediate reaction and they think it’s a
failure that’s right I want to get 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 WeChat 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 they 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 o guru Z and they do it
begrudgingly because their boss wants
them to or they’re like what 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 well 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 nose
immediately right and so I think that’s
why that happens
they care about everything and it starts
with yourself look yourself in the
mirror and ask yourself what do I want
to do every day for the rest of my life
do that I promise you can monetize that
if you love Alf do an Alf blog you
collect Smurfs Smurfs it up whatever you
need to do do it so many people are
talking about I can’t monetize I can’t
monetize there’s a billion
seven-year-old douchebags that are in
control right now but the number two
person that 34 year old lady she’s gonna
buy yours she’s gonna put the
advertising on your stuff it’s coming
stop crying and just keep hustling
problem is if you the greatest hammer
and the greatest screwdriver and the
greatest wrench the greatest in front of
you if you don’t use them properly you
will lose right if there’s a nail that I
have to put in that ground but I take
the wrench and I hit it when the hammer
was right there it still comes down to
the practitioner mm-hmm and you have to
be good at your craft and you have to
love your if you love sales if you don’t
love it you have no chance because it’s
so hard it’s so painful there’s so much
rejection right so those are the things
I think about
so technology’s clear neighborhoods you
just said there that the person is
equally important and more important
right and go I just apologize for
jumping in but let me make it perfectly
straight if I go play Roger Federer
right now in tennis and I’ve the
greatest tennis racquet ever made like
from taken from the Mars is new like
resources right and he took a John
McEnroe 1974 tennis racquet he would
whip my ass like I’m crushing sales
people that have every sales force every
one of your competitors 37 features
upgraded went to every pro conference
watching this I will beat their ass in
sales every day of the week your talent
that if I can suffocate all of you today
to take 25% of your take-home income
this year and pour it back into two
people who do video and written word and
put it into Facebook and Instagram ads
literally all of you will email me
24 months actually get if you can start
right away literally 25% of you are
going to come to me this time next year
right here and be like holy Sh I’ve been
listening to your stuff for seven years
your keynote was different in Miami last
year at this time I listened I said it I
don’t need to go to Ibiza three times
this year yet I don’t need to buy a
better BMW this year to make me feel
good with the neighbors get I don’t need
another pair of Supremes or Yeezys I
took the money and I put it into Karen
the film woman and Rick the ad guy and
now my business is 2x this will 100%
work even if you suck on camera have
zero charisma are only eight days in the
industry this will work because it is
such under priced attention that the ROI
will work that if you’re a to and skill
the ads are a twenty in the ten point
scale and it closes the Delta of you
being average if you literally literally
and I’ve said this for seven years if
you literally literally go interview the
guy who owns the gym in town the guy who
owns the pizza shop the woman that owns
the insurance brokerage if you literally
literally literally just interview your
local community that you become the
local newspaper in three minute video
form on your phone you don’t even need
to hire the rock or babban arrives your
phone if you literally take it selfie it
and interview the principal of the
school in your neighborhood you will
become the local celebrity who can then
transact on whatever you’re trying to
sell that group if you bring value to
people if you interview the best high
school basketball player literally just
that your business will change or if you
literally just give the advice of how
you got here what you learned if you
shared your thoughts if you do not
understand that you were a media company
then you will not be a successful
you are today in a decade and that’s not
interesting when the alternative is your
four to seven times bigger this thick
guys you have to understand what
happened to Blockbuster and Netflix what
happened with uber and taxi companies
what happened which hotels versus Airbnb
is happening with you as a human in your
business and so when you have the best
hand and you know it because you’ve been
paying attention and you know how to
everybody here is playing Facebook
Instagram social media YouTube
podcasting like they have the best hand
and they’re calling and you’re not go
ting them into getting all the money
you’re just folding and that’s this
audience so can you imagine what I feel
is going on outside this stadium so this
is a call to action for everybody to do
me one favor and I do think I can get a
lot of you to do it which excites the
of me please right now listen maybe
you’ve laid out money maybe you’re in
the middle of a renovation maybe you’re
paying for your kids college
Mazel Tov I know there’s nuances on
everybody’s life but if you are in a
position where literally your take-home
income this year is literally the stuff
you’re gonna go and do things with
please from 25% to 90% if you can go
humble please take that money and hire
two people to make a lot more content
for you about you and your business and
please give the rest of the money to
Facebook and YouTube and Instagram and I
fundamentally promise you you will walk
here to this conference next year and
personally thank me emotionally because
your business will change and I know not
one of you has gone all-in you
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