if your salesperson 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 happened if
you see layoffs just happening if you
see one of them if I see Burger King
doing something I’m thinking what does
McDonald’s think of rice 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
what born into a rich family you’re the
wrong skin tone you’re this you’re that
I get it but just we got the 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 it’s
happening here this is the greatest fear
ever for anybody
the market the Platteville 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 could
grab it a
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 him to work because it’s an
excuse to not do just talk to you guys
about why toys-r-us chip filing chapter
11 matters toys-r-us did two things over
the last couple decades that make no
sense one very early in the 2000s they
outsource themselves to Amazon they
didn’t believe in the Internet 17 years
ago so that Amazon do their fulfillment
which started people getting used to
buying toys on the Internet through an
Amazon world but most importantly they
just didn’t innovate you know and when
you don’t innovate you die like you
could have made toys towards lost three
years ago could have created the
National Lego championships and
everybody would be there was there was a
million thing could have made slime
centers they could have they could be
killing it right now with their
locations but no they choose to just
like sell toys out of it and none of you
want to go there first of all you’re
gonna go to Walmart and pick it up for
less money anyway
while you pick up your groceries
anything else and if you even want to
leave your home and you don’t and so
you’ll go to Amazon and do it that way
or buy it from somebody’s YouTube
channel link or you know Instagram
account it’s just it’s it’s the best
example right now of like how in trouble
everybody is if they rest on their
laurels
you know if Toys R Us the dominant niche
retail leader of a humongous
multi-billion dollar category is
finished what do you think is gonna
happen over the next six years
I think mindset is everything and so
you’ve got a really deciding any
positive about maybe negative nothing’s
am i thrilled that I have the ability to
do things about it to make what I’m
worried about better or am i crippled by
there’s like these seven things like
tomorrow I always choose positivity I
look at other people around me it’s not
just about me that winning they choose
positivity I look at the people around
me that are not winning
not pressing but not advancing their
choosing negativity it’s stunningly
binary it’s stunningly black and white
it’s stunningly married
this
to be very honest to be very frank I
think the biggest impact I’m having is
I’d be that all the emails because I
read a lot last night as well is is
shifting that mindset and getting people
into that
understand what they’re in charge of
that
and hacking and trying to pour out the
I’m a positive EG world that’s what I’m
pushing that’s my agenda
and and that’s why I think you feel the
effects and I need to fight Lord of that
in your heart Mary loved one mrs. Carter
in audience so many people get 49
comments for me phenomenal
they spend their time on that one enough
like living by somebody else’s rules is
a humongous mistake I just literally sat
down with five people under the age of
27 and is so refreshing it is so
refreshing if you have not jumped on the
bandwagon of doing exactly what the 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
I’m not stand up get the out of here and
do you live your life you’ve got one
life do something about it 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 Wise’s if you
like don’t hold on to it and 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 Oh see you could never do or
whatever the cliche is right yeah it
just doesn’t matter
okay I’m 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
anymore 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 minimum amount
of money you want to make for your life
like like like what would be the minimum
amount of money that you make every year
that allowed you to live and do that
great so you’re like what is amazing
about that if that’s where you’re at
well then at this young of an age and
well that’s where you’re at and the fact
that you’re even here and you know it’s
just unbelievable amounts of content in
written audio and visual form on
Instagram snapchat Facebook Twitter and
YouTube and podcast and I will tell you
I would be flabbergasted in three four
five six years unless you suck which you
may but if you don’t suck and you have
that little of a financial need right
which is remarkable which is the biggest
thing something here I don’t know if
they’re here said you made me realize I
didn’t need Rolexes and things of that
nature right like the biggest reason so
many of you will fail is your number for
success is far greater than his you
think you need a million which will then
mean that you’re going to do a lot of
things when you don’t get a million very
quickly that won’t ever get you a
million so if you if you think what I
just said is cool which is bleed for six
years in a row
you’ll probably get sponsorship or sales
of product to 40,000 a year to me that’s
what I did I knew what I wanted I was
willing to give up my 20s for it
gave him up gave him up you know
somebody said it’s difficult not to
document right now I’m like but I but I
didn’t write but like what should I
build my business or should I document
I’m like both he’s like well I got a
pick one I’m like build your business
like so if you’re if your ambitions are
that humble which they are that’s
incredible that excites me because by
the way here’s the funny part that’s why
I was – I just needed a hundred thousand
a year just that seemed rich to me right
like I was like cool um I’ll be okay
like like I’ll have a house like you
know it’s not you know I just needed to
play much I needed the game and too many
people too many of you in here want the
stuff not the game when you fall in love
with the game everything’s different
because you’ve already won that’s real
it sounds cliche but it’s real
find what you’re looking for I’ve been
giving a lot of thought to kind of just
watching what I’m seeing out there in
the social digital ecosystem and very
honestly just real life and I’m watching
so many people over the last two to
three years look for negativity look for
something that’s wrong find where people
disagree with them fight look for what
was me downside the half glass empty and
and then I go to a Twitter search or
look around the world and I find
ridiculously beautiful things every day
every day thousands of kind acts
randomly by people all people that I
have conversations with who see the
opportunities whether it’s in business
like voice and AR or crypto or whatever
it may be just this amazingly
interesting thing that I feel the
majority of you are looking for the
wrong while there’s a plenty of wrong
and plenty of right in the world it
comes down to one very simple thing what
are you choosing to look for because I
promise you if you right now and I’m
making this video for one reason 24
hours of trying to find the good
somebody saves a kid somebody opens the
door somebody does a nice thing for you
bit somebody says thank you
24 hours of looking for positivity could
change your life honestly making this
for one person one one person watches
this video chooses to do 24 hours of
looking for good instead of looking for
bad and their game changes d-roc heard
somebody at a convenience store saying
mom you’re always so negative you’re
always so negative I am blown away by
the fact that life gets real simple if
you break down into this are you looking
for the negative this sucks this
government sucks this person sucks this
is are you looking for the positive
she’s nice that’s remarkable I’ve got
this opportunity you choose what you’re
looking for because what you look for
you find
so if you’re listening in you’re over 42
let’s just use my age there’s something
interesting you said something that I
helped a lot of people that are younger
it only has to do with one thing they
actually believe in the technology we
live in right this room is filled with
guys right now who’ve taken advantage of
YouTube or Instagram or just the
Facebook’s of the world and the only
thing I need to do to break through
somebody who’s 47 in the suburbs of
London who has a mortgage debt and three
children is for them to understand that
unlike when he or she and I grew up and
there was no internet the thought of
like having a happy life was separate
than taking care of what you were
supposed to take care of the fact that
everybody can come home tonight at 6 7 8
9 p.m. and then take out their phone or
their iPad or whatever and get to work
for 3 more hours and go to sleep at
midnight get their good six or seven
hours of sleep I’m not talking about
don’t sleep a lot of people get me
confused my big thing is if you’re not
happy if you’re happy and you make
37,000 pounds a year
Mazel Tov do you but if you are not
happy if you hate your job right you can
do something about it instead of blaming
brexit or blaming Trump or blaming your
mom like do something about it and my
point is it’s the Internet you’re gonna
be okay the fact that you realize that
that negative moment has positive impact
the question is why did it happen and
that’s why you have to be honest with
yourself I don’t know you know but
that’s you know I’m pumped that you can
have the I mean you’re more positive and
half the people here and it sounds like
super-race that’s why I wanted to ask
you how do you keep the positivity in
the calmness when everything is because
basically when things happen I go the
other way so tonight I just was
reminding myself every time I and every
time you came and next person came I’m
just reminding my slit early in my own
head saying you don’t mean I said to one
of you I said they said how do you stay
humble when you’re so successful I’m
like because I know if I die tomorrow
like most comments ever on my latest
post on Instagram and everybody to be
like oh that was the last one weird and
and I know that all of you will be on
with your life a week later you have to
balance your ego with humility in the
same way when I’m having my worst day I
realize I’m the best I’m gonna be the
best that ever does this and so the way
I handle things is when something’s
going one way I use all my emotional
strength to push the other way what are
you gonna cry for us your life cuz the
conference comes up like I just like to
me it’s just like look what the guys if
you’re in this room right now let me
just remind you that there are seven
point seven billion people literally
right now as we stand here there are
women being shipped to be strippers in
parts of our world right now as we stand
here there are women who are basically
caged mentally usually and are being
shipped to dance on a pole in Manhattan
and in London like do you understand
what’s good there’s there’s genocide
going on right now like what do you
think’s going on like we lack
perspective your conference got that
boohoo I lost a client boohoo there’s
people dying out there like like so when
Americans or Europeans talk to me about
race or gender I’m sad it’s the real
life but I remind them because it’s a
positive thing cool but let me tell you
about the person that’s ranked seven
billion in the world they have it bad
and so I just I struggle like I want to
write like I uh listen I’m weird and I
think about things like animals like I
don’t know
like if you’re the best elephant we are
still better than you like you know like
without really listen you know I got hot
on this about a year ago the four
hundred trillion to one it’s impossible
to be a human being
you won I don’t know how to get upset
after that I keep perspective right
like you’re gonna learn from this you’ve
got I promise you it’s failing cuz you
and and when you start owning your and
not blaming other people and I think
this is the kick I’ve been on lately on
Instagram right like blame yourself
you know what I’m always happy I blame
myself when you blame yourself for real
you’re gonna always be happy because you
don’t feel like somebody else controls
you number one thing that scares me in
life is regret I really really really
don’t want to be on my deathbed whether
that’s tomorrow or when I’m 97 and think
I should have done that I should like
that’s that spooks me right like hard
work people judging me leaving you know
trolling me on social media like all the
stuff that normal people worry about I
don’t worry about I worry about regret
and so I’m trying to squeeze everything
out of my life and so yeah I do a lot
too many of you in here have ego around
your time when it’s the only thing you
got so the reason I always know is cuz I
work because I work I work I try things
i test i DM you back i sweet i i’ve work
so when you’re in CH you taste it and
when you’ve done it for 20 years
you see patterns facebook’s still
underpriced you just can’t target 22 to
25 year old african-american fans of
football because other people are doing
that too now it’s just like Google early
on you could just target soccer one-word
five cents a click I did it wine wine
wine but then I had to put at the end of
the game now I got to put 2013 you know
Heller cellars Zinfandel like long tail
real estate if you’re right about London
look it’s my favorites do you know
you understand that somebody once bought
this building for a dollar somebody
bought the land were on for a dollar
once that happened it’s a long time ago
how do you know you’re a practitioner
the reason I do is to how I learned you
got to put up all of you were like well
I can’t do podcasting and Facebook and
Twitter oh but I can’t I can blog but I
can’t why if you want it so bad
my thing is why if you want it so bad
like if you want to have a media company
around Caribbean food culture
why can’t you I want it you know what I
want to see I want to see all your
minutes I want to see all your minutes I
want to give you d-roc for today I want
to watch you from the moment you wake up
to the moment you go to sleep let me
promise you something you’re gonna get
exposed so so that’s why dailyvee
happened because you guys were like a
lot of you didn’t know me before daily
be how many people knew me before daily
be well not bad right you got you got to
really know me post daily big you heard
hard work and hustle before you were
confused and I’ve been doing that every
day for twenty years
anybody who’s losing their hustle has a
lot of variables and there’s a lot of
variables in this episode this is the
variable episodes where there’s a lot of
context places not just direct answers
today
um listen you might have you might not
be passionate about your North Star
anymore I I’ve been going through
something let me actually break some
shattering news here for the first time
in my life I’ve been thinking about
weird things like sabbaticals and
building a business school in Haiti for
five years and like like I love listen
I’m still all about buying the New York
Jets and it’s the process of that and
the game but it’s amazing for me to be
in tune with myself the maturity like as
you get older like just dip like my kids
are six and three and they’re
interesting like it’s they’re
interesting and like you start you know
I start projecting what do they look
like at 13 and 15
like if you’re really cool to like I
don’t believe in the school system as
much as everybody like do I just take
them and go do something rogue like just
different things like you just evolved
and you might have just lost your
Northstar the thing that you thought you
were going for might not be it’s why it
was always happy that I’m in one a
million bucks or they want Fame or
didn’t want a car private plane or these
little things like it was fun to be like
I want to buy the Jets and what that
always meant to me is I want the process
of buying the Jets which means I get the
hustle forever because that’s my that’s
who I am maybe you’ve lost who you are
or what you want or maybe you’ve
accomplished kind of or maybe you feel
it’s achievable I would be crushed if I
thought what I wanted to achieve was
super achievable I mean it happened to
me in the wine is it’s happening at
Vayner
like as veiners becoming a player in the
agency world and we’re not like now
we’re like oh like and soon we’re gonna
be like oh like you know like like
that’s not as fun for me I like being
the underdog
I like the climb you know I like that so
maybe that’s happened maybe you’re just
tired I mean I think one of the things
that the New York Jets do for me that
nobody understands is those hours
actually you just caught something on
dailyvee right me talking Jeff that was
the first time I talked business during
a Jets game in 15 years I looked at my
phones a long time it was a very big
thing and only spent a second on it like
I am escaped and relax I’m by the way I
didn’t care about it like that’s how
excited like those three four hours of
escapism maybe need some vacation time I
maybe need to look at the people around
you maybe you need a change maybe you
need to break up with your boyfriend or
girlfriend like there’s like there’s a
lot of intense different things that can
be happening or maybe you can take a
step back and really listen to this
statement which is you’ve lost your
hustle because you really are not in
tune to why you’re doing it right you’re
just not in tune to what you’re doing it
that that that you’re maturing and
realizing like a Ferrari or a fat watch
or courtside tickets or custom Mike’s I
would just wanted to show them you know
isn’t that what you’re living for and so
you know it’s funny tonight I’m going to
the charity water gala I never thought
of myself ten years ago somebody who
would be so involved in nonprofits
sitting on the board of pencils of
promise donating I was you know I was
old so gone 40 I’m older like this was
this new narrative of much better people
and that’s what I think you guys all are
I think you’re much better generation I
grew up thinking I’ll get rich and when
I’m old I’ll be like giving out money
and doing that stuff so you just evolved
right and so maybe maybe you
like me like I haven’t gone completely
like I don’t have enough money like my
kids can give away all the money but I
can’t I don’t have that luxury yet but
maybe you want to do nonprofit maybe you
want to build schools for pencils of
promise and we’ll take you and Laos like
maybe you’ve lost your purpose so take a
good step back shut down shut down for
24 48 72 hours go away go away like this
this is how I want you to shut down go
to Airbnb this is a 2016 way to shut
down go to Airbnb find a very remote
place go to go to Airbnb find a very
remote place that’s you can get to at a
low cost like a crappy cabin far away on
a 4-hour drive where you can like just
drive because you can or like somebody
will drive you there are like hitchhike
I don’t give a crap lowest cost farthest
away seclusion and just be with yourself
and start talking to yourself for real
for like really talk to yourself a real
one of the great things I do with myself
is I talk to myself for real you know
really nobody is a harsher critic and a
bigger fan of themselves than me and I
think that friction in both directions
matters I think the biggest obstacle to
success is a lack of optimism that
question in itself is the problem my
friend right you’re looking at two
things that are both negatives and guess
what both of them are obstacles when I
started winelibrary.com transformation
from my business I had time I’ve worked
my face off every minute but we didn’t
have a whole lot of money in our profit
Center so it took more time right it’s
just the way it is today I have more
money but boy don’t I have time but
neither ever ever will be an excuse for
me and so just a drill this through the
throat of the vaynernation that’s right
I went that graphic don’t smile d-roc
here’s the bottom line I refuse to allow
you to get an answer to that question
because both of them are firmly square
in the excuse column and I have no
patience for that there will always be
problems let’s talk about a million
other things that are a way to stop
success the health and well-being of
your family members so it takes your
mind away from execution the country you
live in is government and political you
know concepts at these moments a la
startups in China that I’ve invested in
that got
for action but then people that were
wired into the government decided to not
allow it to happen and then the startup
disappeared not as easy to be an
entrepreneur there it’s still a
communist country sorry it just is and
so all these things can be problems
right there’s a competitor with a
billion dollars who’s also skilled and
punches you in the mouth and knocks you
out in the first round right the world
changing I mean there’s just a million
obstacles right the media one bad
coverage of you a moment in time you
know what I think about a lot you know
what I think about a lot let’s get
really real this is why we did this show
I always I’m a human being and I always
think about a moment in time what if I
just say the wrong thing at the wrong
time
right what if I call out China for being
a communist country in an episode while
I’m on a rant and somebody who’s
watching doesn’t like the way that
tastes and it takes away a business
opportunity for me in China in seven
years even though I’m not trying to
saying it’s just things that I saw what
if what if you know what if what if I
look down on my phone while I’m driving
even though I’ve really not done that
and I hit somebody and I kill them and
that becomes the story and I like forget
about the story about what you think of
me I will never recover from that
because I killed somebody because I
needed to check a tweet these are
moments in time so there are so many
things that can keep you from being
successful right the the people that you
invested in having something bad happen
to them so it slows you down my friends
there are a million reasons why not but
there’s one great reason why which is
you’ve just gotta persevere no matter
what it is it’s just the way it is it’s
hard being an entrepreneur it’s hard
building a business everybody thinks
it’s so easy that there’s an entitlement
there’s a disaster zing in China here
comes my us thing right now there is an
insane generation of 18 to 25 year olds
right now that think they’re entitled to
having a business because they saw the
social network movie and everybody’s
decided if you’re a kid and you know
what Tech is because you used Instagram
early on you’re entitled to actually
build a business building a business is
hard and you know what makes it really
hard
everything that happens every day of
every moment
so you can pick time you can pick money
as the one or two things that you think
stop you from winning your game but the
truth is there’s a million reasons 99
percent of businesses go out of business
for a reason and that reason is it’s
hard and so if you’re watching this show
I’ve got a sense of who you are and you
need to start creating layers and layers
and layers and layers of skin to be able
to get through because the glamour of
being an entrepreneur the goodness you
know you get very confused by my
optimism because it’s my optimism I
can’t help it it’s just how I roll it’s
probably one of the variable 1% reasons
why I’m successful but please don’t get
it twisted this is hard every day is
hard and if you don’t have the stomach
to weather the storm you will not be
successful and by the way let me throw
you a real weird curveball and that’s
okay people have to look themselves in a
mirror and understand if there are
number two three four five six seven an
organization that has differences of
being a number one but maybe that’s
where your skill set sits maybe that’s
how you make your fortunes and Happiness
and all the things that you’re looking
for and so that question got me going a
little bit Steve because it’s similar
the context of excuses and I will never
make an excuse everything that’s a
problem with me everything I don’t
achieve everything that’s a problem at
vaynermedia and everything is my fault
and I I succumbed to that and I respect
that and I actually think that’s the way
it should be and so no excuses my
friends problem is if you have the
greatest hammer and the greatest
screwdriver and the greatest wrench the
bravest 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 we’re important right and go thank
you I just apologize for German but let
me make it perfectly straight if I go
play Roger Federer right now in tennis
and I have the greatest tennis racket
ever made
like from taken from the Mars is new
like resources right and he took a John
McEnroe 1974 tennis racket 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 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 ninety six 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 lock versus preparation and
do you ever get anything wrong what do
you do I can make them as high key 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 dwelt 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
thesis 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
mistake
all the time I’m reorganize its 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 what 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 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 the 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
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 have ended up
being a bus a tree 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 times 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
five hundred bucks on Facebook ads it
doesn’t work well what if your videos
suck what if your product and service
sucks I I tend to do things that are
very early that has been my career you I
when I do things I believe in them I
stick with them based on intuition even
though for eighteen months nobody
watched my wine videos at all I knew
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 new it stopped it after you
know a couple months Wine Library TV
five years everyday 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 o guru 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 knows 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 I’m like 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 everything that I think
is not the single most important things
in the world and then I micromanage the
things that I think are the most
important things in the world luckily
for me hence why I’ve been able to build
big companies I don’t think most things
matter so I don’t think I’m any
different than anybody else I actually
think everybody is a delegator and a
micromanager I just think that my radar
of what’s important is different that’s
it right there
I’m just like you we’re all the same we
all delegate we all micromanage the
differences I don’t think most things
matter and what do I mean by that as I’m
trying to think about somebody watching
us for the first time instead of
alluding to like people that have
watched forever most things don’t matter
like it like I don’t know like just
bladder that’s what it means like you
know like if I was like I don’t know I
don’t think lighting matters as much as
directly I just don’t think things
matter like I don’t think like one
client and it’s gonna put us out of it
like I don’t think one employee’s gonna
kill our atmosphere like like like I I
don’t think a lot of things matter I
don’t think like croc like a
spelling in a deck is something that
really matters to a lot of people in my
company it just doesn’t matter to me I
just think that I deem what’s most
important at a very very high level on
things that most people you know what a
lot of you are commenting about my
five-minute meetings most of you cuz
you’re part of my community you think
it’s great
a lot of comments in YouTube and
Facebook I’m like oh I like daily
because Gary spends five that’s nice
I’ve one comment I work in a small and
buy Lettuce whoever said this is gonna
see this and be like holy crap he reads
everything I work it I’ve worked at
small companies where the boss doesn’t
even know my name you know what I mean
like this is cool but do you know many
people think it’s stupid I have a lot of
people in my life that think that I’m
very busy and I have a lot of things to
do and why in the world Gary it’s not
scalable it’s not sustainable yeah
you’re making that face cuz you’re so in
our cocoon but like boy just like like
you know like they’re like don’t do that
it’s not bad nobody expects you to do it
not at this scale and you have a great
culture and you have great intent just
do that I’m like nope this thing matters
to me so micromanaging the hello into my
company three to six months in that a
lot of people outsource to an HR person
or the leadership so I do unscalable
things all the time micromanaging if I
deem them the most important pitching
new business I like to micromanage that
this is important to win business like
money helps me keep doing everything the
ability 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 he would
say like three months ago you said Ricky
was gonna be the best employee I’m like
I changed my mind he should 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
I need people that make a fuckload more
money than me and one bigger 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 Bob off
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 roll 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 dog 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
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 happened if
you see layoffs just happening if you
see one of them if I see Burger King
doing something I’m thinking what does
McDonald’s think of rice 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
what born into a rich family you’re the
wrong skin tone you’re this you’re that
I get it but just we got the 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 it’s
happening here this is the greatest fear
ever for anybody
the market the Platteville 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 could
grab it a
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 him to work because it’s an
excuse to not do just talk to you guys
about why toys-r-us chip filing chapter
11 matters toys-r-us did two things over
the last couple decades that make no
sense one very early in the 2000s they
outsource themselves to Amazon they
didn’t believe in the Internet 17 years
ago so that Amazon do their fulfillment
which started people getting used to
buying toys on the Internet through an
Amazon world but most importantly they
just didn’t innovate you know and when
you don’t innovate you die like you
could have made toys towards lost three
years ago could have created the
National Lego championships and
everybody would be there was there was a
million thing could have made slime
centers they could have they could be
killing it right now with their
locations but no they choose to just
like sell toys out of it and none of you
want to go there first of all you’re
gonna go to Walmart and pick it up for
less money anyway
while you pick up your groceries
anything else and if you even want to
leave your home and you don’t and so
you’ll go to Amazon and do it that way
or buy it from somebody’s YouTube
channel link or you know Instagram
account it’s just it’s it’s the best
example right now of like how in trouble
everybody is if they rest on their
laurels
you know if Toys R Us the dominant niche
retail leader of a humongous
multi-billion dollar category is
finished what do you think is gonna
happen over the next six years
I think mindset is everything and so
you’ve got a really deciding any
positive about maybe negative nothing’s
am i thrilled that I have the ability to
do things about it to make what I’m
worried about better or am i crippled by
there’s like these seven things like
tomorrow I always choose positivity I
look at other people around me it’s not
just about me that winning they choose
positivity I look at the people around
me that are not winning
not pressing but not advancing their
choosing negativity it’s stunningly
binary it’s stunningly black and white
it’s stunningly married
this
to be very honest to be very frank I
think the biggest impact I’m having is
I’d be that all the emails because I
read a lot last night as well is is
shifting that mindset and getting people
into that
understand what they’re in charge of
that
and hacking and trying to pour out the
I’m a positive EG world that’s what I’m
pushing that’s my agenda
and and that’s why I think you feel the
effects and I need to fight Lord of that
in your heart Mary loved one mrs. Carter
in audience so many people get 49
comments for me phenomenal
they spend their time on that one enough
like living by somebody else’s rules is
a humongous mistake I just literally sat
down with five people under the age of
27 and is so refreshing it is so
refreshing if you have not jumped on the
bandwagon of doing exactly what the 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
I’m not stand up get the out of here and
do you live your life you’ve got one
life do something about it 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 Wise’s if you
like don’t hold on to it and 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 Oh see you could never do or
whatever the cliche is right yeah it
just doesn’t matter
okay I’m 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
anymore 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 minimum amount
of money you want to make for your life
like like like what would be the minimum
amount of money that you make every year
that allowed you to live and do that
great so you’re like what is amazing
about that if that’s where you’re at
well then at this young of an age and
well that’s where you’re at and the fact
that you’re even here and you know it’s
just unbelievable amounts of content in
written audio and visual form on
Instagram snapchat Facebook Twitter and
YouTube and podcast and I will tell you
I would be flabbergasted in three four
five six years unless you suck which you
may but if you don’t suck and you have
that little of a financial need right
which is remarkable which is the biggest
thing something here I don’t know if
they’re here said you made me realize I
didn’t need Rolexes and things of that
nature right like the biggest reason so
many of you will fail is your number for
success is far greater than his you
think you need a million which will then
mean that you’re going to do a lot of
things when you don’t get a million very
quickly that won’t ever get you a
million so if you if you think what I
just said is cool which is bleed for six
years in a row
you’ll probably get sponsorship or sales
of product to 40,000 a year to me that’s
what I did I knew what I wanted I was
willing to give up my 20s for it
gave him up gave him up you know
somebody said it’s difficult not to
document right now I’m like but I but I
didn’t write but like what should I
build my business or should I document
I’m like both he’s like well I got a
pick one I’m like build your business
like so if you’re if your ambitions are
that humble which they are that’s
incredible that excites me because by
the way here’s the funny part that’s why
I was – I just needed a hundred thousand
a year just that seemed rich to me right
like I was like cool um I’ll be okay
like like I’ll have a house like you
know it’s not you know I just needed to
play much I needed the game and too many
people too many of you in here want the
stuff not the game when you fall in love
with the game everything’s different
because you’ve already won that’s real
it sounds cliche but it’s real
find what you’re looking for I’ve been
giving a lot of thought to kind of just
watching what I’m seeing out there in
the social digital ecosystem and very
honestly just real life and I’m watching
so many people over the last two to
three years look for negativity look for
something that’s wrong find where people
disagree with them fight look for what
was me downside the half glass empty and
and then I go to a Twitter search or
look around the world and I find
ridiculously beautiful things every day
every day thousands of kind acts
randomly by people all people that I
have conversations with who see the
opportunities whether it’s in business
like voice and AR or crypto or whatever
it may be just this amazingly
interesting thing that I feel the
majority of you are looking for the
wrong while there’s a plenty of wrong
and plenty of right in the world it
comes down to one very simple thing what
are you choosing to look for because I
promise you if you right now and I’m
making this video for one reason 24
hours of trying to find the good
somebody saves a kid somebody opens the
door somebody does a nice thing for you
bit somebody says thank you
24 hours of looking for positivity could
change your life honestly making this
for one person one one person watches
this video chooses to do 24 hours of
looking for good instead of looking for
bad and their game changes d-roc heard
somebody at a convenience store saying
mom you’re always so negative you’re
always so negative I am blown away by
the fact that life gets real simple if
you break down into this are you looking
for the negative this sucks this
government sucks this person sucks this
is are you looking for the positive
she’s nice that’s remarkable I’ve got
this opportunity you choose what you’re
looking for because what you look for
you find
so if you’re listening in you’re over 42
let’s just use my age there’s something
interesting you said something that I
helped a lot of people that are younger
it only has to do with one thing they
actually believe in the technology we
live in right this room is filled with
guys right now who’ve taken advantage of
YouTube or Instagram or just the
Facebook’s of the world and the only
thing I need to do to break through
somebody who’s 47 in the suburbs of
London who has a mortgage debt and three
children is for them to understand that
unlike when he or she and I grew up and
there was no internet the thought of
like having a happy life was separate
than taking care of what you were
supposed to take care of the fact that
everybody can come home tonight at 6 7 8
9 p.m. and then take out their phone or
their iPad or whatever and get to work
for 3 more hours and go to sleep at
midnight get their good six or seven
hours of sleep I’m not talking about
don’t sleep a lot of people get me
confused my big thing is if you’re not
happy if you’re happy and you make
37,000 pounds a year
Mazel Tov do you but if you are not
happy if you hate your job right you can
do something about it instead of blaming
brexit or blaming Trump or blaming your
mom like do something about it and my
point is it’s the Internet you’re gonna
be okay the fact that you realize that
that negative moment has positive impact
the question is why did it happen and
that’s why you have to be honest with
yourself I don’t know you know but
that’s you know I’m pumped that you can
have the I mean you’re more positive and
half the people here and it sounds like
super-race that’s why I wanted to ask
you how do you keep the positivity in
the calmness when everything is because
basically when things happen I go the
other way so tonight I just was
reminding myself every time I and every
time you came and next person came I’m
just reminding my slit early in my own
head saying you don’t mean I said to one
of you I said they said how do you stay
humble when you’re so successful I’m
like because I know if I die tomorrow
like most comments ever on my latest
post on Instagram and everybody to be
like oh that was the last one weird and
and I know that all of you will be on
with your life a week later you have to
balance your ego with humility in the
same way when I’m having my worst day I
realize I’m the best I’m gonna be the
best that ever does this and so the way
I handle things is when something’s
going one way I use all my emotional
strength to push the other way what are
you gonna cry for us your life cuz the
conference comes up like I just like to
me it’s just like look what the guys if
you’re in this room right now let me
just remind you that there are seven
point seven billion people literally
right now as we stand here there are
women being shipped to be strippers in
parts of our world right now as we stand
here there are women who are basically
caged mentally usually and are being
shipped to dance on a pole in Manhattan
and in London like do you understand
what’s good there’s there’s genocide
going on right now like what do you
think’s going on like we lack
perspective your conference got that
boohoo I lost a client boohoo there’s
people dying out there like like so when
Americans or Europeans talk to me about
race or gender I’m sad it’s the real
life but I remind them because it’s a
positive thing cool but let me tell you
about the person that’s ranked seven
billion in the world they have it bad
and so I just I struggle like I want to
write like I uh listen I’m weird and I
think about things like animals like I
don’t know
like if you’re the best elephant we are
still better than you like you know like
without really listen you know I got hot
on this about a year ago the four
hundred trillion to one it’s impossible
to be a human being
you won I don’t know how to get upset
after that I keep perspective right
like you’re gonna learn from this you’ve
got I promise you it’s failing cuz you
and and when you start owning your and
not blaming other people and I think
this is the kick I’ve been on lately on
Instagram right like blame yourself
you know what I’m always happy I blame
myself when you blame yourself for real
you’re gonna always be happy because you
don’t feel like somebody else controls
you number one thing that scares me in
life is regret I really really really
don’t want to be on my deathbed whether
that’s tomorrow or when I’m 97 and think
I should have done that I should like
that’s that spooks me right like hard
work people judging me leaving you know
trolling me on social media like all the
stuff that normal people worry about I
don’t worry about I worry about regret
and so I’m trying to squeeze everything
out of my life and so yeah I do a lot
too many of you in here have ego around
your time when it’s the only thing you
got so the reason I always know is cuz I
work because I work I work I try things
i test i DM you back i sweet i i’ve work
so when you’re in CH you taste it and
when you’ve done it for 20 years
you see patterns facebook’s still
underpriced you just can’t target 22 to
25 year old african-american fans of
football because other people are doing
that too now it’s just like Google early
on you could just target soccer one-word
five cents a click I did it wine wine
wine but then I had to put at the end of
the game now I got to put 2013 you know
Heller cellars Zinfandel like long tail
real estate if you’re right about London
look it’s my favorites do you know
you understand that somebody once bought
this building for a dollar somebody
bought the land were on for a dollar
once that happened it’s a long time ago
how do you know you’re a practitioner
the reason I do is to how I learned you
got to put up all of you were like well
I can’t do podcasting and Facebook and
Twitter oh but I can’t I can blog but I
can’t why if you want it so bad
my thing is why if you want it so bad
like if you want to have a media company
around Caribbean food culture
why can’t you I want it you know what I
want to see I want to see all your
minutes I want to see all your minutes I
want to give you d-roc for today I want
to watch you from the moment you wake up
to the moment you go to sleep let me
promise you something you’re gonna get
exposed so so that’s why dailyvee
happened because you guys were like a
lot of you didn’t know me before daily
be how many people knew me before daily
be well not bad right you got you got to
really know me post daily big you heard
hard work and hustle before you were
confused and I’ve been doing that every
day for twenty years
anybody who’s losing their hustle has a
lot of variables and there’s a lot of
variables in this episode this is the
variable episodes where there’s a lot of
context places not just direct answers
today
um listen you might have you might not
be passionate about your North Star
anymore I I’ve been going through
something let me actually break some
shattering news here for the first time
in my life I’ve been thinking about
weird things like sabbaticals and
building a business school in Haiti for
five years and like like I love listen
I’m still all about buying the New York
Jets and it’s the process of that and
the game but it’s amazing for me to be
in tune with myself the maturity like as
you get older like just dip like my kids
are six and three and they’re
interesting like it’s they’re
interesting and like you start you know
I start projecting what do they look
like at 13 and 15
like if you’re really cool to like I
don’t believe in the school system as
much as everybody like do I just take
them and go do something rogue like just
different things like you just evolved
and you might have just lost your
Northstar the thing that you thought you
were going for might not be it’s why it
was always happy that I’m in one a
million bucks or they want Fame or
didn’t want a car private plane or these
little things like it was fun to be like
I want to buy the Jets and what that
always meant to me is I want the process
of buying the Jets which means I get the
hustle forever because that’s my that’s
who I am maybe you’ve lost who you are
or what you want or maybe you’ve
accomplished kind of or maybe you feel
it’s achievable I would be crushed if I
thought what I wanted to achieve was
super achievable I mean it happened to
me in the wine is it’s happening at
Vayner
like as veiners becoming a player in the
agency world and we’re not like now
we’re like oh like and soon we’re gonna
be like oh like you know like like
that’s not as fun for me I like being
the underdog
I like the climb you know I like that so
maybe that’s happened maybe you’re just
tired I mean I think one of the things
that the New York Jets do for me that
nobody understands is those hours
actually you just caught something on
dailyvee right me talking Jeff that was
the first time I talked business during
a Jets game in 15 years I looked at my
phones a long time it was a very big
thing and only spent a second on it like
I am escaped and relax I’m by the way I
didn’t care about it like that’s how
excited like those three four hours of
escapism maybe need some vacation time I
maybe need to look at the people around
you maybe you need a change maybe you
need to break up with your boyfriend or
girlfriend like there’s like there’s a
lot of intense different things that can
be happening or maybe you can take a
step back and really listen to this
statement which is you’ve lost your
hustle because you really are not in
tune to why you’re doing it right you’re
just not in tune to what you’re doing it
that that that you’re maturing and
realizing like a Ferrari or a fat watch
or courtside tickets or custom Mike’s I
would just wanted to show them you know
isn’t that what you’re living for and so
you know it’s funny tonight I’m going to
the charity water gala I never thought
of myself ten years ago somebody who
would be so involved in nonprofits
sitting on the board of pencils of
promise donating I was you know I was
old so gone 40 I’m older like this was
this new narrative of much better people
and that’s what I think you guys all are
I think you’re much better generation I
grew up thinking I’ll get rich and when
I’m old I’ll be like giving out money
and doing that stuff so you just evolved
right and so maybe maybe you
like me like I haven’t gone completely
like I don’t have enough money like my
kids can give away all the money but I
can’t I don’t have that luxury yet but
maybe you want to do nonprofit maybe you
want to build schools for pencils of
promise and we’ll take you and Laos like
maybe you’ve lost your purpose so take a
good step back shut down shut down for
24 48 72 hours go away go away like this
this is how I want you to shut down go
to Airbnb this is a 2016 way to shut
down go to Airbnb find a very remote
place go to go to Airbnb find a very
remote place that’s you can get to at a
low cost like a crappy cabin far away on
a 4-hour drive where you can like just
drive because you can or like somebody
will drive you there are like hitchhike
I don’t give a crap lowest cost farthest
away seclusion and just be with yourself
and start talking to yourself for real
for like really talk to yourself a real
one of the great things I do with myself
is I talk to myself for real you know
really nobody is a harsher critic and a
bigger fan of themselves than me and I
think that friction in both directions
matters I think the biggest obstacle to
success is a lack of optimism that
question in itself is the problem my
friend right you’re looking at two
things that are both negatives and guess
what both of them are obstacles when I
started winelibrary.com transformation
from my business I had time I’ve worked
my face off every minute but we didn’t
have a whole lot of money in our profit
Center so it took more time right it’s
just the way it is today I have more
money but boy don’t I have time but
neither ever ever will be an excuse for
me and so just a drill this through the
throat of the vaynernation that’s right
I went that graphic don’t smile d-roc
here’s the bottom line I refuse to allow
you to get an answer to that question
because both of them are firmly square
in the excuse column and I have no
patience for that there will always be
problems let’s talk about a million
other things that are a way to stop
success the health and well-being of
your family members so it takes your
mind away from execution the country you
live in is government and political you
know concepts at these moments a la
startups in China that I’ve invested in
that got
for action but then people that were
wired into the government decided to not
allow it to happen and then the startup
disappeared not as easy to be an
entrepreneur there it’s still a
communist country sorry it just is and
so all these things can be problems
right there’s a competitor with a
billion dollars who’s also skilled and
punches you in the mouth and knocks you
out in the first round right the world
changing I mean there’s just a million
obstacles right the media one bad
coverage of you a moment in time you
know what I think about a lot you know
what I think about a lot let’s get
really real this is why we did this show
I always I’m a human being and I always
think about a moment in time what if I
just say the wrong thing at the wrong
time
right what if I call out China for being
a communist country in an episode while
I’m on a rant and somebody who’s
watching doesn’t like the way that
tastes and it takes away a business
opportunity for me in China in seven
years even though I’m not trying to
saying it’s just things that I saw what
if what if you know what if what if I
look down on my phone while I’m driving
even though I’ve really not done that
and I hit somebody and I kill them and
that becomes the story and I like forget
about the story about what you think of
me I will never recover from that
because I killed somebody because I
needed to check a tweet these are
moments in time so there are so many
things that can keep you from being
successful right the the people that you
invested in having something bad happen
to them so it slows you down my friends
there are a million reasons why not but
there’s one great reason why which is
you’ve just gotta persevere no matter
what it is it’s just the way it is it’s
hard being an entrepreneur it’s hard
building a business everybody thinks
it’s so easy that there’s an entitlement
there’s a disaster zing in China here
comes my us thing right now there is an
insane generation of 18 to 25 year olds
right now that think they’re entitled to
having a business because they saw the
social network movie and everybody’s
decided if you’re a kid and you know
what Tech is because you used Instagram
early on you’re entitled to actually
build a business building a business is
hard and you know what makes it really
hard
everything that happens every day of
every moment
so you can pick time you can pick money
as the one or two things that you think
stop you from winning your game but the
truth is there’s a million reasons 99
percent of businesses go out of business
for a reason and that reason is it’s
hard and so if you’re watching this show
I’ve got a sense of who you are and you
need to start creating layers and layers
and layers and layers of skin to be able
to get through because the glamour of
being an entrepreneur the goodness you
know you get very confused by my
optimism because it’s my optimism I
can’t help it it’s just how I roll it’s
probably one of the variable 1% reasons
why I’m successful but please don’t get
it twisted this is hard every day is
hard and if you don’t have the stomach
to weather the storm you will not be
successful and by the way let me throw
you a real weird curveball and that’s
okay people have to look themselves in a
mirror and understand if there are
number two three four five six seven an
organization that has differences of
being a number one but maybe that’s
where your skill set sits maybe that’s
how you make your fortunes and Happiness
and all the things that you’re looking
for and so that question got me going a
little bit Steve because it’s similar
the context of excuses and I will never
make an excuse everything that’s a
problem with me everything I don’t
achieve everything that’s a problem at
vaynermedia and everything is my fault
and I I succumbed to that and I respect
that and I actually think that’s the way
it should be and so no excuses my
friends problem is if you have the
greatest hammer and the greatest
screwdriver and the greatest wrench the
bravest 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 we’re important right and go thank
you I just apologize for German but let
me make it perfectly straight if I go
play Roger Federer right now in tennis
and I have the greatest tennis racket
ever made
like from taken from the Mars is new
like resources right and he took a John
McEnroe 1974 tennis racket 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 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 ninety six 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 lock versus preparation and
do you ever get anything wrong what do
you do I can make them as high key 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 dwelt 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
thesis 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
mistake
all the time I’m reorganize its 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 what 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 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 the 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
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 have ended up
being a bus a tree 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 times 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
five hundred bucks on Facebook ads it
doesn’t work well what if your videos
suck what if your product and service
sucks I I tend to do things that are
very early that has been my career you I
when I do things I believe in them I
stick with them based on intuition even
though for eighteen months nobody
watched my wine videos at all I knew
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 new it stopped it after you
know a couple months Wine Library TV
five years everyday 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 o guru 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 knows 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 I’m like 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 everything that I think
is not the single most important things
in the world and then I micromanage the
things that I think are the most
important things in the world luckily
for me hence why I’ve been able to build
big companies I don’t think most things
matter so I don’t think I’m any
different than anybody else I actually
think everybody is a delegator and a
micromanager I just think that my radar
of what’s important is different that’s
it right there
I’m just like you we’re all the same we
all delegate we all micromanage the
differences I don’t think most things
matter and what do I mean by that as I’m
trying to think about somebody watching
us for the first time instead of
alluding to like people that have
watched forever most things don’t matter
like it like I don’t know like just
bladder that’s what it means like you
know like if I was like I don’t know I
don’t think lighting matters as much as
directly I just don’t think things
matter like I don’t think like one
client and it’s gonna put us out of it
like I don’t think one employee’s gonna
kill our atmosphere like like like I I
don’t think a lot of things matter I
don’t think like croc like a
spelling in a deck is something that
really matters to a lot of people in my
company it just doesn’t matter to me I
just think that I deem what’s most
important at a very very high level on
things that most people you know what a
lot of you are commenting about my
five-minute meetings most of you cuz
you’re part of my community you think
it’s great
a lot of comments in YouTube and
Facebook I’m like oh I like daily
because Gary spends five that’s nice
I’ve one comment I work in a small and
buy Lettuce whoever said this is gonna
see this and be like holy crap he reads
everything I work it I’ve worked at
small companies where the boss doesn’t
even know my name you know what I mean
like this is cool but do you know many
people think it’s stupid I have a lot of
people in my life that think that I’m
very busy and I have a lot of things to
do and why in the world Gary it’s not
scalable it’s not sustainable yeah
you’re making that face cuz you’re so in
our cocoon but like boy just like like
you know like they’re like don’t do that
it’s not bad nobody expects you to do it
not at this scale and you have a great
culture and you have great intent just
do that I’m like nope this thing matters
to me so micromanaging the hello into my
company three to six months in that a
lot of people outsource to an HR person
or the leadership so I do unscalable
things all the time micromanaging if I
deem them the most important pitching
new business I like to micromanage that
this is important to win business like
money helps me keep doing everything the
ability 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 he would
say like three months ago you said Ricky
was gonna be the best employee I’m like
I changed my mind he should 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
I need people that make a fuckload more
money than me and one bigger 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 Bob off
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 roll 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 dog 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
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